Big Fish

I’m not an emotional guy. It takes a whole lot to move me; Big Fish had me tearing up at the end.

It’s tough to explain, and I actually feel sort of silly now that I’m out of the theater, but hey - deal.

Tim Burton is a Genius. No, Genius may not be the right word. Artist may be closer, but still may not adequately capture what I am looking for. Truthfully, though, he may have just been the right guy in the right place at the right time.

To start, the script is possibly the most compelling thing to grace the silver screen in a long while. Better even, IMO, than LOTR . I say that not lightly - but John August’s adaptation of Daniel Wallace’s novel is extremely well done. Much of the story hinges on narrated voiceover - but it’s the voiceover of a storyteller, a raconteur - a voiceover that’s somehow not out of place, and not a cheap gimmick to save time or production costs.

Burton’s movie turns some of his previous work on its head. Unlike the string of movies from Beetlejuice through Sleepy Hollow (With a potential exception with the fun, fun, fun Mars Attacks ), the “real world” in “Big Fish” is the dark and serious place - in the fantasy world (potentially more real than the “real world” here) of Edward Bloom, everything is sunlight, smiles, and roses.

Dan Wallace admits that calling his protagionist “Bloom” was a nod to James Joyce’s impenetrable Ulyssees . At least he’s humble.

I’ll admit, much of my appreciation of “Big Fish” probably stems from my own usually overly rosy view of the world, and belief in the capacity of people to make their own lives better. I could also identify with Dan Wallace’s character (played by Billy Crudup ) completely and totally confused about what to make of his father. BTW- Crudup’s character is named “Will Bloom” - more potential foreshadowing.

All that aside, it was nice to see a movie that took seriously love, hope, and optimism.

Posted by jank at January 28, 2004 10:18 AM