Burton, favoring form over content, flavor over fact, has been often criticized for not knowing how to bring his work to satisfactory resolution. But I'd call that a good thing. Blame it on his dad.
Big Fish (2003)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:207
Fresh:158
Rotten:49
Average Rating:7.2/10
Consensus: A charming father-and-son tale filled with typical Tim Burton flourishes.
Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for a fight scene, some images of nudity and a suggestive reference
Runtime: 2 hrs 5 mins
Genre: Dramas
Theatrical Release:Dec 10, 2003 Limited
Box Office: $66,257,002
Synopsis: In Tim Burton's family film BIG FISH, a gifted storyteller named Edward Bloom (Albert Finney), who lives in a small town in Alabama, recounts tall tales of his wild worldly adventures. These are... In Tim Burton's family film BIG FISH, a gifted storyteller named Edward Bloom (Albert Finney), who lives in a small town in Alabama, recounts tall tales of his wild worldly adventures. These are shown in flashback with Ewan McGregor playing the young Bloom. Wonderful special effects and vibrant colors that pop off the screen make this Burton film a much sunnier experience than his macabre gems EDWARD SCISSORHANDS and BEETLEJUICE. Yet his signature quirky artistry is unmistakable, and the movie benefits from crisp production values and a loveable, bizarre cast of characters. Told through a series of vignettes, Bloom's stories involve a witch, a giant, a haunted forest, and yes, a big fish. A self-described small-town hero, Bloom explains how he left home at 18 determined to experience anything and everything life could dish out. He worked for the circus, took on daring assignments as a WWII soldier, and rambled across the country as a zany traveling salesman. Utterly unbelievable yet magical and delightful, Bloom's stories just don't translate to his son Will (Billy Crudup) who wants to know his dad's "true" life story. But little by little--through increasingly outlandish tales at which Will cannot resist smirking--the two begin to understand each other, and Bloom weaves his stories into their genealogical fabric. [More]
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Albert Finney, Billy Crudup, Jessica Lange
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Albert Finney, Billy Crudup, Jessica Lange, Alison Lohman, Helena Bonham-Carter, Robert Guillaume, Steve Buscemi, Danny DeVito, Marion Cotillard, Matthew McGrory, Loudon Wainwright
Director: Tim Burton
Director: Tim Burton
Screenwriter: John August
Producer: Richard D. Zanuck, Bruce Cohen, Dan Jinks
Composer: Danny Elfman
Studio: Columbia Pictures
Get This Movie
Reviews for Big Fish
Burton invokes the imagination from his crowd and succeeds in making us gasp in wonder.
For all the story’s twists, there are no real surprises (the ending is obvious 10 minutes in), and Burton’s flourishes of self-satisfied frippery annoy as much as they amuse.
Unfortunately, up until the end, the tall tales are far more interesting than reality.
I enjoyed Big Fish more than any film Burton has been involved with since maybe Nightmare Before Christmas.
The film doesn't so much reject history as selectively rewrite it to its own reactionary, even offensive ends. This might perhaps be just about tolerable were the film funny, illuminating, insightful or moving. It is not.
Plays to Burton's strengths as an auteur of fantasy colliding with reality.
An ebullient tall tale about the magic of imagination and the power of myth.
Big Fish is, in the end, a small tale, but it's a beautifully told one.
[Burton] celebrates the empty imaginings of the lost, because he assumes there is no real liberation, there is no glory awaiting us, except that which we invent for ourselves.
Un film délicieux que l’on écoute avec légèreté et qui fait passer un bon moment grâce à son humour, sa féerie, mais aussi dans la façon dont il nous touche.
Burton has crafted a sweet yet bizarre film seeming at times like 'The Twilight Zone' in Oz.
A heartwarming, nostalgic story of tall tales and even taller dreams.
Latest News for Big Fish
February 03, 2010:
Five Facts About Alice in Wonderland
Over the past 20 years, director Tim Burton and his chiseled muse Johnny Depp have proved an extremely fruitful pairing. From the gothic beauty of Edward Scissorhands, through... More...
May 11, 2007:
The Rock as Captain Marvel?
From the "strange but (possibly) true" department. Director Peter Segal looks like he'll be directing the "Shazam" movie ... and will he be casting Dwayne... More...
April 09, 2007:
"Captain Marvel" Screenwriter Shakes Up the Fanboys -- Shazam!
Gotta give it up for screenwriter John August. Not only is he entirely forthcoming about his upcoming "Shazam!" (aka "Captain Marvel") adaptation, but he's... More...
October 19, 2006:
Helena Bonham Carter Joins Tim Burton's New Project
It's a piece of casting news that'll please many, but shock no one: Helena Bonham Carter has been cast opposite Johnny Depp in Tim Burton's movie version of "Sweeney... More...
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 39% 39% | 2012 |
| 90% 90% | Up in the Air |
| 91% 91% | Precious: Based on the… |
| 25% 25% | Law Abiding Citizen |
| 73% 73% | Where the Wild Things Are |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 85% 85% | The Princess and the Frog |
| 81% 81% | Broken Embraces |
| 26% 26% | Ninja Assassin |
| 13% 13% | Did You Hear About the… |
| 18% 18% | The Fourth Kind |
RT On Current TV
DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
CloseSponsored Links
Fresh Links
Featured

In "honor" of St. Patty's Day, PopEater brings us 12 famous drunken celebrity appearances.

How often do stars regret working on something? Moviefone has the lowdown on all the trash talk.

JustJared shares with us a video of Hugh Jackman on The Tonight Show... singing in Chinese.

Techland offers their list of the worst live-action adaptations of beloved cartoons to hit the big screen.

Cracked has got the Oscars nailed; check out their comprehensive trailer for every Best Picture winner!
Promos

Download it from iTunes and get Tomatometer scores straight to your iPhone!







