Big Fish
Big Fish ★★★ 2003 (PG-13)
Burton's latest is right up his alley, as it's about a great storyteller prone to outsized flights of fancy. Ed Bloom (Finney) is a man on his deathbed hoping to reconcile with the son (Crudup) he's alienated with the yarns he's spun about his life. When Will, who's become a journalist as a form of rebellion, returns and asks one last time for the truth, Ed again begins the familiar tall tale. This is where we learn of Ed's version of his courtship of wife Sandra, his battle with a huge catfish, his adventures with a giant in the circus, the Korean War, and an idyllic town where the residents seem content to walk around barefoot and happy. Burton is in his element with the flashback/yarn portion, but handles the delicate drama of the fatherson scenes with aplomb as well. Cast is uniformly excellent, with Finney making the most of a largely sedentary role. 125m/C DVD, Bluray Disc . US Ewan McGregor, Albert Finney, Billy Crudup, Jessica Lange, Alison Lohman, Helena BonhamCarter, Robert Guillaume, Steve Buscemi, Danny DeVito, Marion Cotillard, David Denman, Missi Pyle, Matthew McGrory, Loudon Wainwright III; D: Tim Burton; W: John August; C: Philippe Rousselot; M: Danny Elfman.