Big Fish - Movie review

Based on the novel written by Daniel Walus, Big Fish is one of the most entertaining films in Hollywood’s history. It’s full of stories, beginnings, endings, magic, and humor. The 2003 film is directed by Tim Burton and starred by the great Ewan Mcgregor and Albert Finny who play Edward Bloom in his younger and older years. The film is mainly about a father and son, and their complex relationship, but in the middle of that, there’s a lot of fun.  

Edward Bloom’s son returns back home to spend more time and take care of his dying father whom he hasn’t been in contact with for years even though he talks to his mother all the time. Edward Bloom seemed like a social and lovable character throughout his life.

However, he has a habit of telling unbelievable stories, and as a son, grew up and tries to find out the truth about the exaggerations in his father’s stories that leaves him resentful for living a life of a lie. The film is like a metaphor for losing a parent or an important family member where nothing is left of them but all the cheesy stories we can share on a dining table in a family gathering. 

At the end of the film, we find out that the stories are what will keep his father’s memory. They’re all a gift of his life. The story starts with the son telling the story of Edward Bloom’s birth, the way his father tells it, which is a bizarre story of him bursting out of his mother’s womb and sliding on the hospital’s floor. We see him grow up and become the star of his town, playing football, basketball, and baseball at school.