Big Fish (2003)

Director:

Tim Burton

Writers (WGA):

Daniel Wallace (novel)
John August (screenplay)

Release Date:

9 January 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Drama | Fantasy

Tagline:

An adventure as big as life itself.

Plot:

A story about a son trying to learn more about his dying father by reliving stories and myths his father told him about himself.

Plot Keywords:

Flashback | Legend | Swimming Pool | Fistfight | Giant

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 32 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Ewan McGregor	...	Ed Bloom - Young
Albert Finney	...	Ed Bloom - Senior
Billy Crudup	...	Will Bloom
Jessica Lange	...	Sandra Bloom
Helena Bonham Carter	...	Jenny - Young / Jenny - Senior / The Witch
Alison Lohman	...	Sandra Templeton Bloom
Robert Guillaume	...	Dr. Bennett - Senior
Marion Cotillard	...	Josephine
Matthew McGrory	...	Karl the Giant
David Denman	...	Don Price
Missi Pyle	...	Mildred
Loudon Wainwright III	...	Beamen (as Loudon Wainwright)
Ada Tai	...	Ping
Arlene Tai	...	Jing
Steve Buscemi	...	Norther Winslow

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for a fight scene, some images of nudity and a suggestive reference.

Runtime:

125 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS (8 channels)

Certification:

Netherlands:MG6 | Brazil:Livre | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Malaysia:U | Spain:T | South Korea:12 | Philippines:PG-13 | Germany:6 (f) | Sweden:11 | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Hong Kong:IIA | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:NC-16 | Singapore:PG (cut) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Zurich) | Norway:11 | UK:PG | USA:PG-13 | Iceland:L

Filming Locations:

Alabama, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

When Ed Bloom is being given the key to the city, the marching band is playing "The Victors", fight song of The University of Michigan and Bloomington High School North, Indiana.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In the montage of Ed Bloom's heroics there is a shot of him making a game-winning basket. There is a three-point line painted on the court. There was no three-point shot in high school basketball until the 1980s. However the shot still counts as a two-pointer.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Young Ed Bloom: There are some fish that cannot be caught. It's not that they are faster or stronger than other fish, they're just touched by something extra.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Troldspejlet: (#32.4)" (2004)

Soundtrack:

Dinah

A wonderful tale about life's magic

Subtle, delicate, touching and fascinating pledge for the life as fruit of dream. About the ambiguous taste of imagination and about existence like a spectacular trip. About desire and reality like warm bread.

The director of "Big Fish" is Tom Burton. It is only decent definition of a film -mixture between childhood and small miracles, about a special image of ordinaries gestures and about hope in eccentric aspects. The texture is same of grandmother's tales in Christamas Eve or Sunday morning. A brave hero, strange village, temptation and huge love, success and discoveries, miracles and public,secret sense of life and courage. So, in many cases, the reality is only boring passage and the dream, the childish game, the sound of angel's voice or the strange facts are heart of magnificent act of contemplation.

It is a moral story but, in same measure is source of a way to look the world. The life is not a punish or bag of routine. The faith is not only part of a relation with God but with yourself. The others are, in great measure, parts of funny miracle and ineffable expectation.

The Ewan Mc Gregor acting is brilliant. Nuances, accents, inflexion of words, smile or gestures are bricks of a magnificent character, touching, warm, credible. In some moments, the film is spectacular dialog between McGregor and Albert Finney interpretation.

In fact, "Big Fish" is a tale. A fairy tale about life's magic out of words or exterior facts.