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Movies / On DVD / Big Fish
Big Fish

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Big Fish (2003)

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Reviews Counted:10

Fresh:5

Rotten:5

Average Rating:5.9/10

Consensus: A charming father-and-son tale filled with typical Tim Burton flourishes.

Rated: PG [See Full Rating] for a fight scene, some images of nudity and a suggestive reference

Runtime: 2 hrs 5 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:23-01-2004

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

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Reviews for Big Fish

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1 - 10 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
04/01/06
Empire Magazine
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Time Out
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This is a film that pasteurises both plot and sentiment with the efficiency of a Swiss milking machine.

Full Review Source: Times [UK] | comment Comment
04/29/04
James Christopher
James Christopher
Times [UK]
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
04/09/04
Guardian [UK]
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Feelgood without being overly sentimental; romantic without being cloying; moving without being mawkish.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
12/05/03
Adrian Hennigan
Adrian Hennigan
BBC
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
11/11/03
Channel 4 Film
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A compelling look at the relationships between fathers and sons, and the child coming to terms with the parent's mortality.

Full Review Source: CNN.com | comment Comment
01/08/04
Paul Clinton (CNN.com)
Paul Clinton (CNN.com)
CNN.com
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There is no denying that Will has a point: The old man is a blowhard. There is a point at which his stories stop working as entertainment and segue into sadism.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
12/25/03
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
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The imaginatively illustrated but precariously precious film offers up a string of minor pleasures but never becomes more than moderately amusing or involving.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
12/23/03
Todd McCarthy
Todd McCarthy
Variety
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Big Fish makes a big push for transcendence, but the strain shows. It's like trying to push a daydream uphill.

Full Review Source: TIME Magazine | comment Comment
12/16/03
Richard Corliss
Richard Corliss
TIME Magazine
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The most curious thing about this magical-realist fable ... is how thin and soft it is, how unpersuasive and ultimately forgettable even its most strenuous inventions turn out to be.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment 1 Comment
12/10/03
A.O. Scott
A.O. Scott
New York Times
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Big fish often swim in small ponds, but in Tim Burton's wistful new film about a son, a father and the lies that come between them there are no small ponds -- just big, bright movie sets shimmering and bubbling with the director's imagination.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
12/10/03
Manohla Dargis
Manohla Dargis
Los Angeles Times
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Belabored oddity that is one long-winded tall tale illustrated with hammy, artificial sets and gee-whiz acting.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
12/01/03
Kirk Honeycutt
Kirk Honeycutt
Hollywood Reporter
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1 - 10 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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