RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Found a Bug? Squash It! Report Bugs Here
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / Big Fish
Big Fish

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Buy Poster External Icon
  • Visit Official Site External Icon
Bookmark and Share

Big Fish (2003)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
77 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:203

Fresh:156

Rotten:47

Average Rating:7.2/10

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

[See More Credits]

  • Trailers
  • Pictures
  • Big Fish Trailer
    >
1 of 1

See More Movie Trailers & Pictures

Reviews for Big Fish

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
101 - 120 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Tim Burton's latest flight into fantasy lands a near-solid hook, line, and sinker as a whimsical family fable…

Full Review Source: Nitrate Online | comment Comment
01/01/04
Elias Savada
Elias Savada
Nitrate Online

The taming by Hollywood of divinely weird and edgy imaginations like Tim Burton, is pretty much a fish out of water experience.

Full Review Source: Long Island Press | comment Comment
12/31/03
Prairie Miller
Prairie Miller
Long Island Press

The tall tales Edward tells in Fish are aided by Burton’s limitless imagination and visual ingenuity.

Full Review Source: Eclipse Magazine | comment Comment
12/31/03
Sean O'Connell
Sean O'Connell
Eclipse Magazine

Tim Burton remains an original.

Full Review Source: Montreal Film Journal | comment Comment
12/30/03
Kevin N. Laforest
Kevin N. Laforest
Montreal Film Journal

Feels like a sham, all tripe and not enough of Burton’s gothic childlike mindset, and also infused with a heavy saccharine dose of big-hearted Life Lessons that drop from the screen like anvils made of rock candy.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
12/30/03
Marc Savlov
Marc Savlov
Austin Chronicle

'Big Fish,' my top-ranked film of 2003, not only charmed me completely with its humanity and whimsical humor -- it also surprised me with its wisdom.

Full Review Source: ReelTalk Movie Reviews | comment Comment
12/29/03
Betty Jo Tucker
Betty Jo Tucker
ReelTalk Movie Reviews

Big Fish speaks directly from Burton's sensibility -- it may be the most personal film he's made yet.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Examiner | comment Comment
12/28/03
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
San Francisco Examiner
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
12/27/03
Boston Phoenix
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Big Fish has heart and it has originality, but its greatest attribute of all is its pure honesty.

Full Review Source: DustinPutman.com | comment Comment
12/27/03
Dustin Putman
Dustin Putman
DustinPutman.com

A long-winded indulgence in tear-and-a-smile whimsy.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
12/26/03
Mick LaSalle
Mick LaSalle
San Francisco Chronicle

An odd, erratic charmer.

Full Review Source: San Diego Union-Tribune | comment Comment
12/26/03
David Elliott
David Elliott
San Diego Union-Tribune

Its tricks don't all resonate, but it treats us as grown-ups, even as it tries to reach the last bit of child in us.

Full Review Source: Oregonian | comment Comment
12/26/03
Shawn Levy
Shawn Levy
Oregonian

A disappointingly dull thud of a fantasy.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
12/26/03
Desson Thomson
Desson Thomson
Washington Post

Somewhat like Forrest Gump on a high colonic.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
12/26/03
Stephen Hunter
Stephen Hunter
Washington Post

Bold colors and weird twists create a sense that wondrous things can happen in an instant.

Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | comment Comment
12/26/03
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press

Better than anything Burton has made in years, but it is never completely what a good story should be: compulsively entertaining.

Full Review Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel | comment Comment
12/26/03
Phoebe Flowers
Phoebe Flowers
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Burton's fabled imagination runs wild with this material, and Big Fish often achieves a whimsical, poetic beauty.

Full Review Source: Seattle Times | comment Comment
12/25/03
Moira MacDonald
Moira MacDonald
Seattle Times

An engagingly whimsical, sporadically charming, frequently very funny Southern Gothic fantasy that somehow doesn't quite come together to be as magical or meaningful as it's intended to be.

Full Review Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer | comment Comment
12/25/03
William Arnold
William Arnold
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Clocking in at two hours, it runs way too long for a flight of fancy, packs a couple of false endings, and, a first for Burton, feels flat and familiar, like recycled Ray Bradbury.

Full Review Source: San Jose Mercury News | comment Comment
12/25/03
Glenn Lovell
Glenn Lovell
San Jose Mercury News

A most companionable, personable film, and it marks Tim Burton's return to form.

Full Review Source: Sacramento Bee | comment Comment
12/25/03
Joe Baltake
Joe Baltake
Sacramento Bee
 
 
101 - 120 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 >> >|
all

Latest News for Big Fish

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...

June 29, 2006: New Line Greenlights "The Golden Compass" -- for $150 Million
Fans of Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" series have reason to rejoice this morning: New Line Cinema has given an official greenlight and production date to... More...

See All

More DVDs

Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
36% 36% Angels & Demons
25% 25% Four Christmases
68% 68% Funny People
95% 95% Star Trek
14% 14% The Ugly Truth

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
32% 32% Terminator Salvation
44% 44% Night at the Museum: B…
86% 86% A Christmas Tale
60% 60% Paper Heart

More New Releases…

What’s Hot On RT

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

5 facts straight from the cast.

Disney Animation

Disney Animation

We chart the studio's classics.

Avatar

Avatar

An exclusive look at the human hardware.

Eric Bana

Eric Bana

The Star Trek star talks cars with RT.

Other News

  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Spielberg Hops Away from Harvey Source: Variety
20
  • Tarantino Could Have Directed Green Lantern Source: MTV
24
  • Will Duvall be Gilliam's Don Quixote? Source: Collider.com
26
  • No Hobbit Until 2012? Source: The Wrap
22
  • Don't Hold Your Breath for Hancock 2 Source: HitFix
42
  • Peter Berg Talks Battleship Source: CHUD
2
  • Summit Ponders Twilight Finale Source: Variety
159
  • First Look at Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Source: USA Today
56
  • Jeremy Renner Talks Hawkeye Possibilities Source: Superhero Hype
14
  • Todd Phillips Talks The Hangover 2 Source: Entertainment Weekly
18
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Total Recall: Natalie Portman's Best Movies
69
  • Five Favorite Films with Jason Reitman
47
  • Critics Consensus: Everybody's Fine Is Just OK
46
  • 10 Horrifically Profitable Films
45
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: Vampires and Football Break Thanksgiving Records
42
  • Five Favorite Films with Jesse Ventura
39
  • Sundance 2010: RT's 10 Most Anticipated Movies
32
  • Weekly Ketchup: Tron Team to Remake The Black Hole
27
  • Awards Tour: National Board of Review Winners List!
25
  • RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: Terminator Salvation and a Smithsonian Battle
22
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • Director Ruben Fleischer Talks Zombieland
2
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
17
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
12
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
22
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
8
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
15
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
22
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
9
  • Wolverine Creator Len Wein Talks About the Film
28
  • Gavin Hood Talks Wolverine; Possible Sequel
28
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • Big Fish at Rotten Tomatoes
  • Big Fish at IGN
  • Big Fish at AskMen

Fresh Links

Featured
RT on YouTube
RT on YouTube External Link

Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.

RT on Twitter
RT on Twitter External Link

Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.