Big Fish

Starring Ewen McGregor, Albert Finney, Billy Crudup, Jessica Lange.
Directed by Tim Burton

SUMMARY
Big Fish tells the story of a young married man desperately trying to discover the truth about his father. His father (Edward) is known as a man who tells tall tales, and his son (Will), who is about to have a son of his own, struggles to separate fact from fiction. The movie chronicles the final days of Edward's life, and the discoveries Will makes through reliving the stories and going through his father's possessions. We meet a giant, siamese twin singers, circus performers, and a witch along the way.

REVIEW
This movie is both original and imaginative, but who would expect anything less from Tim Burton (Edward Scissorhands, Sleepy Hollow)? It is frequently ridiculous, and sometimes shocking and a bit over the top, but this is intentional, so it is forgivable (and even enjoyable). The movie is incredibly off-beat, but I found it very enjoyable to watch. It's the kind of movie that makes you remember why stories are so great. Stories communicate ideas, moods, emotions, and truth. While the stories seemed so fanciful that they could not possibly be true, they were communicating the way Edward viewed the world, his decisions, and his adventures. It was truly beautiful.

QUESTION FOR THOUGHT
We are very factual in the way we interact with stories. This even comes through in the way we expose movies that aren't historically accurate. Is that the way we should be? Are we missing something good that stories are communicating simply because we are obsessed with the facts? How does this relate to the fact that we as believers is Jesus know that truth and history do matter? Is there something redeeming in viewing stories (even stories from our own lives) from a very subjective perspective?

OVERALL
Content-wise, there is little objectionable in the movie. I remembered virtually no profanity, and there is nothing even remotely resembling a sex scene. There is some unfortunate nudity that is intended to be more fanciful and imaginative than sexual, but it still is not something that we guys need to be exposed to. Sometimes we see marriage and family life as something that keeps us from adventure and liveliness. This movie is worth wathcing for its exploration of this topic. It is in some ways reminiscent of Dennis Franz's character in City of Angels. On top of all of this, it is rare for me to get to the end of a movie and find that the best phrase to describe it is, "That was beautiful." This is the only movie rental in recent memory that I watched twice.
Rating: 5 stars out of 5 possible.