Big Fish (2004)

great movie, pointless BROWN COVER version

This review is about the version with the brown cover with a leafless tree behind the black letters BIG FISH. It contains two things: the exact same movie you get for a dollar more than half the price of this version and a hardbound booklet. The booklet contains thirteen pages with one or two sentences on it, and ten pages with a drawing or picture. That's it. If you think such a booklet is worth collecting, go for it. I'd rather collect used tea bags. There are hundreds of reviews of the movie Big Fish. I'll just say that any flick that can make me laugh, cry, say "wow!", think "aw, that's sweet!", jump in surprise and watch again as soon as I've finished seeing the first time is a movie well worth buying. I lust wish I'd bought the cheaper version, without the booklet. See a longer review for more details about the movie. Or rent it. Or wait for it to be shown on tv again. [...] will tell you if it's on soon. Better yet, just buy it. July 5, 2008

An excurssion to the best within us

Some encounters bathe your senses with ravishingly new waters that somehow leave you behind relishing a surprisingly familiar taste. Big Fish, for me, was one such encounter.

Based on Daniel Wallace's book, "Big Fish - A Story of Mythic Proportions", this is the story of Will's quest to demystify the tales and the life and the very person of his enigmatic father, Edward Bloom. A wonderful fairy-story in its own right, this is essentially an allegory depicting the complex, sometimes funny and often mysterious relationship between a father and his son.

More than the allegorical function, however, what really arrested my attention was the character and portrayal of Edward Bloom. A look at Bloom and you instinctively know that there goes a happy fella, as if playing in his own `garden'. And it gives you a glimpse of how beautiful this world is, and how wonderful it is to be alive.

However, it is not the virtue of his `world' per se that gives this flavor to his persona. For his world is in essence little different from ours: a similar blend of things good and evil, of friendship, malice, love, hate, jealousy, escapism, courage, cowardice, honesty, thefts, wars, health and disease...

Rather, it is Bloom's sense of life that projects the enchantment onto his actions, his people and his country. A sense of life that wants to grow; that refuses to get stuck in comfort and convention; that exercises courage over caution; that pursues beauty...and the best within itself...

A quote that eloquently reveals this sense of life of Bloom: "There comes a point where a reasonable man will swallow his pride and admit he has made a terrible mistake. The truth is, I was never a reasonable man."

Ultimately, all of us aspire to lead good lives, although `good' spells different things for different people. I have aspired to attain a free spirit, have believed in never giving up, have hoped to find magic in little things of daily existence, have nurtured ambition and disregarded convention and have happily been a `fool' (more about Bloom's idea of a `fool' later). I have tried and I yet keep trying. Many times have I failed, not only in my concrete pursuits but also im my attempts to reach this ideal. Many times has the loss brought me to the brink of desperation. But I have found my footing, eventually.

Even before watching this film, I vaguely knew of this ideal, but had no visceral image in my mind of how it might turn out to be. Big Fish provided me with that image. In a sense, it was a very satisfying vindication of my unconscious dreams and beliefs. Yet, amazingly, it was a profoundly and refreshingly new experience.

And that it continues to be every time I watch it.

I'll sign off with another quote of Bloom's that is essentially similar to the previous one, yet has an enchanting quality about it:
"There's a time where a man needs to fight, and a time when he needs to accept that his destiny is lost, that the ship has sailed, and that only a fool would continue.
The truth is, I've always been a fool." July 3, 2008

No in-between on this one

You'll either love it or hate it. I personally love it which makes this a movie you want to own. You'll pick up things each time you watch it. Great story, great message, but as I said it's a bit "quirky". July 3, 2008

EXCELLENT MOVIE

Visually and conceptually brilliant! A very well written, creative movie that is fun and touching! June 27, 2008

Paul's Review

Very touching movie! Some of the story is quite unbelievable and hard to follow, but if you follow till the end you won't be disappointed. June 25, 2008

More reviews at Amazon.com ...