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Strong Performances Helped Make

‘Big Fish’ One Of Burton’s Best Ever

After the 2001 debacle that was Planet of the Apes (a “re-imagining” of the original, touted 20th Century Fox), I was asking myself, what happened to Tim Burton? What happened to the quirky, idiosyncratic filmmaker who gave us Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood, and, to date, the best Batman film of the bunch?

Thankfully, he’s back in his element, currently working on a remake of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (with Johnny Depp, no less!), which is due to be released next year. But wait! You might ask: why should this remake be any better than his feeble Apes attempt from a few years ago? Well, because Burton successfully plugged back into his considerable storytelling potential as demonstrated by last year’s satisfying drama, Big Fish, which will be playing at Edmond Town Hall this week.

Arguably one of the best films from last year, Big Fish comes highly recommended as an enjoyable movie (based on a novel by Daniel Wallace) that is also surprisingly moving. The film tells of an ailing man, Ed Bloom (Albert Finney), whose estranged son, Will (Billy Crudup), tries to reconnect with his larger-than-life father by reliving the tall tales told to him since he was a wee lad. Will, about to become a dad himself, hopes to weed out truth from fiction, but fears there is very little truth and almost all fiction in every account his father told.

While the framing device for the story is the contemporary family drama involving Finney, Crudup and Jessica Lange (as Finney’s wife), Burton and screenwriter John August also give us lively flashbacks (or are they fantasy-colored, far-fetched spins?) featuring the young Ed (Ewan McGregor) and his many and wonderful adventures, including run-ins with giants, mermaids, witches, two-headed creatures and more.

Burton really has some fun with these segments and he employs a number of seasoned character actors, from Steve Buscemi to Danny DeVito, to help bring them to vibrant life. The director certainly uses some flashy stylistic touches here, but he’s careful not to overburden the scenes with his signature flights of fancy so the viewer, just as the struggling Will, doesn’t quite know for sure whether its real or imagined.

Big Fish is also aided greatly by a charming performance by an endearing McGregor, whose sunny disposition not only complements Finney’s work, but also further brightens the flashback segments. The film also boasts solid work by Alison Lohman (playing Jessica Lange’s younger alter ego) and Helena Bonham Carter (in two roles). But perhaps most importantly, those performances propel Big Fish into becoming, by far, the most emotionally engaging and narratively satisfying film made by Tim Burton.

Even as a fan of Batman, Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood, and some of his other films, it was sometimes painfully apparent to me that Burton was so keen to painting the ultimate visual picture, and so devoted to his own distinctive voice (usually that of the unique, disfranchised outsider), that he lost focus of some of the simple narrative elements of storytelling. In fact, one could argue that if it weren’t for Depp’s heartfelt performances in both Edward Scissorhands and Ed Wood, almost all of Burton’s films would lack an affecting core, despite their affinity for the outcast.

But with Big Fish, the peculiar director finally finds the right filmmaking formula to tell a complete story that yet retains his whimsical, elusive style. Big Fish is rated PG-13 for some suggestiveness, brief violence, and a brief scene of nudity.

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