Catch of the Year

Sometimes the part is bigger than its sum. That's why "Big Fish" is the best film of 2003. Human beings have long been perfecting the art of getting around communicating with each other and no two do it better than the father and son Bloom. The elder Edward Bloom (Albert Finney), now dying, will have one final chance to tell his son the truth behind the many whoppers he's told. The son (Billy Crudup) will have one final chance to say goodbye. How these two things are accomplished puts many other "higher-minded" films of the last few years to shame.

However, what may be frustrating for some audience members is what leads up to the conclusion. This is a story about a father who loves to tell tales that are not just tall but long. While that's a good way for us to feel the character, it's normally not the best way to keep our attention. Regardless, most will stay with the story because Burton's visual style alone can make a simple forest or town's square into a painting the Louvre would gladly feature.

Ewan McGregor actually leads us through much of the film as Edward in his younger days, rising from small town America to befriend a giant whose size is almost as big as Bloom's ambition. And this will just be the beginning of the larger-than-life existence you will witness. From his athletic exploits, to circus days, to a relentless pursuit of love, McGregor is able to use the physical movements of youth to explain what Finney alludes to with his glowing, priceless expressions.

In the present we quickly realize that Edward's son Will needs to finally get some answers -- he is about to become a father himself and it can be hard to be a good one if your own father never even gave you a true piece of himself. Finney relentlessly holds to his stories as fact, almost selfishly, but there's a glint in his eye that makes us believe that just maybe he's saving the best and truth for last. Based on one of his taller tales, he keeps insisting that what appears to be the cause of his death will not in fact be that cause. "How he goes" is that rare wondrous part that takes every possible criticism of the meandering plot lines, of some overindulgent visual effects and says, simply, "So the hell what."

Maybe a war hero, a savior or just a salesman, as we learn the truth of Edward Bloom's life we find it just as colorful -- Even if the canvas turns out to be smaller.

- Eric Butterman