Movie Review Monday: Big Fish
Welcome to another awesome edition of Movie Review Monday!
This week's movie is the 2003 Tim Burton film, Big Fish.
The premise of the movie entails a journalist (Billy Crudup) exploring the larger than life stories of his dying father (Ewan McGregor and Albert Finney) to try the truth behind the fantastical tales he told.
I've had this movie in my queue for some time before I finally sat down to watch it (on the encouragement of several different people). I'd remembered hearing about it and knowing about it but I'd never really given it serious consideration to check out for whatever reason. I'm very glad I finally sat down and devoted time to it. It's a wonderfully beautiful and heartfelt movie that definitely succeeded in getting me teary eyed at the right moments. This movie has a similar tone and premise as another film I reviewed recently, Beginners.
The film explores the idea that we should all strive to live a big life, because we won't grow if we're kept contained in a small pond. The way the movie showcases the fantastical stories told to emphasize this point is the lure of the film. We all tell stories in our own way, maybe glossing over some details and exaggerating others. Big Fish takes this concept and runs with it to great success. The movie also is done in pure Tim Burton style, a bit quirky, fantastical, and many saturated, bright colors.
If you're looking for a heartfelt comedic drama to watch, I highly recommend Big Fish.
You can watch it streaming right now on Netflix.