Big Fish

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⭐7/10

This is a movie I watched as a kid and thought it would be the perfect romantic, wholesome movie for Jess and I. It's a Tim Burton movie about a popular old man who's always told tall tales, but as he nears the end of his life, his son wants to know the truth behind them. Most of the movie is told through vignettes of when the man was young (played by Ewan McGregor) as he lives an amazing, bizarre adventure. 

I was very concerned during the first half, looking over to Jess, swearing that it gets better. We both found the main character to be pretty obnoxious. They capture this type of person very well, not only someone who is a pathological bullshitter, but also completely self-absorbed, and for a guy that is supposed to be likeable we weren't feeling it. The son is kinda supposed to be the bad guy, but I would also be annoyed if my dad only told BS stories about how cool he is. 

I will admit that the second half kinda got me. This movie is certainly one that you're meant to describe as magical, and the magic kinda got to me. I think this movie has a lot to say about storytelling and the value of, you know, truth, and I'm not sure I even bought what the movie was selling but I still got caught up in the moment. It's a sweet movie and fun to watch, but Burton is a weird dude and I rarely connect with his stuff. 

A few more positives: McGregor is perfect for this role, even if his accent is sometimes unconvincing. Nice score by Danny Elfman. This is also a wholly unique movie and you've never really seen its like. It explores some fun ideas that I hadn't thought much about. 

So I dunno, I come down around the middle. I do think the portrayal of this old guy is incredibly spot-on, uncannily so, and I'm not sure I've seen another character like this in a movie. I spend a lot of time with old people, and it's always so impressive to me when there are characteristics we don't really have words for in people but creators can capture perfectly. So good on them. 

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