*** Official BIG FISH Discussion Thread (1 Viewer)

[Vickie_M]

there just was no emotion there. Sorry.

(Edit: never mind. This movie is too wonderful and emotional to get snarky over)

 

[Paul_Fisher]

I met my wife at Auburn just like Edward Bloom.

 

[ZackR]

It is playing here in Montgomery, AL because much of it was filmed here (Huntingdon College as Auburn University) and in nearby Wetumpka. In fact, I saw my brother and some other friends onscreen, who were extras which was kinda cool.

Anyways, I really expected to HATE this movie. Seriously. It looked like nothing I would even be remotely interested in watching. I went with my family though on Christmas day and was pleasantly surprised. I thought it was a very enjoyable, moving story. It had a very dream-like quality to it - as if I were watching someone's dream.

Oh, off topic...Anyone else on here from the Montgomery area? During one of the more modern-day scenes, you can hear a TV commercial for a local car-dealership in nearby Prattville. It is one of the most ANNOYING ads I have ever heard and it plays here incessantly. Anyways, you locals listen for: "At Larry Puckett Chevrolet, they let the customer do the talking." Only someone from around here will get that . . .

 

[KerryK]

I saw it a few days ago and I give it a very good but not great.

I think at the end it gets too sentimental and mucky. My father just had a brain tumor removed, so I've got a soft spot for father-child stuff right now, and I still thought it was too much. (But he's doing fine which is maybe why I'm not buying the mush stuff.) However, I could watch Ewan McGregor read the phone book and I'd be enchanted. He just infuses so much JOY into his performance. I think that's the comparision with Moulin Rouge; I just fell in love with his love and joy and exuberance. The unfortunate thing is that overall that bothered me - how did he turn into the cranky old Edward?

 

[Paul_Fisher]

Anyways, you locals listen for: "At Larry Puckett Chevrolet, they let the customer do the talking." Only someone from around here will get that . . .

I got that!

 

[Brian E]

Got to see this on New Years eve. All I can say is what a great movie. I really didn't know what to expect when we went to see it, my first choice was to see RotK again . It's got so many levels to it if that makes sense. Not what I thought it would be when I read a synopsis before we went. A very good film, for sure one I want to own on DVD.

 

[Mikel_Cooperman]

I saw it yesterday. We arrived for a matinee about 10 minutes before starting. I thought the theatre was going to be half full but we had a hard time finding a seat.
I am guessing good word of mouth is happening.
I wasnt sure what to expect from the movie. I had read the reviews which were mixed so I sat there as the lights went down and watched the story unfold.
I have to say, I really enjoyed it. I thought the jumping around in time would be confusing but it wasnt at all.
Great cast, wonderful story and definitely a tear jerker for me.
I think the subject matter of family relationships, things left undone in life touches people.

I was a bit confused by the scenes in the small town though. Why did that part of the story exisit and what left us stumped was:
the whole Witch thing. If the kids had seen her during their childhood and supposedly seen their futures, why was it a surprise when Edwards character met her later in life?


My only complaint is that it didnt give anyone else other than McGregor something substantial to do.


Burton has definitely redeemed himself after the disastrous Planet of the Apes.

 

[MattBu]

What confused me was the town of Spectre. It appeared as if they had no contact with the outside world, and there was obviously an ethereal presence to the town, they foretold Edwards arrival afterall. How did they get clothes? Sustain an economy? Get food?

I know Im probably over thinking it, but Im just curious in the frame of the movie if you believe their supply structure was magical?

 

[Holadem]

What confused me was the town of Spectre. It appeared as if they had no contact with the outside world, and there was obviously an ethereal presence to the town, they foretold Edwards arrival afterall.

Did they? How do you know this?

Spectre was certainly a bit out of the ordinary, a bit off-center... but nothing like that.

That, along with many things in Big Fish's life was clearly an exageration of the truth. It thougth it was pretty clear that you couldn't take anything Big Fish said at face value?

--
H

 

[TonyD]

i agree with Holadem, anything that happened while ewan was onscreen was an exageration, a "big fish" story.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Well, I finally saw this film.

It was quite good, but certainly not outstanding.

I am a bit confused, here's my question....


Are we led to believe in the end that everything
the old man told was indeed a lie?

I ask this because at the funeral, the son actually
sees all the people his father had told him about.

However....

My assumption is that Ed Bloom did indeed meet these
people in his lifetime, but exaggerated the circumstances.

If that is true, however, how do you account for
the GIANT being at the funeral?


Just a lot of mixed signals being given out, almost
as bad as the ending of PLANET OF THE APES where
Burton left it up to the audience to figure out what
it all meant.

 

[Patrick Sun]

The giant just wasn't 15 feet tall in real life, more like 7.5 feet tall, but nonetheless, he existed (and his height was exaggerated, of course).

I thought it was a nice touch for his son to finally understand why the tales are so tall, and how they connect one generation to another.

 

[Holadem]

Exageration of the truth. Sometimes, flat out lies, like the birth of his son.

Some examples:

Ed befriended a giant in his hometown and introduced him to the circus. However, I doubt that giant was eating cows and terrorizing people. It may just be that he was too much of a peculiarity for your quintessential hick town, was singled out a bit and perhaps even maligned. Ed's fertile imagination took it from there.

Did Ed work for the circus? Probably. Was the boss a bit of an asshole to him? Probably. But not as much if they remained friends over the years. Was he a werewolf? I suspect not...

Did he meet the siamese during his stint in Nam? Probably. Did he land in the middle of a VC concert? Probably not. Did he woo them with the story of his love? Who the hell knows?

Did Ed steal his wife from his childhood friend? Probably. Did they fight in the middle of a field of yellow flowers? Probably not.

Etc...

It's easy to seperate reality from fiction in this story, and I must admit I am a bit surprised at the confusion some seem to experience.

I only liked this movie, but in retrospect, it's growing on me. My problem was that I found parts of it tedious and not all that interesting. But the whole thing is larger than the sum of it's parts. It's such a celebration of life. This movie comes at a time when I am realizing that there no greater legacy than the people who have been positively touched by your life. Well, that's what I got from my quarterlife crisis anyway

--
H

 

[Tony Mirra]

This movie reminds me a lot of a quote from David Lynch's "Lost Highway" -

"I like to remember things my own way. How I remember them; not necessarily the way they happened."

 

[Tino]

Big disappointment.

I was really looking forward to this film after reding some of the raves here
but left the theater scratching my head wondering what's the "big" deal.

Pretty much agree with what Rich Malloy said about it. Nothing in it worked for me. I felt it was dull, uninteresting, long and derivative (Gump). Very "blah". Everything seemed forced. I didn't really like any of the characters or feel for them like I should have. The only part I did like was the last 10 minutes, but at that point, it was too little, too late.

IMO, this is Tim Burtons weakest film and this years biggest disappointment.
:star::star:

Btw, I LOVED Moulin Rouge!

 

[Michael Reuben]

Rich Malloy summed up my feelings perfectly:

I promise not to thread-crap, but my bowels are churning up a storm... let me just say I'm swearing off Burton entirely, something I should've done a long time ago.

An appallingly bad film, loaded with synthetic whimsy and unearned sentiment. Very possibly the worst 2003 film I've seen to date.

M.

 

[Edwin Pereyra]

An appallingly bad film...

Yes, I'll take that side, as well. In addition, how one will respond to this film has no direct correlation to how they liked or disliked Moulin Rouge.

~Edwin

 

[Peter Kim]

Unlike Rich, I loved Moulin Rouge...like Rich, hated this movie.

loaded with synthetic whimsy and unearned sentiment

Indeed.

 

[Trenton McNeil]

Sounds like someone needs a hug.

I think this film will resonate with many who have 'father issues' and go in expecting to see a good film.

I think it will not with those who go into the film with preconceived notions and go in expecting to see a good 'Tim Burton' film with 'Danny Elfman' music.

Its nice to see them stretching and maturing, as everyone's career and creativity is wont to do.

 

[William Lee]

I thought it was great, and was in tears at the end of the film.

I think how much you enjoy it depends on how much emotion you are able to give up. I immersed myself in the situation and the movie, and found it very charming and touching. I had no trouble with the pacing, and I couldn't find it "fake" feeling because in those two hours, I was experiencing everything Ed Bloom was describing.

I think that the people that didn't enjoy the movie are the Will Blooms of the movie. I was just completely immersed for the ride, not thinking of ways to compare to Forrest Gump or what not.