Burton hooks audience with 'Big Fish'

One of the most beloved American traditions is the tall tale. Of the tall tales, none is more recurring than the story about the chance encounter with the uncatchable fish. With his new movie "Big Fish," director Tim Burton has taken the family drama formula and shaken it up with a life's worth of mythical yarns centered around a fish story. The result is without question one of the five best movies of 2003. "Big Fish" is about Edward Bloom (Albert Finney), an Alabama man who leads an interesting life, made all the more interesting by his skillful exaggerations. As the film opens he is dying, and his estranged son Will (Billy Crudup) comes back home to try to settle things with his father before his own son is born. After the premise is set, the audience is treated to several of Bloom's stories set in Burton's cartoonish fantasy world. As a child, Bloom has an enormous growth spurt, sees how he will die, and starts on a life of adventure and tall tales. A few years later as a young man, Bloom (played superbly by Ewan McGregor) realizes that he's a big fish in a small pond, and decides to leave home with his friend Karl the Giant (Matthew McGory). As his journey continues, the young Bloom encounters a ghostly town that's eerily perfect, works at a surreal circus to learn about the woman of his dreams, and catches a mythical fish that becomes his best story. As the stories about his young life progress, the older Bloom progresses closer to both death and reconciliation with his son. The movie is closed with a satisfying and emotionally wrenching ending. "Big Fish" is a great example of quality work in every aspect of filmmaking. Screenwriter John August has done an exceptional job of adapting Daniel Wallace's novel for the screen. There are quotable platitudes too numerous to list here. The Alabama setting is brought to life in vibrant and beautiful detail as well. "Big Fish" brings together a fantastic cast of both well-known actors and talented unknowns. Both Finney and McGregor do exceptional jobs of portraying Bloom in different stages at his life. The young Bloom is wide-eyed and optimistic. The older Bloom is tired and bedridden, but has the same spark that shows in the younger segments. To round out the cast, Crudup brings a dose of somber reality to the film, and Danny DeVito plays his role as a carnival operator with an almost demonic glee. Nicely included in the ensemble is Steve Buscemi, looking hilariously lost as ever. Even with all the talents of the cast and crew, "Big Fish" unmistakably bears the signature of Tim Burton. In the past, Burton has turned fantasy into reality with projects such as "The Nightmare Before Christmas," "Edward Scissorhands," and the animated series "Stainboy." Here, his work brings the realms of the real and the surreal closer together than ever, recalling Gabriel Garcia Marquez's magical realism. "Big Fish" is Tim Burton's finest work yet. The story is both hilarious and touching, and the acting is stellar, especially since all the parts seem to come from left field. Though a very offbeat project, "Big Fish" still has something for everyone, provided they have an imagination. Grade: A