| Big Fish | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Tim Burton |
| Screenplay by | John August |
| Based on | Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions byDaniel Wallace |
| Produced by | Richard D. Zanuck Bruce Cohen Dan Jinks |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Philippe Rousselot |
| Edited by | Chris Lebenzon |
| Music by | Danny Elfman |
Production companies |
|
| Distributed by | Sony Pictures Releasing |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 125 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $70 million[1] |
| Box office | $123.2 million[1] |
Big Fish is a 2003 Americanfantasydrama film directed byTim Burton. It is based on the 1998 novelBig Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions byDaniel Wallace.[2] The film starsEwan McGregor,Albert Finney,Billy Crudup,Jessica Lange,Helena Bonham Carter,Alison Lohman,Robert Guillaume,Marion Cotillard,Steve Buscemi, andDanny DeVito. It is also known for being the acting debut ofMiley Cyrus. It tells the story of a frustrated son who tries to distinguish fact from fiction in the life of his father, a teller oftall tales.
The screenwriterJohn August read a manuscript of the novel six months before it was published and convincedColumbia Pictures to acquire the rights. He began adapting the novel as a screenplay while producers negotiated withSteven Spielberg about directing the film. Spielberg eventually left the project to focus onCatch Me If You Can (2002). Tim Burton andRichard D. Zanuck took over after completingPlanet of the Apes (2001), and brought McGregor and Finney on board.
The film's theme of reconciliation between a dying father and his son had special significance for Burton, whose father had died in 2000.Big Fish was shot on location inAlabama in a series of fairy talevignettes with aSouthern Gothic aesthetic. The film premiered on December 4, 2003, at theHammerstein Ballroom and was released in limited capacity on December 10, followed by a wide release on January 9, 2004. It received various award nominations, including sevenBAFTA nominations, fourGolden Globe nominations and twoSaturn Award nominations. It also received anAcademy Award nomination and aGrammy Award nomination forDanny Elfman's original score. Amusical adaptation ofBig Fish premiered in Chicago in April 2013.[3]
At William Bloom's wedding party, his father Edward recalls the day Will was born, claiming he caught an enormouscatfish using his wedding ring as bait. Will has heard his father's fanciful tales many times, and believes they are lies. Fed up by the stories, Will has a falling out with his father. Three years later, Edward is diagnosed with cancer, prompting Will and his pregnant wife Joséphine to spend time with him inAlabama.
Edward's life is chronicled throughflashbacks, beginning with his boyhood encounter with a witch. She shows Edward how he will die, which does not faze him. As he reaches adulthood, he finds his home too confining, and sets out into the world. He meets a giant named Karl, and they begin traveling together. When they find a fork in the road, they take separate paths. Edward traverses a swamp and discovers the hidden town of Spectre, where he befriends the poet Norther Winslow and the mayor's daughter, Jenny. Not ready to settle down, Edward leaves Spectre, but makes a promise to Jenny that he will return.
At Joséphine's request, the bed-ridden Edward tells her how he met his wife, Sandra. In more flashbacks, Edward and Karl visit the Calloway Circus, where Edward falls in love with a beautiful woman. Edward and Karl get jobs in the circus, and the ringmaster Amos Calloway reveals to Edward one detail about the woman each month. Three years later, Edward discovers that Amos is awerewolf, but shows no ill will towards him. In gratitude, Amos reveals the woman's name as Sandra Templeton. Edward confesses his love to Sandra, but she rebuffs him despite his romantic gestures. Sandra's fiancé, Don Price, beats Edward up, which prompts Sandra to break off their engagement and marry Edward instead.
Shortly after, Edward is conscripted into the army and fights in theKorean War. He parachutes into the middle of a North Korean military show, steals important documents, and persuades the twins Ping and Jing[a] to help him escape in exchange for making them celebrities. Upon returning home, Edward becomes a traveling salesman. In the present, Will investigates the truth behind his father's tales. He meets an older Jenny, who explains that Edward rescued Spectre from bankruptcy and rebuilt it with help from his circus friends. Jenny reveals that although she loved Edward, he remained loyal to Sandra.
Edward has a stroke and Will visits him at the hospital. Unable to speak much, he asks Will to narrate how his life ends. Will tells his father a fantastical tale of their daring escape from the hospital. They travel to a lake, where everyone from Edward's past is there to see him off. Will carries his father into the river, where he transforms into a giant catfish and swims away. Satisfied by Will's story, Edward dies peacefully. At the funeral, Will and Joséphine are surprised to see all the people from Edward's stories, although he exaggerated them for the telling: Ping and Jing are identical twins but not conjoined, Karl does have gigantism but isn't twenty feet tall. Later, Will passes on Edward's stories to his sons.
About six months before it was published, the screenwriterJohn August read a manuscript of the 1998 novelBig Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions byDaniel Wallace.[6] In September 1998, August convincedColumbia Pictures to acquire thefilm rights on his behalf.[7][8] He worked hard to turn the episodic book into a cohesive screenplay, which he decided needed multiple narrators.[9] In August 2000, the producersBruce Cohen andDan Jinks began discussions forSteven Spielberg to direct the film. Spielberg planned to haveDreamWorks co-finance and distributeBig Fish with Columbia, and intended to start filming in late 2001, after completingMinority Report (2002).[10][11]
Spielberg courtedJack Nicholson for the role of the older Edward Bloom. He felt that the script did not give Nicholson enough to do, so he asked August to write new sequences.[8] Spielberg eventually leftBig Fish when he became involved withCatch Me If You Can (2002), and DreamWorks also backed out of the project.[10][12] With Spielberg no longer involved, August and the producers restored the script to its previous version. Spielberg later admitted that he made a mistake by asking August to alter the screenplay. August took his favorite elements from the previous drafts and came up with what he called "a best-ofBig Fish script". August, Jinks and Cohen consideredStephen Daldry as a potential director before deciding to approachTim Burton.[8][13] At this point, August felt the script was the best it had ever been.[8]
Burton had just finished directing the big-budget filmPlanet of the Apes (2001) and was ready for a smaller-scale project. He liked theBig Fish screenplay, feeling that it was the first unique story he had been offered sinceBeetlejuice (1988). The script's combination of an emotional drama with exaggerated tall tales allowed him to tell multiple stories of different genres, which he enjoyed.[9] Burton's father had died recently, and he found that he could process emotions related to his father's death by making the film. He signed on to direct in April 2002, which promptedRichard D. Zanuck, who worked with Burton onPlanet of the Apes, to joinBig Fish as a producer.[14][8]
For the role of Edward Bloom, Burton spoke withJack Nicholson, Spielberg's initial choice for the role. Burton had previously worked with Nicholson onBatman (1989) andMars Attacks! (1996). In order to depict Nicholson as the young Edward, Burton intended to use a combination ofcomputer-generated imagery andprosthetic makeup. Jinks and Cohen, who were working withEwan McGregor onDown with Love (2003) at the time, suggested that Burton cast both McGregor andAlbert Finney for Edward.[9] After viewing Finney's performance inTom Jones (1963), Burton observed similarities between him and McGregor, and coincidentally found aPeople magazine article comparing the two.[8] The Scottish McGregor found it easier to perform Edward'sSouthern American accent than a standard American accent. He said of the Southern accent: "[Y]ou can really hear it. You can get your teeth into it. Standard American is much harder."[15]
The same dual casting applied to the role of Edward's wife, Sandra, who would be played byJessica Lange andAlison Lohman.[9] Both Burton and Zanuck had been impressed with Lohman's performance inWhite Oleander (2002), and felt she was the ideal candidate for the role.[16] Burton's girlfriend,Helena Bonham Carter, was cast in two roles: Jenny and the Witch. Her prosthetic makeup for the Witch took five hours to apply. She was pregnant during filming and experiencedmorning sickness, which was exacerbated by the fumes from the make-up.[17]
Burton personalized the film with several cameos. While filming inAlabama, the crew tracked downBilly Redden, one of the banjo players fromDeliverance (1972). Redden was a co-owner of a restaurant in Clayton, Georgia, and he agreed to appear in the Spectre sequence. As Edward first enters the town, Redden can be seen on a porch plucking a few notes from "Dueling Banjos".[18][19]Daniel Wallace makes a brief appearance as Sandra's economics teacher.[20]
Principal photography began on January 13, 2003.[10]Big Fish was shot entirely in Alabama except for one week of filming in Paris in May.[9] Most of the Alabama scenes were shot inWetumpka andMontgomery.[22][12] Some filming also took place inTallassee and on the campus ofHuntingdon College.[23] Scenes in the town ofSpectre were filmed on a custom-built set onJackson Lake Island.[24] Principal photography continued until the first week of April and is estimated to have generated as much as $25 million for the local economy.[c] The Spectre set can still be found at its original location.[24]
Burton filmed all the hospital scenes and most of Finney's scenes first, before moving on to McGregor's scenes.[8][9] Scenes with Karl the Giant were created usingforced perspective filmmaking. Helena Bonham Carter's prosthetic makeup was designed byStan Winston Studios, which also createdanimatronics for the production.[21][26] Flooding on the set interrupted filming of the circus scenes for several weeks, but Burton managed to deliver the film on budget and on schedule.[d]
Although Burton limited the use of digital effects inBig Fish, he employedcolor grading to achieve aSouthern Gothic aesthetic.[9] The film's musical score was composed by Burton's frequent collaboratorDanny Elfman, and Burton approachedPearl Jam to request an original song for the closing credits.[9] After viewing an early print of the film, the group's vocalistEddie Vedder wrote the song "Man of the Hour". He completed ademo within a day, and the band recorded the song four days later.[29] Pearl Jam's guitaristMike McCready stated, "We were so blown away by the movie ... Eddie and I were standing around talking about it afterwards and were teary-eyed. We were so emotionally charged and moved by the imagination and humanity."[29]
The world premiere ofBig Fish took place on December 4, 2003, at theHammerstein Ballroom in Manhattan.[30] Columbia Pictures had initially planned a Novemberwide release for the film in the United States,[31] but ultimately decided on a December 10limited release.[32] The US wide release occurred on January 9, 2004, with the film appearing in 2,406 theaters and earning $13.8 million in its opening weekend. It eventually grossed $66.8 million in the United States and $56.1 million in other countries, for a total of $122.9 million worldwide.[33]
In his review of the film,Owen Gleiberman ofEntertainment Weekly calledBig Fish "a wide-eyed Southern Gothicpicaresque in which each lunatic twist of a development is more enchanting than the last."[2]Peter Travers ofRolling Stone praised Burton's directing and described the film as a touching father-son drama and a celebration of the art of storytelling.[34] Mike Clark ofUSA Today applauded the casting choices. He called the evolution of Alison Lohman's character into an older woman "delightful" and "a metamorphosis to equal any in screen history."[35] Gleiberman, Travers and Clark all comparedBig Fish toForrest Gump (1994).[e]
James Berardinelli found the film's fairy tale approach reminiscent ofThe Princess Bride (1987) and the films ofTerry Gilliam. He called the film "a clever, smart fantasy that targets the child inside every adult, without insulting the intelligence of either."[36] In a mixed review,Roger Ebert wrote, "[T]here is no denying that Will has a point: The old man is a blowhard. There is a point at which his stories stop working as entertainment and segue into sadism."[37]Richard Corliss ofTime magazine was disappointed, finding the father-son reconciliation storyline to becliché. Referencing the fableThe Boy Who Cried Wolf, Corliss called Edward Bloom "the man who cried fish."[38]Slant Magazine rankedBig Fish as the 85th best film of the decade 2000–2010.[39]
In 2025, it was one of the films voted for the "Readers' Choice" edition ofThe New York Times' list of "The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century," finishing at number 251.[40]
On the review aggregatorRotten Tomatoes, 76% of critics have positively reviewedBig Fish, giving it an average score of 7.2/10. The site's consensus states: "A charming father-and-son tale filled with typical Tim Burton flourishes,Big Fish is an impressive catch."[41]Metacritic calculates an average score of 58/100 based on 42 reviews, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[42] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.[43]
TheRegion 1 DVD was released on April 27, 2004,[44] and Region 2 was released on June 7.[45] The DVD features anaudio commentary track by Tim Burton and seven featurettes. A special edition was released on November 1, 2005, with a 24-page hardback book titledFairy Tale for a Grown Up.[46] The film was released onBlu-ray on March 20, 2007.[47]
| Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards[48] | Best Original Score | Danny Elfman | Nominated |
| BAFTA Awards[49] | Best Film | Nominated | |
| Best Direction | Tim Burton | Nominated | |
| Best Actor in a Supporting Role | Albert Finney | Nominated | |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | John August | Nominated | |
| Best Makeup and Hair | Jean Ann Black andPaul LeBlanc | Nominated | |
| Best Production Design | Dennis Gassner | Nominated | |
| Best Visual Effects | Kevin Scott Mack, Seth Maury, Lindsay MacGowan, Paddy Eason | Nominated | |
| Golden Globe Awards[50] | Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy | Nominated | |
| Best Supporting Actor | Albert Finney | Nominated | |
| Best Original Score | Danny Elfman | Nominated | |
| Best Original Song | Pearl Jam For "Man of the Hour" | Nominated | |
| Grammy Awards[51] | Best Score for a Motion Picture | Danny Elfman | Nominated |
| Saturn Awards[52] | Best Fantasy Film | Nominated | |
| Best Actor | Albert Finney | Nominated | |
| AARP Movies for Grownups Awards[53] | Best Actor | Nominated | |
| Argentinean Film Critics Association Awards | Best Foreign Film, Not in the Spanish Language | Tim Burton | Nominated |
| Awards Circuit Community Awards | Best Actor in a Supporting Role | Albert Finney | Nominated |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | John August | Nominated | |
| Best Cinematography | Philippe Rousselot | Nominated | |
| Best Original Score | Danny Elfman | Nominated | |
| Best Visual Effects | Nominated | ||
| Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards[54] | Best Picture | Nominated | |
| Best Director | Tim Burton | Nominated | |
| Best Writer | John August | Nominated | |
| Best Composer | Danny Elfman | Nominated | |
| Best Song | Eddie Vedder | Nominated | |
| Casting Society of America Awards[55] | Best Casting for Feature Film, Drama | Denise Chamian | Nominated |
Big Fish is about what's real and what's fantastic, what's true and what's not true, what's partially true and how, in the end, it's all true.
The reconciliation between father and son has been called the central theme inBig Fish.[57][58] Daniel Wallace's interest in the theme began with his own family. He described Edward as similar to his own father, who used charm to keep his distance from people.[59] In the film, Will believes his father has never been honest with him, using extravagant myths about his past to hide himself.[60] Wallace said that Edward and Will each undertake their own quest in the film. Edward's quest is "to be a big fish in a big pond" while Will's quest is to see through his father's tall tales."[59]
John August identified with Will's character and modeled it after himself. Like Will, August had attempted to get to know his father before his death, but found it difficult. Both Will and August were 28 years old and had studied journalism. In the film, Will says "I didn't see anything of myself in my father, and I don't think he saw anything of himself in me. We were like strangers who knew each other very well." Will's description of his relationship with Edward closely resembled August's relationship with his own father.[61] Burton also used the film to explore his emotions about the death of his father.[58] He said, "My father had been ill for a while ... I tried to get in touch with him, to have, like in this film, some sort of resolution, but it was impossible."[9]
The film scholar Kent L. Brintnall claimed that the father-son relationship resolves itself at the end ofBig Fish. He suggested that as Edward dies, Will lets go of his anger and begins to understand his father for the first time. Brintnall called Will's willingness to finish his father's story a "gesture of love and comprehension" and an "act of communion and care". Brintnall asserted that Will comes to understand that Edward's stories "gave him a reality and substance ... that was as real, genuine, and deep as the day-to-day experiences that Will sought out".[62]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
