'Fish' will get you hook, line, and sinker

Intricately woven and imaginative, Edward Bloom's stories are of questionable truth. Through them, Edward (Albert Finney) has created a mythology of his past, which he shares with his family, friends and anyone who will listen. As his health deteriorates, Edward's son Will (Billy Crudup) attempts to disentangle his father's fabrications to discover the reality beneath. \nWith Big Fish, based on a novel by Daniel Wallace, director Tim Burton creates the breathtaking scenes of Edward's stories, presenting us with the distinctive characters and events of his life. True to form, Burton's scenes are each visually impressive, making the film beautiful to look at in addition to its star-studded cast and intriguing plot.\nScottish actor Ewan McGregor, complete with a believable Southern accent, lends his magnetism and charisma to the role of the young Edward Bloom, protagonist of the mystical tales. McGregor's innocent, boyish charm makes him the perfect hero: a hopeless romantic, a fearless wanderer and a man who is always in the right place at the right time (or a little early). Whether the tales are fact or fiction, you want to root for him either way.\nEdward's narratives are peopled with colorful characters, from a giant (Matthew McGrory), to a wheeling and dealing circus manager (Danny DeVito) to a barefooted poet (Steve Buscemi). Jessica Lange and Helena Bonham-Carter also appear in supporting roles as the women in Edward's life. Each of these characters lends color to the fabric of Edward's tall tales.\nBeyond the colorful stories, however, this movie is at its most basic level about Will's quest to understand his father's true nature. Finney is striking and charming as the elder Edward, and plays well against Crudup's solid performance as the more level-headed Will. The narrative deftly weaves between the past and present, making the story easy to follow, even in its complexity.\nThis film brilliantly explores the fundamentals of human relationships by attempting to answer the following questions: Who is Edward Bloom, really? Is there an absolute truth beneath his embellished tales of the past? Does it really matter? \nA tall tale and its opposite -- the most grounded of stories -- Big Fish's appeal lies in the human desire to believe the unbelievable. Whether you are skeptical or gullible, this film is a touching family story, with stellar performances, fairytale sensibilities and sensible reality. It's an enjoyable and wondrous journey into one man's vivid imagination and relationships.