Big Fish (2004)

Big Fish is, without a shadow of doubt, one of the most moving films by the eccentric director Tim Burton. Based on the homonym novel by Daniel Wallace, this drama tinted with fantasy recreates an old as time story, the reconciliation between father and son. 

The film was nominated for a number of awards upon its release and it mesmerized the critics, who praised the perfect mixture of fantasy and drama that would appeal the child into every grown adult, as well as the way in which a cliché topic such as a father-son drama was presented in such a fantastic and entertaining way, giving a twist to a classic story. 


Edward Bloom is a family man who constantly tells incredible stories about his life, what is not always to the taste of his family. On his son Will’s wedding day, Edward gets everyone’s attention when he tells the story of the day his son was born. This doesn’t sit well with Will, who doesn’t understand his father reasons to tell what he considers to be lies and this cause the father and son to fall out. 

Subsequently, Will spends the next three years without speaking to his father, until he gets word that Edward is in the final stages of cancer and doesn’t have long to live. It’s then when Will and his wife decide to travel back to Alabama to spend some time with Edward, who then proceeds to retell the fantastic story of his life to his son. 

An overwhelmed Will then decides to travel to a town called Spectre, where most of his father’s impossible tales took place, and meets some of the characters of his incredible stories, learning that though in a slightly less fairy-tale fashion, his father did a great deal for all those people, which leads to a better understanding of his father’s passion for life and story-telling. 


There are some Easter Eggs hidden in the film! The author of the original novel, Daniel Wallace, makes a cameo in the film as the teacher of one of the characters, and Tim Burton himself appears in the film playing a clown. It was the first film in which Miley Cirus participated. 

Matthew McGrory, who plays the giant in the film, is an actual, real life giant! He held the Guinnes record for World’s Tallest Actor and World’s Longest feet until his death in 2005.