"Big Fish" (2003) : Unearthing 'Feel Good' Movies

[Unearthing 'Feel Good' movies: In this series we'll try to bring back the charm of some forgotten (relatively speaking) movies which were not big hits at their times but can still find a resonance in your heart for their well-written scripts, exploration of human relationships, good acting and finally their ability to leave behind a good feeling that makes us do those simple things that matter in leading a 'good' life.]

Director Tim Burton's adaptation of Daniel Wallace's celebrated novel 'Big Fish' took us to a fabled world and made us wonder and dream in the way children do and absorbed us into the warmth of a father-son relationship in an extraordinary life beautifully constructed by words and stories and spun by the threads of belief and disbelief.

We are not going to describe the story here. It's a conglomeration of a bunch of stories that need to be experienced and felt. The script did a superb job of continuing the storyline and delivered some unforgettable lines and scenes.
'Big Fish' has superlative performance from Ewan McGregor and Billy Crudup and Albert Finney. The former delivered his usual 'casual but smart' performance throughout the film endearing the audience with the southern accent. Somehow, we can't forget the shot when the son, Will Bloom (played by Billy Crudup) comes out of the hospital room after the death of his father (played by Albert Finney), comes close to a telephone, looks to his left, picks up the phone, breaks up his voice and utters 'Mom...'. Simple but deep and touches the bottom of our hearts.

The film was nominated for Oscar in 2004 in the category of 'Best Music, Original Score'. We hoped it should have got a nomination for the 'best film' (which was taken in that year by 'Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King') and also for at least one in the category of 'best actor' or 'best supporting actor'. That did not happen but we can hope again that 'Big Fish' should survive the test of time to touch the heart of the audience again.

Link: 'Big Fish' Official Site, Rating: PG-13