The Director’s Chair: Big Fish

You know who I am…but you don’t know why I’m here!

I go wherever I want…whenever I want!

And with that out of the way, I’d like to introduce you all to The Director’s Chair!

Last week, we introduced the great Tim Burton and covered the late great Paul Reubens with his debut film, Pee-Wee’s Great Adventure!. What beautiful Burton film will we cover today…

Let’s find out!

Timothy Walter Burton was born August 25, 1958 in Burbank, CA. He went to CalArts and later even worked for Disney, as a concept artist, art director, and designer. As one would guess, he didn’t exactly fit the Disney mold, and none of his concepts were used. Could you imagine a Tim Burton version of The Fox & the Hound? Soon thereafter, he found his voice and amplified it with work that would transcend stop-motion animation. He was handpicked by Paul Reubens to direct his feature film Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, and allowed him creative input to bring Reuben’s small tv-show world onto the big screen.
Beetlejuice was next, but the true stamp of approval for Burton came with 1989’s Batman. This entry into comic book lore catapulted Burton to superstardom. His list of films afterwards are some of the most unique films ever, with each one feeling distinctly “Burtonesque.” Of course, this would eventually become detrimental, as critics considered it as more of a crutch than a trademark.

For my money, Burton is one of the greats, and even IF he falls back on his “look,” quite a bit, there is almost always something beneath the stop-motion. His movies focus on isolation, fish out of water, familial strife, father/son relationships, and as out of this world as his characters may be, there always seems to be some grounded sentiment towards their plights. But what about as a director? Let’s find out…

Specs:
Runtime – 2 Hours 5 Minutes
Release Date – January 9, 2004
Filming Locations – Wetumpka, Alabama
Budget – $70 Million
Gross US & Canada – $66,809,693

Trivia: The song “How I Go” by Yellowcard is inspired by this film. Here’s the cute song:

Rating: 7/10

I remember this film fondly, with an air of fantasy and whimsy before I knew what those words were. It’s a shame, really, that upon my most recent viewing, some of that was missing. I questioned whether it was simply because I was older, or perhaps because I went in with a more analytical eye, then about an hour or so into the film, I realized that the magic was still there, it just took a little for me to put my guard down, just like Will Bloom in hearing his father’s tales for the umpteenth time. Burton goes back to what he knows here with the style, but the story, based on novel Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions, is every bit as fantasy filled as ever. Some would say this is just a look into the many characters of Burton’s mind, but even though his touch is all over the place, the story is still strong enough on its own merit to be enjoyable.

The key here is the relationship between father and son, and Crudup as Will does incredibly well with every eye roll and heavy sigh after his father’s booming story-telling. Speaking of him, Albert Finney and his voice are perfect for this, and although McGregor gets a bulk of the tv time, it’s Finney who shines in my opinion. He is every bit as sympathetic and jolly as one would assume a father full of fantastic follies would be.

As mentioned above, if there is any true complaint about the film, it’s perhaps the fact that we, as viewers have seen quite a few films in a similar vein, from the same director no less, so it may come off as somewhat artificial, but I implore you to let your mind rest and enjoy what Burton and Co did here.

By 2003, Burton was well-known and world renowned. His style was specific and Burtonesque would be used to describe other would-be dark directors. He would swing and miss with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory after this, but the blind love for him was in full effect at this moment, as were the quirky camera angles and dark settings. Burton did his best to highlight his catalog of actors in their larger than life roles, such as Carter’s witch character, Karl the Giant, and even Buscemi’s poet. Some, however, fell a bit flat. Danny DeVito didn’t really stretch his chops here, and I suspect Burton didn’t really ask him to.

Burton spends much of his time in the past, and rightfully so, as it is when the story is most interesting and fantastical. He is able to enter reality just before the ridiculous gets to be too much, and that’s most definitely on purpose. It’s also an interesting sight to see a a city in the past through Burton’s eyes. This fantastical city of Spectre looks almost too rich to be real, yet beautiful in its conciseness. I especially enjoy the fact that Burton isn’t afraid to be fantastical. After all, these are the stories of a dying man from his son’s eyes, and we have no clue what’s real and what isn’t. It’s this poignant thought, near the end of the film, as Will races to a lake to drop his father in, and he is surrounded by the characters of his fathers past. This is followed by the actual funeral, where those same characters come to show their respect, some just as ridiculous in style as his father described, while some noticeably not nearly as fantastical as his father told him to be. Burton did it, and he did it right.

Some may scratch their heads at my favorite scene, especially considering this film was ripe for the picking with so many unique moments and hilarious spectacles. It’d be easy to pick the numerous flowers Bloom got for his would-be wife, or the time freezing just for a moment then speeding to catch up. Some may even enjoy the moment Will drops his father in the water and watch him swim away, but for me, there is nothing that tops the simplicity of the long shot of old Edward Bloom in the tub, still wearing a rub, and joined by his wife. When she crawls in and hugs her husband, cheek on chest, and reality sets in for her.
If anyone has truly had to suffer through his story-telling and know every beat, knows every lie, it’s his wife, the one he devoted his whole life and fantasy to. It’s such a small scene, but it’s so real. He’s about to die. His wife knows it. He knows it. He’s struggling with how important these stories truly are, where the truth starts, and at the end of it all, it’s her that is there to help him with it. “I don’t think I’ll ever dry out.” Ugh. I loved this moment.

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Another edition of The Director’s Chair is in the books!

I loved the feedback, and just so you know, Scorsese definitely will be popping up soon. Anyone else wanna take a guess?

DUECES!