Big Fish (2003)

★ 7.8 2h 5m 7,702 votes IMDb

Throughout his life Edward Bloom has always been a man of big appetites, enormous passions and tall tales. In his later years, he remains a huge mystery to his son, William. Now, to get to know the real man, Will begins piecing together a true picture of his father from flashbacks of his amazing adventures.

Big Fish

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Cast

Ewan McGregor
Ewan McGregor as Ed Bloom (young) Age 55 · Perth, Scotland, UK Ewan Gordon McGregor (born March 31, 1971) is a Scottish actor. His accolades include a Golden Globe Award and a Primetime Emmy Award. In 2013, he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Emp...
Albert Finney
Albert Finney as Ed Bloom (senior) Died 2019 · Salford, Greater Manchester, England, UK Albert Finney (May 9, 1936 – February 7, 2019) was an English actor. He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and worked in the theatre before attaining prominence on screen in the early 1960s, d...
Billy Crudup
Billy Crudup as Will Bloom Age 57 · Manhasset, New York, USA William Gaither Crudup (born July 8, 1968) is an American actor. He is a four-time Tony Award nominee, winning once for his performance in Tom Stoppard's play The Coast of Utopia in 2007. He has been...
Jessica Lange
Jessica Lange as Sandra Bloom (senior) Age 76 · Cloquet, Minnesota, USA Jessica Phyllis Lange (born April 20, 1949) is an American actress. She is the 13th actress to achieve the Triple Crown of Acting, having won two Academy Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Ton...
Helena Bonham Carter
Helena Bonham Carter as Jenny (young & senior) / The Witch Age 59 · Golders Green, London, England, UK Helena Bonham Carter CBE (born May 26, 1966) is an English actress. Known for her roles in independent films and blockbusters, especially period dramas, she is the recipient of various accolades, incl...
Alison Lohman
Alison Lohman as Sandra Bloom (young) Age 46 · Palm Springs, California, USA Alison Marion Lohman is an American retired actress. She has had lead roles in the films White Oleander, Where the Truth Lies, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Flicka and Drag Me to Hell as well as...

Audience Reviews

JPV852 9/10 May 14, 2021
First time seeing this since probably 2003 in theaters and it's absolutely heartfelt and charming, probably one of Tim Burton's best films, or at least one of my personal favorites of his. Great performances all around but especially Ewan McGregor and Albert Finney. Really well done. **4.5/5**
CinemaSerf 7/10 May 30, 2025
I must admit I did struggle a little to wonder how Ewan McGregor could ever age into Albert Finley, but then as the whole principle of this story is to stretch the truth, then I suppose why not! It’s those very far-fetched sort of scenarios that caused this family’s problems in the first place as the young “Will” (Bully Crudup) has to return home after a three year estrangement from dad “Ed” (Finney) when the latter man is diagnosed with terminal cancer. A sort of uneasy truce breaks out between them as we realise that extent of their issues is more that the young lad actually believed some of the fantastic fables he was being spun by his enthusiastic younger dad (McGregor) and so feels that somehow he has been betrayed and lied to all these years. The most preposterous of those sees an early witchery outing for Helena Bonham Carter as the neighbour whose glass eye will espy the impending death of the startlingly naive young “Will”. The only solution here seems to be that dad acknowledges his failings to his profoundly disappointed son and maybe some form of reconciliation might emerge from these truths. “Edward” isn’t the apologising type, though, and so a bit of a Mexican stand-off seems destined to thwart any possibility of a rapprochement. Then again, could there be some truth to the old man’s stories after all? The inventive use of flashback and two really quite engaging efforts from McGregor and a sparingly used but effective Finney give this a certain poignancy as the ridiculousness of the initial premise of their falling out gives way to more serious and profound issues about truth. What might that actually be, and need it be the same truth for everyone? Maybe, just maybe, the young “Will” needs to take things a little less on face value? As the film progresses, the story becomes increasingly more touching and for that, the equally on-form Crudup can take much credit as this character study advances in the face of one tragedy, certainly, but hopefully not two. The switching around of the timelines works well and allows the production to indulge itself in two totally different eras with all of the creative benefits that offers. It’s quirky, quite funny and well worth a couple of hours.

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