Tim Burton is an impressive talent whose films have run the gamut telling stories about some great and almost ridiculous, but still great characters. Big Fish is different. This is a film with a touching theme that cuts right to the heart of what makes us human, and it does it in such a brilliant and entertaining way, you don’t even care how hard he yanks on the heart strings. And he does tug. I heard tears behind me at the right places.

This is the big work, the kind every writer would love to have their name on, because not only does it work thematically, Tim Burton makes it work visually, and its fun. But don’t think this is just a comedy, it’s deeper than that.

Ewan McGregor and Albert Finney are great character actors, and there is lots of great acting in this movie. As far as the talent, everyone is exceptional in this except Billy Crudup. His performance was a little too sterile and detached for me. If my dad had a terminal illness, I think I’d be a little more emotional about it. However, a plus side to that, because Billy Crudup appeared detached, Albert Finney’s performance seemed even better.

The story is essence about a man’s attempt to understand with the colorful legacy of his father. It’s a legacy that as a boy he loved, and as a man he tried to reject, only to realize that what he was rejecting was himself. Like it or not, most of us aren’t so different from our parents. And maybe, just maybe, there’s a reason for that.