Big Fish

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Big Fish

PG-13

2004

2h 5m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

76%

Tomatometer

220 Reviews

89%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

When Edward Bloom (Albert Finney) becomes ill, his son, William (Billy Crudup), travels to be with him. William has a strained relationship with Edward because his father has always told exaggerated stories about his life, and William thinks he's never really told the truth. Even on his deathbed, Edward recounts fantastical anecdotes. When William, who is a journalist, starts to investigate his father's tales, he begins to understand the man and his penchant for storytelling.

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Critics Consensus

A charming father-and-son tale filled with typical Tim Burton flourishes, Big Fish is an impressive catch.

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David Ansen

Newsweek

When it catches fire, this great-looking movie offers hilarious diversions. And as father and son struggle toward a hard-won reconciliation, Big Fish reveals its beating heart.

Mar 12, 2018

Full Review

Will Self

London Evening Standard

Big Fish really belongs to Albert Finney, who proves that when it comes to large performances there is no one who can quite match a British Shakespearean with good camera sense.

Jan 9, 2018

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Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

Delightful, sad father-son story for teens and up.

Rated: 4/5

Dec 22, 2010

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Julian Singleton

Cinapse

With its unabashed love of Wilderian small-town Americana — and the signature Burton macabre elements lurking beneath it — Big Fish ranks among the best of Tim Burton’s filmography.

Jul 12, 2025

Full Review

Paul Klein

FILMHOUNDS Magazine

That melancholy mutes much of it so as the film goes to an idyllic town, a bank robbery, dances, and a circus, it never actually turns into something like Batman Returns or Beetlejuice

Rated: 4/5

Jul 4, 2024

Full Review

Christopher Lloyd

The Film Yap

Tim Burton's lone outstanding, heartfelt film of the last two decades may not seem like a natural fit with his horror-tinged oeuvre. But in some ways it's his most intimate, personal movie.

Rated: 4.5/5

Sep 20, 2021

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Amber M

The sentiment behind the plot is sweet and endearing and the movie is an excellent example of Burton, the master filmmaker, at work.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/29/25

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Michael S

My favorite movie of all time. Tim Burton's masterpiece

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/29/25

Full Review

Randall F

Reliant more on powerful familial emotions than wacky splendor, "Big Fish" treads as close to our real world as Tim Burton ever could - a melancholy dissection of paternal distance and never truly knowing how many lives those we love can truly affect.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/20/25

Full Review

Jen N

When it catches fire, this great-looking movie offers hilarious diversions. And as father and son struggle toward a hard-won reconciliation, Big Fish reveals its beating heart.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/17/25

Full Review

Spencer B

One of Tim Burton’s most emotional and underrated films, Big Fish isn’t what most people expect after Beetlejuice, Batman, or The Nightmare Before Christmas. It’s a story full of bizarre charm, surreal visuals, and genuinely tear-jerking performances, a fairy tale about fathers, sons, and the blurry line between truth and imagination. It’s easy to lose yourself in its fantasy and grow attached to its wonderfully eccentric characters. If you’ve got a the time to appreciate it and a box of tissues handy, I can’t recommend it enough.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

10/11/25

Full Review

Dorottya P

I love everything about this movie. Beautiful story of a life lived in optimism and love even in hard times. I’m in tears by the end of it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/11/25

Full Review

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Tim Burton

Director

Ewan McGregor

Young Edward Bloom

Albert Finney

Edward Bloom

Billy Crudup

Will Bloom

Jessica Lange

Sandra Bloom

Helena Bonham Carter

Jenny

Big Fish: Official Clip - Gigantificationism

2:13

Big Fish: Official Clip - Leaving Spectre

2:13

Big Fish: Official Clip - The Story of My Life

2:13

Big Fish: Official Clip - Always Been a Fool

2:11

Big Fish: Official Clip - Field of Daffodils

2:13

Big Fish: Official Clip - Giant Ambition

2:13

Big Fish: Official Clip - The Witch's Eye

2:12

Big Fish: Official Clip - Time Stands Still

2:08

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Synopsis

When Edward Bloom (Albert Finney) becomes ill, his son, William (Billy Crudup), travels to be with him. William has a strained relationship with Edward because his father has always told exaggerated stories about his life, and William thinks he's never really told the truth. Even on his deathbed, Edward recounts fantastical anecdotes. When William, who is a journalist, starts to investigate his father's tales, he begins to understand the man and his penchant for storytelling.

Director: Tim Burton
Producer: Richard D. Zanuck, Bruce Cohen, Dan Jinks
Screenwriter: John August
Distributor: Sony Pictures Entertainment, Columbia Pictures
Production Co: Zanuck Company, Columbia Pictures Corporation, Jinks/Cohen Company
Rating: PG-13 (Some Nudity|Fight|Suggestive Reference)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 9, 2004, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 16, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $66.3M
Runtime: 2h 5m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby SR, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Dolby Stereo

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