Big Fish

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Big Fish

PG-13

Released Jan 9, 2004

2h 5m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

76%

Tomatometer

220 Reviews

89%

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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

Full Review

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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Tom F

Essential to understanding Tim Burton, if not one of his better films.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

09/05/25

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Karin B

A wonderful and heartwarming movie. I love it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/29/25

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Bob H

NO better film entertainment for warmth and fun than this treasure of a movie the best of Burton's art and creativity thanks for this gem

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/28/25

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Katherine C

it has such a weird ending. 2/5 for the plot twist. the cheating seemed unneccessary to the plot

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

08/11/25

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Esteban R

The way you tell the story of your life can become a simple anecdote or something inescapably moving. Big Fish is a film that tells the story of your life, but it prefers to let you choose the version that most enriches you. Sometimes we narrate based only on facts, but in Big Fish, the facts aren't significant; what truly matters are the emotions and the memory of how we experience events. The chronicle of our lives doesn't need to follow that traditional arrangement where memories focus on ordinary events that restrict our minds' imaginations; rather, it should be based on fantasies and fleeting illusions that revitalize experiences until they become the passions that inspire us and others. That's Big Fish, a reminder that we must tell our stories so many times that, in the end, we ourselves become those stories. Big Fish is my favorite Tim Burton film.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/07/25

Full Review

HameZz O

Every time Ewan McGregor was on screen I knew the story was going to get more entertaining. The one exception for that was the ending. What a lovely ending. 8.5/10 a feel good, silly time.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/31/25

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: Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment
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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