Big Fish
User Score
8.3 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 209 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 186 out of 209
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 209
  3. Negative: 14 out of 209

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  1. jackshrack
    Nov 2, 2010
    0
    This was a fairly trite and predictable story in my view. A real dissapoint after watching Edward scissorhandy. You get the feeling that burton has sold out. These kind of mythic, sweeping movies have the same feel as forest gump. They are all too transparent with their message and leave nothing to the imagination. The characters are not believable and it feels an hour too long.
  2. Moose
    Jul 5, 2004
    4
    This is not a magical movie. If anything, it's a terribly sad piece that sees a distant father/son relationship never rectified or fulfilled despite the son?s numerous attempts to find out who his ?real? father is. Instead the father fails to draw himself out of his make believe world in time to realise his son is crushed by his ?smoke and mirrors? routine. For me the sadness and frustration the son experiences is never offset by the ?magic? of his fathers? fables simply because the fables themselves were always unimaginative and boring (a giant, a circus and a town which no one ever wants to leave ? it?s all either ?been there, done that? or, quite simply, ?who cares??). I think Burton wanted the ?magic? to rise above everything else, but for me the emotions of the son were too strong and too real, and were certainly not made up for by the final ?death bed story?.… Expand
  3. MovieguyCinema
    Jan 20, 2004
    0
    A nauseating and ridiculous lousy david lynch imitation, utterly meaningless pretentious garbage that is both boring and sickening a the same time.
  4. BlytheM.
    Feb 13, 2004
    3
    Boring from the moment it came on the screen. I left after 20 minutes. Didn't care about anyone, wasn't drawn in by the story about stories.
  5. JakeS.
    Feb 7, 2004
    1
    How can you like a movie when you hate the main character?! Burton, through the character of Edward Bloom (played by Finney and McGregor), takes the "father know's best" adage a step to far, and instead we have a movie which is condescending and irritating. I felt bad for the son, and not the lying father. The visuals are nice though, hence the 1.
  6. Rico
    May 5, 2004
    2
    This movie tries too hard to be magical and ends up falling flat. The charm seems forced through no fault of the excellent cast. Tim Burton has been making some stinkers lately.
  7. SuzanneD.
    Dec 13, 2003
    3
    What a letdown....I went in expecting to love this film and I was really disappointed. It is very dull thruout and not at all up to Burtons capabilities.
  8. HughM.
    Jan 9, 2004
    2
    Big disappointment! I kept waiting for something interesting to happen, but it never did. Good actors wasted...did Jessica Lange speak, I don't recall.
  9. BradleyW.
    Dec 11, 2003
    2
    Sorry folks, this film is a clunker. long and terribly boring...just couldnt keep me interested in the few imaginative parts.
  10. MatthewT.
    Jan 11, 2004
    0
    This movie is racist. A father knows all sorts of cool, weird, wonderful friends, but never brings them home to introduce them to his son. Why? Because the cool friends are of a different size/race/culture/species from his white, middle-class suburban family. This is the essence of American racism--you can have fun with people who are different from you--you can even father children with them, ala Strom Thurmond or Thomas Jefferson--but you can never, NEVER invite them into your home. Big Fish is not just a bad movie, but an evil movie for giving voice to that kind of sentiment in this year, in this century, in this millenium. Tim Burton should be ashamed of himself--if you heard his NPR interview with Elvis Mitchell, you know he already is. … Collapse
  11. DevonP.
    Dec 12, 2003
    0
    Yawn. What a turkey. I am a huge fan of Tim Burton and all of the actors, but it was like going to the dentist, except when I left I didn't have a good taste in my mouth. Half the audience walked out. People on airplanes are gonna walk out, rent Edward Scissorhands, instead.

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
58 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 42 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 42
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 42
  3. Negative: 3 out of 42
  1. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Owen Gleiberman
    75
    The movie is a gently overstuffed cinematic piñata, crammed with tall tales -- with giants and circuses and fairy-tale woods, plus a huge squirmy catfish, all served up with a literal matter-of-fact fancy that is very pleasing.
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  2. Film Threat
    Reviewed by: Clint Morris
    90
    A tale that's so enriching, so heartwarming, so funny, so touching and so breathtaking, you'll wonder why the king of wackiness didn't branch out sooner.
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  3. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Kirk Honeycutt
    40
    A misfire. The film that wants to be lighter than air instead crashes to earth with the swiftness of a concrete parachute.
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