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I think you need to approach this film as a piece of art that you watch. This isn't a film you seek out when you want an in depth plot, or even a plot that makes sense. The plot exists in the same way it does in an old school musical; as a means of leading from one production number to the next. If anything, the plot is even thinner than those of musicals.
That isn't necessarily a criticism. If you watch this film with that in mind, you won't feel that you've missed out on anything. And sometimes I need movies like that. A pure, escapist, visual treat. Certainly, if the focus had been the plot, something very interesting could have been created. And I'm sure I would have loved to see it. But the point of this movie is that it's a showcase of Cirque du Soleil acts from their Las Vegas shows. And I'm fine with that, when that's what I'm in the mood to see. And tonight, I was.
Final Thought: I'm jealous of her umbrella boat.
Up Next: Closer (2004)
This is another film that I didn't like the first time I watched it. Perhaps I watched it just after having seen Edward Scissorhands for the first time. I was so blown away by Edward Scissorhands, way more than I expected to be (more on that when I get to it). So I did Big Fish a disservice by watching it soon afterwards. I came at it with expectations and it didn't fit in to them.
Then, a few years later, every second blog I read seemed to rave about this film. Coincidence or something, I don't know, but for a month I felt like all these writers I didn't know were telling me that I simply had to give Big Fish another chance. I did so, and couldn't understand what I hadn't liked about it the first time around.
The most beautiful thing about this movie is that it champions the oral tradition. It's all about the telling and passing down of stories. Of taking the time to tell them and listening to them. Of how important they are in the building of a child's imagination and how stories can connect families and friends. The sight of everyone telling stories at the funeral is wonderful.
Then there's the recurrence of "This isn't how I die". And the popcorn moment, which is stunning. And the moment in the bath... It's not often that you see such relaxed romance between older couples in films. Or couples of any age for that matter.
There's actually so many things I love about this film that it is an utter mystery to me that I didn't enjoy it the first time around. This movie inspires me. There is wonder in it. It makes me want to go for a walk.
Final Thought: I swear, Danny DeVito missed his calling. He should have been a ringmaster.
Up Next: Billy Elliot (2000)
