A good storyteller is someone you can sit and listen to for hours at a time and who spins their tales in a believeable way, because regardless how true they are, the teller believes them (and makes you believe them). But how do you truly know a storyteller, and how much of their tales are real?
Will (Crudup) has spent his entire life listening to his father's larger-than-life stories, but he doesn't want to hear stories, he wants the truth. His relationship with his father, Edward (Finney) is strained, neither party willing to change: Will wants the truth and Edward wants the stories. As Will explains in a voiceover "In telling the story of my father's life, it's impossible to separate fact from fiction, the man from the myth. The best I can do is to tell it the way he told me. It doesn't always make sense and most of it never happened... but that's what kind of story this is. "
Edward is the ultimate storyteller, and maintains that his stories are the truth. His life is told in a series of flashbacks illustrating his stories (this younger Edward is McGregor): the quiet town of Spectre, working at the circus, meeting his wife, etc. But Edward himself is fading, dying of cancer. Will and his wife Josephine (Cotillard) go to his parents house to reconcile with his father, and ultimately learn the truth behind the stories. Keeping the peace is Sandra (Lange) Will's mother who deeply loves Edward.
Sometimes Edward tells the stories, sometimes they are told by others...but they always have the same style and odd ending. In the stories there is The Witch (Carter) who has an eye that if you look into it tells you how you will die, and the twins Ping and Ting (Tai sisters) who have joined (literally) from the hips down (they share a waist and legs). And Norther Wilson (Buscemi) the poet and Karl the Giant (McGrory) who travels with Edward. At the circus is Amos (DeVito) the ringmaster and his right-hand clown Mr. Soggybottom (Roy).
The film looks amazing: the flashbacks are rich with color (lots of reds and blues) while the present is a bit drab (almost saying Edward is the color in their lives) also look for lots of references to fish and water. The story is well done: the flashbacks are fantasy without going over the top while the present still keeps you smiling. What is the truth? Well, you have to watch to find that out!
Dude, it's quotable: Edward is a storyteller and his stories are funny and quotable, along with some one-liners along the way (the best scene is the final story...I wrote a paper on it...there is sooo much to talk about and look at, it is amazing!)
Rent it multiple time: You cannot fully appreciate the film only seeing it once...and even a second viewing doesn't show the full depth of the film. It is an amazing story and a rich visual pallet.
Will (Crudup) has spent his entire life listening to his father's larger-than-life stories, but he doesn't want to hear stories, he wants the truth. His relationship with his father, Edward (Finney) is strained, neither party willing to change: Will wants the truth and Edward wants the stories. As Will explains in a voiceover "In telling the story of my father's life, it's impossible to separate fact from fiction, the man from the myth. The best I can do is to tell it the way he told me. It doesn't always make sense and most of it never happened... but that's what kind of story this is. "
Edward is the ultimate storyteller, and maintains that his stories are the truth. His life is told in a series of flashbacks illustrating his stories (this younger Edward is McGregor): the quiet town of Spectre, working at the circus, meeting his wife, etc. But Edward himself is fading, dying of cancer. Will and his wife Josephine (Cotillard) go to his parents house to reconcile with his father, and ultimately learn the truth behind the stories. Keeping the peace is Sandra (Lange) Will's mother who deeply loves Edward.
Sometimes Edward tells the stories, sometimes they are told by others...but they always have the same style and odd ending. In the stories there is The Witch (Carter) who has an eye that if you look into it tells you how you will die, and the twins Ping and Ting (Tai sisters) who have joined (literally) from the hips down (they share a waist and legs). And Norther Wilson (Buscemi) the poet and Karl the Giant (McGrory) who travels with Edward. At the circus is Amos (DeVito) the ringmaster and his right-hand clown Mr. Soggybottom (Roy).
The film looks amazing: the flashbacks are rich with color (lots of reds and blues) while the present is a bit drab (almost saying Edward is the color in their lives) also look for lots of references to fish and water. The story is well done: the flashbacks are fantasy without going over the top while the present still keeps you smiling. What is the truth? Well, you have to watch to find that out!
Dude, it's quotable: Edward is a storyteller and his stories are funny and quotable, along with some one-liners along the way (the best scene is the final story...I wrote a paper on it...there is sooo much to talk about and look at, it is amazing!)
Rent it multiple time: You cannot fully appreciate the film only seeing it once...and even a second viewing doesn't show the full depth of the film. It is an amazing story and a rich visual pallet.
Rating: PG-13 for a fight scene, some images of nudity and a suggestive reference.
Director: Tim Burton
Starring: Ewan McGregor as Young Edward Bloom
Albert Finney as Edward Bloom
Billy Crudup as Will Bloom
Jessica Lange as Sandra Bloom
Helena Bonham Carter as Jenny/The Witch
Alison Lohman as Young Sandra (Templeton) Bloom
Robert Guillaume as Dr. Bennett
Marion Cotillard as Josephine
Matthew McGrory as Karl the Giant
Steve Buscemi as Norther Winslow
Ada Tai as Ping
Arlene Tai as Ting
Danny DeVito as Amos Calloway
Deep Roy as Mr. Soggybottom
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