“Big Fish” is a story built around the life of Edward Bloom (Albert Finney), who is dying of cancer, and his relationship with his son, Will (Billy Crudup). Bloom was a storyteller, spinning tales of his life to anyone who would listen, often with blatant disregard for the way things actually happened.

After years of hearing the same stories over and over, Will decides that he has no idea who his father really is, and has found it impossible to separate the fact from the fiction. After three years without speaking, Will visits his father on his deathbed in an attempt to make peace and find out who he really is.

The majority of the film is an autobiography of sorts, a modern-day fairytale following the life of a younger Edward Bloom (played by Ewan McGregor) as he tells of all of the unbelievable things that have happened to him over the years.

Note that he is telling the stories, so they are full of impossible events, imaginary places and non-existent characters. Among other things, viewers see a witch (Helena Bonham Carter), a giant named Carl, a pint-sized circus ringmaster (Danny Devito), Sandy, the love of his life (Allison Lohman) and a 200-pound catfish. True to style, Burton has enhanced the storyline with his usual brand of fantasy and unusual characters to mix up an otherwise normal tale of father and son coming together. The only complaint was that it was a little long-winded. It would also be appropriate to make a plea to Hollywood to stop placing such a heavy emphasis on Southern accents; they sounded pretty ridiculous.

“Big Fish” is original and entertaining, and it has something to offer everyone in the audience.

It defies all classification; it is undecided whether it should be called a drama or a comedy or a fairy tale. It’s funny, it’s serious, and if audiences are not careful, it just might draw a tear. Definitely worth checking out, especially if viewers are a Tim Burton fan.