In the film Big Fish by Tim Burton, the main character, Edward Bloom, is a natural storyteller. There is no doubt about it. He tells stories with elements of fantasy with giants, witches, werewolves and much more. But his stories revolve around himself, and he tells them to dazzle and impress others. His life is in service of himself. He always needs to be in the center of attention. This is evident at Will's wedding reception. Everyone else stands around in awe. Nobody seems to notice his lack of interest in anybody but himself. A man so in love with life that he is more obsessed with himself then anything else.

Edward Bloom's fabled stories charm everyone he encounters except his son Will, who has left home but in this case to get out from under his father's considerable shadow. Will is the only person who does not agree with everyone on how great his father is. When Edward becomes ill and his wife, Sandra, tries to reconcile them, Will embarks on his own personal journey trying to separate the myth from the reality of his father's life and come to terms with the man's giant feats and great failings.

Edward Bloom failed as a father because he was too caught up in h

Whether coincidentally or by design, the movie does a good job of paralleling the viewers experience with the son's perspective. For the first half of the film, watching dramatizations of the father's stories becomes a tedious process that borders on pointless. Why are we listening to these countless trumped up tales? In the second half, as William attempts to sift fact from fiction, the audience is willing to try and find some answers too.

It is through his wife's eyes that Will finally comes to terms with his anger and realizes that his father is not a bad man, but a decent and loving man that simply refused to bow down to the responsibilities that we all have in life. He has made his life a shrine to having fun and trying to delight those around him in order to stay in the spotlight. Will has so much love for his father he realizes he must change and he is willing to do so. Will is a better man because he faces the fact his father is who he is. In the final scene of Edwards life Will shows unconditional love and accepts him as he tells his father the fantastic story of how he turns into the uncatchable big fish.

Some topics in this essay:
Edward Bloom, Edward Bloom's, Tim Burton, edward bloom, Bloom Love, father edward, edward bloom's, unconditional love, it's killing, understand edward,