When it catches fire, this great-looking movie offers hilarious diversions. And as father and son struggle toward a hard-won reconciliation, Big Fish reveals its beating heart.

Big Fish really belongs to Albert Finney, who proves that when it comes to large performances there is no one who can quite match a British Shakespearean with good camera sense.

Delightful, sad father-son story for teens and up.

With its unabashed love of Wilderian small-town Americana — and the signature Burton macabre elements lurking beneath it — Big Fish ranks among the best of Tim Burton’s filmography.