August 29, 2000
BIG FISH
Screenplay by John August, based on the novel by Daniel Wallace
Synopsis by Brian Aldrich
Gregarious EDWARD BLOOM was an incredible storyteller of tall tales, but was never understood by his serious son WILL. After Edward ruined Will’s wedding, father and son became estranged. A few years later, Will’s mother, SANDRA, calls him in Paris to inform him Edward is dying. Will and his French pregnant wife, JOSEPHINE, fly back to Alabama. Will tells his father’s life story.
On the day Edward was born, a long drought ended with a snowstorm. As a child, he asked a WITCH to tell him how he was going to die. The answer took away his fears of death and made him feel immortal. At his bedside, Will asks his dying father to tell him the true version of their family history. Ed’s childhood pal, KARL JOHANSEN grew into a giant. The rural TOWNSPEOPLE threatened mob violence. Ed, valedictorian, fire chief, and football captain, convinced Karl to accompany him to the big city. En route, Ed got separated from Karl, stopped in small town Spectre and had pie with poet NORTHER WINSLOW. Some KIDS stole his shoes. At the river, Ed saved a GIRL from a snake. But he couldn’t find his way out of town. Will tries to talk to his mother about his father. Ed tells Josephine about his wedding to Sandra. After Spectre, Ed found Karl working in a circus sideshow. Ed saw the girl of his dreams, but she got away. Ed went to work for circus boss AMOS, who promised to give him clues to her identity. When Amos turned into a mad dog, Ed stopped clown SOGGYBOTTOM from shooting him. Finally, Amos revealed the girl’s identity: SANDRA TEMPLETON. Ed confronted college coed Sandra with his love, but she was already engaged--to his childhood rival, DON PRICE. Determined, Ed romances Sandra. Price gave him a beating. Later, Price dropped dead of a heart attack (just like the witch predicted). Ed and Sandra got married. Then, Ed was drafted. Ed volunteered for dangerous assignments. In Asia, Ed met PING & JING, the Siamese twins, and journeyed with them to America. Ed was reunited with Sandra. Will lets Josephine know that most of the story never happened. Will confronts Ed about his “stories,” how his lies have ruined Will’s trust in his father. The Army labeled Ed a “Deserter.” Ed took a job as a traveling salesman. In a bank, Ed ran into Winslow who enlisted Ed’s help in robbing the bank. RIGGS GREELEY, the bank owner, tracked them down and thanked them for helping him out of his Savings & Loan debacle. Ed and Winslow went on to rob 48 Texas S&L’s that summer. Will goes through Ed’s papers and finds out about his mistress JENNY HILL. He tracks her down and she tells him about her affair with his father. While on the road, Ed had a car accident and wandered back into Spectre, now a bankrupt town. Ed had his rich FRIENDS invest in the town, but Jenny, the river girl, refused to participate. Ed helped her to make her life better and they fell in love. But Ed couldn’t leave the wife he loved. So, Ed left town; Jenny became a crazy witch. Jenny explains to Will how much Ed was always proud of him. Will returns home to learn Ed has had a stroke, been taken to the hospital, and is not expected to recover. DR. BENNETT comforts Will. Ed wakes up and can’t remember how he is supposed to die. Will comforts Ed with a tall story, describing how they snuck out of the hospital and drove to the river. All of Ed’s characters were there to say goodbye. Ed turned into a fish and swam away. Ed dies happy. At the funeral, the characters really show up. Years later, Will tells Ed’s stories to his own son.
Summary Criticism: This story is excellently crafted with a tight, poetic structure and sympathetic characters who depict dysfunction with pathos, rather than hate or violence.
Big Fish (2003) - imdb
Big Fish (2003) - wiki
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