Monday Movie Moments: Big Fish

Welcome to a weekly feature here at Movies With Abe. There are great movies, and then there are great scenes. Ideally, the two come as a package deal, but sometimes there’s just a scene that’s memorable all by itself. Each week, I’ll be taking a look at a formative movie moment that may be notable for its style, content, technique, or something else altogether. MAJOR SPOILERS will be referenced in this edition of the series, so please stop reading if you’ve somehow avoided seeing the movie in question.

There are some movie endings that are just too memorable not to discuss so publicly. This one doesn’t represent as much of a spoiler since the enjoyment of this movie has little to do with the particulars of the plot. This final scene is highlighted most by Albert Finney’s exuberant declaration of “Let’s get of here” which leads to his fleeing the hospital with his son and heading to the water. Like a good musical, all of the characters return at the end of the film, perfectly in their primes, waving as if they’ve just given the performance of their lives and the star of the show is taking a bow. No one is crying because they’re all so happy to have been touched by Edward, which is just the spirit of this wonderful happy and lovely film. Seeing the real funeral take place after with the real people showing up, recognized slightly by Billy Crudup and Marion Cotillard, and sharing stories of Edward's life, is fabulous. Finney, who netted BAFTA and Golden Globe nominations for his performance but couldn’t garner an Oscar, is absolutely spectacular, wearing so much emotion in his face and in his smile. Ewan McGregor is a superb lead for the film, and he and Finney complement each other excellently. The notion of Edward becoming the film’s title is marvelous, and it’s just the right ending for this endearing film that can best be described as larger than life.