Rated (M) Ewan Macgregor, Alison Lohmann, Albert Finney

A forest-dwelling giant, a mysterious utopian town and a romantic rendezvous in a field of daffodils: these are just some of the delights that await in Tim Burton's Forrest Gump-style fable about a small-town man who dreams big dreams and tells tall tales.

"I can feel the edges closing in on me. A man's life can only grow to a certain size in a place like this," says the young
Edward Bloom (Ewan McGregor) as he leaves Alabama to swim in bigger seas. And the adventures that follow make for a great cinematic ride through love, war, friendship and danger, with an array of bizarre and enchanting characters.

But some of the greatest rewards are found in Big Fish's more subdued moments — in its study of father-son relationships, the nature of truth, and the things we do to convince ourselves our lives are important.

In the present day, Edward (Albert Finney) is dying of cancer. His estranged and resentful son Will (Billy Crudup) returns from Paris to try and reconcile with his father, a man he knows only through the implausible stories he's been telling to enraptured audiences since Will was a boy. As he approaches fatherhood himself, Will wants to learn about the man behind the tales.

Will's frustration is understandable — Edward's fantastical stories start to grate after a while, and the film itself is sometimes so syrupy that it's hard to take it seriously. But charming performances from Ewan McGregor and Albert Finney, and an exciting support cast (including Jessica Lange, Helena Bonham-Carter and Danny DeVito) help to offset some of this sentimentality, creating a visual feast with some memorable moments.

Emma Halgren