3. Big Fish
Tim Burton was a great director. Then, something happened. I'm still not sure what, but something happened and Burton stopped making great movies, leaving only occasional glimpses of his talent. Big Fish is one of those glimpses. In fact, Big Fish is the biggest glimpse of that talent. It's Burton best film, which makes it all the more frustrating that he can obviously still make a great movie, yet doesn't. Big Fish is the story of a man dealing with his complicated relationship with his father, who tells so many tall tales that his son has a hard time connecting with him. Big Fish is filled to the brim with one thing Burton usually strays away from: emotion. Big Fish is a powerfully emotional movie, with an ending that somehow affects my allergies to the point of my eyes watering. The central relationship is compelling strong, and both Billy Crudup as the son and Albert Finney (Ewan McGregor in flashbacks) as the father give strong performances. Burton gets to do his usual oddball visual flair, and it plays well with the tall tells of the father. Big Fish isn't talked about that much in comparison to the rest of Burton's filmography, and that is a mistake. Big Fish is a wonderful movie. Give it a chance.