Extremely sentimental movies often seem corny at best, and painfully unwatchable at worst. But Tim Burton's latest Golden Globe nominated film, Big Fish, is more than just an exception to that rule. The film is a collection of imaginative tales rolled into one powerhouse flick filled with superb acting, a killer soundtrack (courtesy of maestro Danny Elfman) and a multihued dream world that only Tim Burton's boundless imagination could generate. Each frame of the film is a Kodak moment not only for its heartwarming value, but also for the bright and colorful way each scene is presented. The plot, as it unravels through the tall tales of a dying father, subtly - and sometimes not so subtly - conveys several important life lessons that are bound to stick with audiences. Will Bloom played by Billy Crudup (Almost Famous) has grown sick of over twenty years of his father's unbelievable stories. When his father Edward, played by Albert Finney (Erin Brockovich), embarrasses Will on his wedding day with one of his famous whoppers, Will stops speaking to him. It is only when Will learns that his father is bedridden from illness that he returns to his native Alabama in hopes of learning the truth behind his father's tall tales.

Edward reveals his zest for life and his inability to ever give up through his stories that feature everything from prophetic witches to lonely giants to singing conjoined twins. Will's wife Josephine, played by French actress Marion Cotillard, and his mother Sandra, played by Jessica Lange (Cape Fear), are dazzled by stories of love at first sight and death-defying escapes, but Will remains unconvinced and hurt due to years of neglect from his traveling businessman father. Will finally comes to realize that it doesn't matter which stories are true and which are mere fabrications when his father lovingly gives him the chance to write the final chapter of the adventure novel that is Edward Bloom's life. Will also concludes that he and his mother are the motivations behind Edward's dedication to working.

The stories of past and present are flawlessly intertwined. Ewan McGregor (Moulin Rouge) plays the young Edward Bloom perflectly, as the bright-eyed hometown hero that will stop at nothing to get the girl. Danny DeVito, (Death to Smoochy) has a great cameo as a circus ringmaster who works Edward to the bone in exchange for information about young Sandra, played by Alison Lohman (Matchstick Men) the girl he only saw once but knows he is destined to marry. Steve Buscemi (Fargo) and Helena Bonham Carter (Planet of the Apes) also play important and recurring characters in Edward's fantastic life.

Although the aesthetically pleasing power of Edward's story world is definitely the standout part of the film, Big Fish is nevertheless the feel-good hit of the new year. The film succeeds at convincing audiences that anything is possible if one doesn't surrender to limits that are usually self-imposed. While there is more ambiguity than clarity regarding Edward's life, no one can say he didn't live life to its fullest. Even on his deathbed, Edward Bloom is an inspiration to the people he encountered in his life and moviegoers alike.