Some stories are too good to be true, blurring the line between fact and fiction. Big Fish puts those two opposing forces on even ground in what ends up being a simple, yet charming and heart-warming story that only the harshest of cynics could hate.

The quirky story of tall tales and truth is told by none other than the master of cinematic oddity, Tim Burton. Despite fears that Burton has lost his quirky edge, Big Fish retains touches of his former peculiar endeavors in the form of the film's dual narratives.

Billy Crudup plays Will, a 30-something everyman who has a bittersweet relationship with his father, Ed (Albert Finney), a man with a penchant for telling hard-to-swallow, amazing adventures he's had throughout his life.

Despite the enormity of his stories, everyone loves to hear them ... everyone except for Will, that is.

When cancer puts Ed on his deathbed, Will returns home, at first merely out of a sense of duty, but he eventually tries to reconcile with his dad and separate reality from illusion.

In an expected yet mandatory move, the film shifts back and forth through time as the audience bears witness to some of Ed's tales.

During his early years, young Ed (Ewan McGregor) has run-ins with witches, giants, werewolves and mermaids, all the while discovering he himself is merely a fish too big for his pond.

In one of the film's more poignant segments, Ed stumbles upon the town of Spectre, a symbol for settling down and never seeking adventures. There, Ed realizes he is far from the end of his journey and takes off for grander things, from working in the circus to tracking down and marrying the woman of his dreams.

Some of Burton's films have an almost juvenile aesthetic to them, and while Big Fish's style is more mature, it retains a childlike presence. Based on its simplicity alone, it could almost be a children's film if it weren't for a few tense moments. The themes are omnipresent and perennial.

Besides the painfully obvious comparison, Big Fish has some thematic similarities to Finding Nemo. One is a children's movie disguised as an adult's film, and the other is an adult movie disguised as a children's, but both have valuable lessons for parent and child alike.

Ultimately, Big Fish can be viewed as a commentary on why people enjoy some of the fantastical, over-the-top Hollywood fare. It takes us far away from the pacifying boredom of Spectre, USA and drops us into an infinite ocean in which there is no such thing as a fish that's too big.