THESIS: There were some very "tall tales" told throughout the film, "Big Fish," and all of the tall tales (and character reactions to them) contributed to the enjoyment of the story. Indeed, even though a person was fully entertained by the film and the many sub-plots to the story line, that person may have possibly missed some deeper meanings and the bigger life world view projected by the film. This paper will look into some of the deeper levels and implications that the film and the story offer. This paper will also examine other issues, such as: .

             a) Is the telling of fibs (tall tales) really a harmful exercise - or is it just part of the fun-loving embellishment of life? b) If a father tells too many tall tales, and it becomes a habit, does that result in the father confusing reality with fantasy? c) Should be the relationship between father and son always be fully honest, and accurate, when it comes to the sharing of life's events and stories? All of these questions are fair and genuine, and they will be reviewed, along with the belief that the relationship between father and son can be anything that the father and son agreed it should be - as long as there is honesty and an open line of communication as to the accuracy of the stories being told by both of them. .

             MAIN BODY OF THE PAPER: On a very basic plot level, "Big Fish" is the story of a father (Edward Bloom) with a wild imagination and a son (Will Bloom) who feels cheated because he is not sure what has actually, factually happened in his dad's life. The son is asking, hey dad, what is pure fiction, and what actually happened to you? The son was crying out for a closer relationship with his dad, and he felt that closer relationship was being blocked by the blurred lines between reality and fiction. .

             The son's desire to learn the truth about his dad's stories is made more urgent by the fact that his dad has terminal cancer.