HIS STORY, HER STORY.(Big Fish)(Movie Review)

At the start of "Big Fish," our friendly narrator, Edward Bloom (Ewan McGregor), delivers the first of many homilies in his spicy Southern twang. "There are some fish that cannot be caught," he informs us. True, and there are some accents that shouldn't be attempted by a Scotsman. Edward is a native of Alabama, and "Big Fish" purports to trace the path of his unlikely life, daring us to believe in every kink. It is the kind of movie in which a baby is not just born; it pops from the womb and slides along the hospital floor.

The tale is split among different tellers, cutting from one to the next. It is Edward himself who takes us through the highlights of his ...