Big Fish Page #2

He’s put back on hold. Returning to the mail, he finds ahand-addressed envelope. Rips it open.

WILL (V.O.)(cont’d)

We communicated indirectly I guess. In

her letters and Christmas cards, mymother would write for both of them.

INT. BLOOM HOUSE KITCHEN - DAY

At the table, Sandra talks on the phone while Edward fixes asandwich.

WILL (V.O.)

When I’d call, Mom would say that Dadwas out driving. Or swimming in thepool.

Edward takes a seat, starting to eat his sandwich.

WILL (V.O.) (cont'd)

True to form, we never talked about ournot talking.

INT. BLOOM HOUSE MASTER BEDROOM - NIGHT

Sandra stands by the window, watching as...

EXT. BLOOM BACK YARD - NIGHT [CONTINUOUS]

Edward swims laps in the family pool. He’s born to the

water.

7.

WILL (V.O.)

The truth is, I didn’t see anything ofmyself in my father, and I don’t thinkhe saw anything of himself in me. We

were like strangers who knew each othervery well.

EXT. RIVER - DAY

Edward stares intently into the water, a lion in wait.

WILL (V.O.)

In telling the story of my father’slife, it’s impossible to separate thefact from the fiction, the man from themyth. The best I can do is to tell it

the way he told me.

We LOOK DOWN at the river, where Edward’s reflection iscaught in the dark water. As the water ripples past,

something changes.

Sure enough, as we LOOK UP again, it’s a younger EDWARDBLOOM, 20’s, staring into the water. He’s not just handsome,

not just charming. It’s as if all the forces of the natural

world had conspired to create him.

WILL (V.O.) (cont’d)

It doesn’t always make sense, and mostof it never happened.

Suddenly, this Edward thrusts both hands into the water,

grabbing hold of

THE BEAST.

He brings the catfish up to his face. Looks it right in the

eye. A beat, then the Beast spits out Edward’s gold ring.

WILL (V.O.) (cont’d)

But that’s what kind of story this is.

Smiling, Edward takes the ring, then throws the Beast backinto the water with a splash.

TITLE OVER:

BIG FISH:

INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY

Young Dr. Bennett stands between the Wife’s legs. She’s

flustered and sweating, but the doctor has a comfortingbedside manner...

8.

YOUNG DR. BENNETT

Now, Mrs. Bloom, I’ll need you to giveme one good push. On three. One...

Suddenly, we hear a POP as a slimy mass of human beingrockets into the doctor’s unprepared hands. Bennett tries to

hold tight, but the infant is slippery like a fish. It

shoots up into air.

The NURSES and the Husband try to grab the baby, but no onecan hold it. As the newborn sails upward TOWARDS CAMERA, wecan see a GIGGLING SMILE on its face.

As it falls, the newborn knocks over a tray, which providesit a ramp to slide right out of the room. Everyone racesafter it.

INT. HOSPITAL HALLWAY - DAY

Bursting through the doors -

YOUNG DR. BENNETT

Grab that baby!

A NURSE finally scoops up the slippery baby. Everyone letsout a collective sigh of relief.

WILL (V.O.)

My father’s birth would set the pacefor his unlikely life. No longer thanmost men’s, but larger. And as strangeas his stories got, the endings werealways the most surprising of all.

INT. HALF-DARK PARIS APARTMENT - (PRESENT) DAY

Over the sound of rain, a phone RINGS on a chair. By thetone of the ring, we know we’re not in the U.S. -- it hasthat insistent European sound.

As it keeps RINGING, we look to see the apartment is mostlyempty, just a few half-unpacked boxes. A cradle is still in

its carton.

KEYS in the lock. LAUGHTER in the hallway. The door swingsopen to reveal a drenched Will (29) carrying four sacks ofgroceries, the bottoms collapsing from the rain. His wife

Josephine (28) pushes past him to get the phone.

JOSEPHINE:

Allo oui?

9.

Will begins stripping out of his wet clothes, each layerunleashing a new drizzle. He plays it up, trying to get areaction out of Josephine.

JOSEPHINE (cont’d)

(on phone)

Yes, he’s here.

She hands the phone to Will, concerned.

JOSEPHINE (cont’d)

It’s your mother.

Half-stripped, Will takes the phone. This won’t be good

news.

WILL:

(on phone)

Hi. Uh-huh. Uh-huh.

As Josephine takes off her rain coat, we see she is very,

very pregnant. She listens carefully to Will’s side of theconversation, trying to gauge how bad the news is.

WILL (cont’d)

What does Dr. Bennett say? Okay. No,

sure, let me talk to him. I’ll wait.

He covers the mouthpiece. Looks over to Josephine.

JOSEPHINE:

It’s bad.

WILL:

It’s more than they thought. They’regoing to stop chemo.

JOSEPHINE:

You need to go.

WILL:

Probably tonight.

A beat.

JOSEPHINE:

I’m going with you.

WILL:

You don’t have to.

JOSEPHINE:

(a simple fact)

I’m going with you.

10.

INT. AIR FRANCE 747 - NIGHT

As the plane continues boarding, a STEWARDESS recites thewelcome spiel in French. Will has a window seat in coach.

Josephine sits beside him, putting on hand lotion.

Taking his hands, she rubs the excess into him. There's an

effortless intimacy between them. She can pinpoint what he'sfeeling before he can.

INT. 747 / FLYING - NIGHT

Hours later, and the lights are dimmed. Most of the

PASSENGERS are asleep, including Josephine. Her head is

propped against Will’s shoulder, her hands tucked under herbelly.

Will watches her sleep, brushing back her hair. A beat, thenhe notices a BORED BOY in the next row over.

Off the glow of the reading light, the boy is using his handsto cast shadows on the seat back. The kid is pretty good,

making a convincing bird, a passable monkey, and finally adog.

We PUSH IN on the silhouettes.

EDWARD (O.S., PRELAP)

So which one’s it gonna be? The Monkeyin the Barn, the Dog in the Road?

Focusing on the final shadow, we...

MATCH CUT TO:

INT. BLOOM HOUSE - NIGHT

...come to find Edward making the shapes.

Will (6) sits in his pajamas on the floor next to him. The

endtable lamp lies between them, its shade off to cast bigshadows on the wall.

WILL:

The one about the witch.

EDWARD:

Your mom says I can’t tell you that one

anymore. You get nightmares.

WILL:

I’m not scared.

11.

Edward looks around for a beat, seeing if his wife is inearshot. He then leans in, complicitous.

EDWARD:

Neither was I. At first.

Will smiles, excited to hear the forbidden story.

EDWARD (cont’d)

This all happened in the swamp outsideof Ashton. Kids weren’t supposed to goout in the swamp, on account of thesnakes and spiders and quicksand thatwould swallow you up before you could

even scream. But there were five of us

out there that night: Me, Ruthie,

Wilbur Freely, and the Price Brothers,

Don and Zacky.

Edward holds up his hand, counting the names on his fingers.

EDWARD (cont’d)

Not a one of us knew what was in store.

As his hand moves past the light, we

COME TO:

A flashlight SWEEPS past. We are...

EXT. FIELD AT THE SWAMP EDGE - NIGHT

The night is WHIRRING and BREATHING, alive. The moon hangslow, casting long shadows.

Five kids walk past in silhouette. Four have flashlights on.

The fifth keeps tripping, crashing into YOUNG EDWARD (10).

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