A
strange true story, “Big Eyes” documents the story of Margaret Keane (Amy
Adams, “American Hustle,” “Man of Steel”), a successful, closet painter
in the golden era of the ‘50s and ‘60s.
Leaving
her husband with her daughter in tow, Margaret starts a new life in San Francisco
and struggles to get by, displaying her paintings for sale and underpricing them at local fairs. Margaret, as many women during that period, has
never had her own life and feels backed into a corner with her ex-husband wants
to get custody of their daughter. A smarmy
real estate salesman and Sunday painter, Walter Keane (Christoph Waltz), charms
his way into her life fast and the two soon marry.
Initially
the Keanes tries to sell their paintings individually. Hers, inspired by her daughter, are paintings
of children with waif figures and big, hollow eyes. His are street-and-building scenes based on
his time in Paris – or so he says. An
encounter with a patron of a club where their paintings are displayed leads to
a misunderstanding as to who paints those big-eyed children pictures. And when an incident lands one of the
paintings on the front page of a newspaper, Walter, an aggressive self-promoter
and aspiring artist, proclaims that he is the painter, not his wife.
Fame
and fortune follow. That one recognition
opens the door to a ton of other opportunities.
The Keanes are now able to open their own gallery and lead a cushy
lifestyle. Walter is the driver behind
all the promotion, from connecting to public figures and media, and eventually
gets Margaret’s paintings mass-produced and sold all over the world – all the
while taking full credit for his wife’s work.
Margaret
is reluctantly supportive of their charade, grows resentful and miserable, and becomes
estranged from her daughter, who knows the truth. Lies that enormous could only last for so
long. While Margaret knows she marries a
huckster, she’s forced to leave everything behind when Walter reveals his
violent tempers, following an altercation with a top art critic
(Terrence Stamp,"The Adjustment Bureau"). Surprisingly chilling.
Starting like a blank canvas in an another state, living away from Walter and getting close to her
daughter again, subservient Margaret at last musters up the courage to tell the truth to
the world and brings Walter to court. The courtroom scene, feels preposterously
staged, is admittedly amusing.
Waltz
performs his con-artist role with over-exaggerated gestures, like a caricature in parts. Adams is the real artist here, making her a
contender to Rosamund Pike's performance in “Gone Girl” and Felicity Jones in “The Theory of Everything.” Margaret’s repressed, conflicted emotions are subtly shown through her
delicate features and vocal tones, beginning with a single look when Margaret first realizes
her husband’s deception. To her, art is
personal and touches lives, not simply a commodity that is sold at the right place
and price.
“Big Eyes” is a curiously conventional picture from director Tim Burton, known for his fantasy-based films. The opening scenery appears almost like a painting and the rest sun-dappled and candy-colored polished. A melodrama with a comic touch, “Big Eyes,” is not meant to be a masterpiece, rather, an entertaining piece of art.
“Big Eyes” is a curiously conventional picture from director Tim Burton, known for his fantasy-based films. The opening scenery appears almost like a painting and the rest sun-dappled and candy-colored polished. A melodrama with a comic touch, “Big Eyes,” is not meant to be a masterpiece, rather, an entertaining piece of art.
DVD (blu-ray): http://tinyurl.com/bigeyeskeanes