Big Eyes - Movie Review. A Fight For One's True Self

Production Company: The Weinstein Company

Starring: Amy Adams and Christoph Waltz

Director: Tim Burton

Genre: Biographical Drama

Running Time: 105 minutes

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Rating: ★★★★★

Everyone beware! This is a Tim Burton film. Although, you won’t know that unless you pay attention to the credits. Instead of grand Neil Gaiman type sets, misunderstood gothic characters, and claymation that’s terrifyingly stylistic, Burton gives us the biopic Big Eyes, a lovely film to which the audience can make an emotional connection. Something we haven’t seen from him since Big Fish.

The movie revolves around Margaret (Amy Adams), a painter/divorced mother during the 50s and 60s who has to support her little daughter. It’s hard to find a regular job or anyone who will buy her paintings, until she meets Walter Keane (Christoph Waltz), a fellow struggling artist who’s an amazing salesman. They rush to get married so Margaret can keep custody of her daughter, and Margaret is so proud of her new husband, she doesn’t mind putting her new name, Keane, on her artwork. Although, she regrets it when the paintings start to sell, and Walter takes the credit for them. Walter tells Margaret if anyone finds out she’s the true artist, people will think them frauds and their new empire will fall. With an immense amount of money flowing in, she’s stuck with the dilemma of either taking credit for her artwork or supporting her family. Big Eyes is the story of a woman fighting for her identity and what’s truly important in life.

With this film, I’m starting to have faith in Burton again. He lost a lot of it with Dark Shadows, and even though Frankenweenie was a cute film, I felt he was trickling down to the end of his career. Big Eyes changes that. It doesn’t come close to his great films like Beetlejuice or Sleepy Hollow, but it provides flashes of why we like Burton. There are some fun scenes, great set designs, colorful 50s and 60s costumes that mirror those in Edward Scissorhands, and a part of the film has a Hitchcock feel to it. This low budget feature shows Burton still has more creativity left in the tank.

Margaret being mad at Walter for taking credit for the paintings

My only critique for Burton is he misses the mark when trying to convey an ‘all is lost’ sentiment for Margaret. There’s a point in the film where we are expected to believe Margaret hits rock bottom, but bottom doesn’t seem that bad. In typical stories, there is an ‘everything is lost’ moment to bring the character down so when they triumph during the climax, the reward is more gratifying. When we get to said moment for Margaret, she still has a lot going for her. Burton could have pushed this issue a bit better; aside from that, Burton is great at depicting the characters’ emotions. I grasped the isolation and fear Margaret has in numerous scenes, including having to hide in the dark attic, secluded from the world, and building this empire while Walter is in the celebrity spotlight.

But it might have been easier for Burton with the great actors he has to work with. I don’t care what you say about Amy Adams, she doesn’t get enough award nominations. She portrays Margaret so subtly, there are many times when she’s in a scene and won’t say anything, but she doesn’t have to. Her facial expressions are worth a thousand words. The reason we don’t hate Walter is not only due to the writing, it’s because of Waltz’s acting. He is outstanding at playing a villain we like. Much like his role in Inglorious Basterds, Waltz plays a character everyone should hate, yet we still enjoy his presence on screen. Walter is quirky (a characteristic Burton easily conveys), charismatic, devious, interesting to watch, and gets crazier as the film goes on. Both Adams and Waltz do have moments of overacting, but it doesn’t take away from their performances in the rest of the film. The supporting cast is a good complement to the main actors — especially Jason Schwartzman who plays a witty and snobby San Francisco art dealer which he plays all too well.

Walter pretending to paint in front of Margaret and DeeAnn (Krysten Ritter)

The great thing about Big Eyes is there are so many opportunities to fall under the stereotypical dramatic biopics, but the movie doesn’t give into the norm. Instead, it gives a nice, subtle touch to its feminist themes. Big Eyes highlights how women aren’t looked at as important, and can’t do anything for themselves. The filmmakers could’ve forced the issue of women’s rights, like other biopics or dramas have, but they don’t. Big Eyes showcases an emotionally damaging husband who tears away his wife’s identity, yet we still find him likeable. Unlike other films with abusive husbands, Walter never beats Margaret. In fact, Walter is the first person to see the true artist inside her, and is the only one who knows how to sell her paintings. We feel for Margaret, and we get mad at Walter for what he’s doing to her, but we can’t completely despise him.

Big Eyes gives us enjoyable moments while still displaying the serious issues of the time period. Not to take away from other films about women’s rights, abusive husbands, or with an overt message, but it’s nice to have a historical film with subtle messages, and not overpowered with them.

This biographical, dramatic-comedy, with fun characters, great dialogue, and satisfying ending is good, although not amazing. In the end, Big Eyes didn’t sweep me off my feet, take me to Paris, and give me the time of my life. Instead, it picked me up in a Volvo, took me to Santa Barbara, gave me a day at the beach, and by the end, took me to a reasonably priced dinner with a tasty dessert. It is a solid, feel good movie I laughed at, and one that tugged at my emotions. It isn’t a movie that left me astonished. I wasn’t surprised, nor was I sitting on the edge of my seat, or taken aback about how amazing the film was. And that’s okay. Feel good movies are something we all need from time to time. So, whether you see Big Eyes in a theatre or you rent it, it’s a movie worth watching.

Margaret working hard at one of her Big Eyes painting

For more information on Big Eyes, visit the movie’s website http://www.weinsteinco.com/films/big-eyes/

LIKE Big Eyes on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/BigEyesMovie

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Nick Polizzi

You might say I'm a firm believer in the Narrative Paradigm. I'm a storyteller. If I'm not watching a film, I'm reading a book or writing. Laughing is the most important thing in the world, so I do my best to infect everyone with humor. I also enjoy the stuff the cool kids like, but my true identity is a sarcastic, ordinary nerd who strives to be extraordinary.