Big
Eyes is a true story about art, business, creativity, women's status, and
knowing how to keep a humongous secret.
STORY:
Margaret
(Amy Adams) is an artist in the 1950's that decides to do something unheard of:
leave her husband. But while trying to
settle down and start a new life with her daughter (Delaney Raye), she happens
to meet another charismatic artist named Walter Keane (Christoph Waltz). He's so taken by her art that he decides to
marry Margaret and call her paintings his own.
Scandals, acrylics, phony smiles, great business ideas, and the silly
art world ensue.
"Yes, I'm going to screw over everyone and really enjoy it."
THOUGHTS:
How
would you feel if your art was world renowned?
How would you feel if you made millions of dollars just by touching
paint to a canvas? How would you feel if
your paintings could be found on post cards, in supermarkets, on TV, in
museums, and in galleries? You'd be the
happiest artist in the world, right?
Well…how would you feel if you had all the above, except your spouse
took all the credit? Could you go on and
live with yourself, knowing someone else's face was attributed to your
art? Those questions and questions about
love, family, and real friends are at the heart of Big Eyes' story.
The
film opens up in the 1950's and you get a taste for what it's like being a
woman during that time period. How
obtaining certain jobs can be rough and how women weren't necessarily respected
in the art community...at least not as much as men. But Margaret is different. She wants to pave her own way without a
husband hanging around. But then she
accidentally meets the love of her life, Walter, the man who will turn her
simple paintings of children into world renowned masterpieces. The man that will give her everything she's
ever wanted: a beautiful home, a huge bank account to support her daughter,
nice cars, in-ground pools, and a gigantic studio where she can practice her
art. But it's all at a cost. Each and every painting she produces has her
husband’s name on it. Ouch. And that is the real treat of the film: the
amazing true story of a no-name artist's claim to fame and how everything about
the journey is one big colossal lie.
The
film is directed by Tim Burton and aside from the huge eyes in the paintings,
is a far stretch from what you're used to seeing in his films. This is a true story. So don't expect any crazy twists at the end (the ending is predictable) or people
dressed all in black or monochromatic cinematography or even weird characters
played by Johnny Depp or Helena Bonham Carter.
In fact, the film is saturated in colors and is shot pretty straight
forward for a Tim Burton film. So if
you're a diehard fan and are looking for a macabre aesthetic, you'll be quite
upset when none of his artistic traits are present in this movie.
"I wanna thank everyone for coming out tonight and having to deal with my ridiculous hat."
THE ACTING:
Christoph Waltz is unbelievable in this film. If
you've seen any of his previous movies then you already know what to
expect. The man becomes whatever
character he needs to play and it's quite astounding to watch…so astounding
that he'll make you hate him in this movie.
That's when you know the actor has done his job: When you can't stand to
look at his face or fake smile anymore, because of his slimy and disgusting
traits. In the beginning you'll enjoy
his suave dialogue and charismatic personality, but towards the end, when
things start to unravel, he'll become the most hated person in the film. Well done.
Amy Adams (Margaret) continues to impress in every movie. Her ability to go from helpless mother to an
emotional mess to independent is fantastic.
You'll feel each and every painstaking step as she makes worse and worse
decisions in her life. And pairing her
with Waltz couldn't have been a better choice in the casting department.
"It says I've won a one year membership to the Jelly-of-the-Month club."
"It's what you've always wanted."
The
rest of the cast pops in the story to push the plot forward, but also deliver respectable
performances in their own supporting roles.
Danny Huston shows up as Dick Nolan, part movie narrator and the
newspaper columnist that gets the Keane Art Empire rolling. Krysten Ritter from Breaking Bad, appears as
Margaret's good friend, DeeAnn. She
helps Margaret see her life from the outside looking in. Jason Schwartzman jumps in the film for a few
minutes here and there as a competing gallery owner. As typical with Schwartzman, his scenes all
contain a witty dry comedic nature. The
original General Zod, Terence Stamp, lends his expertise to the role of John
Canaday, an art critic whose insight on the Keane masterpieces play a huge role
towards the end of the film. And both
Delaney Raye (young Jane) and Madeleine Arthur (older Jane) respectively play
Margaret's daughter throughout the span of a decade, but it's Raye that ends up
showing the true problems of living in an oppressed household.
"I don't want your dime A-hole. I want to punch you in the face."
CONCLUSION:
Big
Eyes is a remarkable true story of a woman's passion to make her own way in
life. If you're okay with no crazy story
twists or fantasy plots that director Tim Burton is known for; and you have no
problem with biographical films, then you'll enjoy Big Eyes and its look into
what makes the art world tick. Now, if
you're not an artist or a “creative” in any way, and a woman's life story and
tragedies throughout her career sound slow and boring. Then your best bet is to stay far away from
this film and wait for it to grace cable instead. But if you want solid acting, an unbelievable
true story about a scandalous art empire, and want to see just how ridiculous
the art community can be at times, then feel safe knowing you'll be in good
hands with Big Eyes.
3.5
out of 5 Stars (minus a star for true-life
predictable ending & ½ star for a few slow plot segments)
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