Every once in a while, I’ll see a preview for the first time that I think I will have absolutely no interest in seeing. The movie looks either cheesy, too lame, too weird, etc. But then the film earns a solid rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and I’ll read what a couple of critics who liked the movie have said about it. And then I’ll watch the same trailer again and try to watch it with a different set of eyes. And between my first and second viewing, something convinced me to give the movie a chance. With Tim Burton’s (Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands) Big Eyes, my chief complaint was that the film would be a little too weird for me. However, after a couple of weeks, I convinced myself I would see that movie. I hoped that I could catch this one in the theater (generally speaking, I am far less distracted in a theater than I am at home. But then again, I’m Captain Obvious with this statement). However, Big Eyes grabbed my attention from the get-go and held it through the 1-hour 45-minute viewing.

As mentioned in many of my recent posts, 2014 most certainly was not the best year as a whole for movies. It was slightly below average at best. However, my four favorite films of the year were based on true stories. There were a couple of others in my top 12-15 or so based on true stories. And Big Eyes, based on a true story, has made that list. Amy Adams (Doubt, The Fighter) gave my favorite performance of her career, while Christopher Waltz (Django Unchained, Inglourious Basterds) was phenomenal. He played an artistic painter/realtor Walter Keane, a completely unpredictable (I won’t say anymore) character who will have you guessing the entire time. His extroverted, upbeat personality balances the quieter, more reserved Margaret (Adams), who recently left her husband and moved up to northern California with her eight-year-old daughter Jane.

The movie takes place over a series of about a decade. The pair meets up at a San Francisco street gallery art show where he is selling street scene paintings from his time when he studied art in France. Walter is an accomplished artist. He is likable, persuasive, and able to self-promote his works. On the other hand, as a part-time job, Margaret draws people’s portraits at outdoor art shows. While he is negotiating prices in the $30 range for his street paintings, she is talked down from $2 a picture to $1. She can draw her portraits extremely fast. The unique feature she adds to her portraits is that she paints the eyes really quite big. She quickly learns that it doesn’t necessarily matter how good of an artist you are. You have to be able to know how to sell them and to who to sell them. It doesn’t’ help that, in late 1958, you are a woman artist. Back then, you weren’t taken as seriously as your male counterparts.

Margaret is intrigued by Walter and his persuasive talk. He is equally as enamored with the woman at the stand next to him and intrigued by her “big eye” portraits. It isn’t long before the two are dating and soon married. Margaret learns early on that Walter is much more a businessman than an artist. This explains some things to her, notably how he can sell himself. Together they attempt to sell their art. He has dreams of being a millionaire. She wants recognition for the work that she does. Early on, neither is achieving either of their goals. However, that begins to change when Walter offers to rent the empty wall space in a frequently visited bar/restaurant club in San Francisco. Walter and Margaret take turns planting themselves in the hallway to the bathroom to see patrons’ reactions to their work. Soon the art is being recognized. However, Margaret’s and not Walter’s work is receiving all of the praise.

Unbeknownst to Margaret, Walter starts claiming her work as his. When she eventually finds out, he convinces her to go along with it, and soon the pair begins fooling everyone, going to insane lengths to keep their scheme a secret. They fool everyone. This even causes Margaret to lie to Jane. As Jane gets older, this becomes much more difficult to conceal. Both artists have to set up art studios in their lovely house that they keep private from the visitors. Before long, the lies start catching up with Margaret and Walter, and his jealousy becomes overbearing. The character study of these two main characters is reason enough to see the movie by itself. There are a couple of twists here that I will not mention. Another reason to see the film is for the artwork itself. Margaret Keane’s work, while weird at first to me, I soon found to be amazing.

I am not the biggest Tim Burton fan. I remember loving both Edward Scissorhands (on a side note, this movie does not stand the test of time…I watched it in 2014, and I no longer thought it was a perfect movie…nonetheless, it was unique), Batman, and Ed Wood. But these movies were all early in his career. I saw movies like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Sleepy Hollow, and Alice in Wonderland, but these weren’t really for me. With Big Eyes, it felt like a break from the fantasy and a return to a character-driven drama, and I am grateful he decided to take on this project. Likewise, I thought Adams and Waltz were perfectly cast. Though they have seven Academy Award nominations and two wins, this was the best I’ve seen either of them. I think much of that had to do with the surprise factor. I wasn’t going to give this movie a chance, but I am delighted I did.

Plot 9/10
Character Development 9.5/10 (there is more than meets the “eye” here)
Character Chemistry 9.5/10 (Adams and Waltz play off each other’s characters very well…these were two roles that commanded a lot from its leads)
Acting 9.5/10 (this might be my favorite performance of both Adams and Waltz)
Screenplay 9/10
Directing  9/10 (I don’t love Burton…in fact, I am far more attracted to his earlier work than he has done lately. His movies are a little too bizarre for me at times. I thought this one would be too, but it was not)
Cinematography 10/10 (visually stunning)
Sound 8.5/10
Hook and Reel 9/10 (I am hit or miss on movies about artists. I loved Pollack. That movie was very different from Big Eyes, which I also loved)
Universal Relevance 9/10 (I’m glad this movie attracted the talents of Burton, Adams, and Waltz)
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