Artistic Value

Big Eyes

I am not much of an art fan. I enjoy art and the different styles; however I am so ignorant when it comes to real art appreciation. I respect those that can stand in art museums or galleries and stare at paintings, deconstructing them like film critics can with movies. So when anticipation rose after the announcement of a movie about a 1950s painter, I was clueless. Though, I will admit that my interest piqued when The Weinstein Company release won an award at last year’s Golden Globes. So pushing ignorance aside, I dived right into Big Eyes.

Based on actual events, Big Eyes tells the story of Margaret Keane (Amy Adams American Hustle) and her beloved Big Eye paintings. Margaret is a single mother in 1955 when she meets Walter Keane (Christoph Waltz Django Unchained), a very charismatic ‘painter’. Walter and Margaret date for a little while and then soon marry. Not long after the two are married, Walter tries to sell some of his own artwork but notices that no one is interested in his paintings. People are drawn to Margaret’s art and so Walter decides to take credit for her work.

Not one of your normal ‘bio pics’, Big Eyes successfully gives a lighter side to the drama that Margaret had to deal with from Walter Keane. I think that is why I appreciated this film so much. This film isn’t so overbearing with the seriousness of a typical biography film. This is helped by the delightful leads and the different tone the director has taken.

Waltz is a joy to watch on screen. His ability to stand out amongst his peers is quite remarkable. Waltz creates such an outlandish character that if the real Keane was alive I am sure that even he would be in awe of his performance. But what really impressed me is how Amy Adams was able to quietly carry this film. Adams’ Margaret is the center of this film, yet quietly maneuvers through it like a silent mouse. Margaret is Walter’s complete opposite, however Adams is able to bring out the strength inside Margaret, where her character is ‘louder’ than Walter. Adams also is able to show, physically, the burden that Margaret carries on her soul, living a lie to protect the world that she knows.

This is a slight departure for director Tim Burton (Dark Shadows), who is better known for his fantastical, gothic-like movies. Big Eyes is not that type of film at all, but a good natured story about a woman living a gut-wrenching lie for the better part of ten years. I love Burton’s movies and I did especially like this film more for the departure than for the direction itself. I thought that Burton has become a little more unusual with his past couple movies, so it was nice to see him tone it down a little. Because of his restraint on the weirdness, audiences that don’t particularly like Burton are able to see what a great director he can really be. Burton, like Margaret Keane herself, is able to reveal the troubled and torn feelings inside the subject he is ‘painting’.

To all the Tim Burton fans out there, this isn’t the typical Burton strange film that you are used to. However, I suggest you take a gander at Big Eyes anyway just to see how different Burton can be. For those of you that don’t like Burton’s film, view this movie for the two leads; their performances where superb, especially the skittish, but proud Amy Adams.

The Verdict: Worth Your Time.