Movie Review of Big Eyes by Tim Burton

Reviewed by Gerti 

"Big Eyes" is a Tim Burton film about one of the most famous American woman artists of the 20th century, Margaret Keane.  Her paintings of waifs with the eponymous "big eyes" were everywhere in mid-century America.  I clearly remember them hanging in the office of my family doctor, where they scared the heck out of me!  The effect was made worse by the fact that one of his exam rooms had a waif in a harlequin outfit, and the creep factor was completely off the charts.  So I could hardly wait to see this movie about the paintings and the artist who created them.

Actress Amy Adams stars as that artist, Margaret Keane, who had a bumpy road to fame and fortune, since her husband Walter spent almost a decade pretending to be the person behind the paintbrush.  In the movie, the deceit begins innocently enough, with a bit of confusion between his cityscapes and his wife's waifs occurring during a conversation with a customer.  But this confusion turns into a persistent lie that Walter Keane tells, and since he is more con-man than artist, more salesman than spouse, he tries to convince Margaret that this is how it has to be.  Nobody he says wants woman art.

Walter Keane is played with evil genius by Christoph Waltz.  Keane starts off a charming man, and is able to sweep Margaret off her feet in San Francisco, mere weeks after she had fled there with her daughter from her first unhappy marriage.  They marry quickly so Margaret doesn't lose her daughter to her first husband, who claims she she is unfit to raise the girl as a single mother.  Remember, this was the 1950's.  Mr. Keane goes off the rails after te money and the famous patrons begin to come their way, and while I'm not sure how accurately the movie portrays the lives of the people involved, but it seems he succumbs to alcoholism, which makes him resort to physical violence to control Margaret.

She once again flees with her daughter, this time to Hawaii.  Walter tracks her down, blackmailing her into painting more "big eyes"pictures for him before he'll sign the divorce.  But by now, Margaret is sick of being intimidated, and files a lawsuit against him, telling the world the truth behind the fraud.  Walter fights her, even acting as his own attorney at one point, but like the wise biblical King Solomon, the judge sees the only true test is to have each of the people in the lawsuit paint a picture.  Margaret whips off a "big eyes" picture in less than an hour, and Walter defers, saying he is suffering from an injury which leaves him unable to paint at the moment.  It is a beautiful moment of victory for Margaret!

This is a movie that will not move you to tears, or make you laugh.  It is, however, an interesting story of a couple involved in a stormy relationship which just coincidentally involves some of the first vastly commercial popular art in America.  The acting is top notch, the story well written, and the film visually appealing.  And just on a human level, it is nice to see Margaret finally vindicated.