Review of Big Eyes (2014) by Diego T — 30 Dec 2014

When one thinks Tim Burton, one usually thinks of quirky, gothic films starring Johnny Depp as a white-faced loner in some supernatural world, living with his zombie dog and pining over Helena Bonham Carter. In the past, Burton's films have garnered a reputation for being shallow and repetitious. I say "in the past" because with 2014's Big Eyes, Burton has revealed himself to be a director capable of far more than anyone would have previously guessed. Perhaps it's the fact that this film is based on a true story that led him to direct with such nuance and restraint, but whatever the cause, we should all welcome this change of pace with open arms. It's not likely that we'll see anything like it again.

Big Eyes stars Amy Adams as Margaret Keane, who left her first husband in the 1950's and moved to San Francisco, bringing with her only her daughter Jane and her portfolio of art. In a twisty turn of events, she meets a fellow painter named Walter Keane (Christoph Waltz) and falls in love, marrying him shortly after. The two rent some space in a local bar to display their work, and while Walter's efforts are dismissed, Margaret's paintings of small children with massive, soulful eyes garner some attention. Yet only one of them is actually capable of selling art, so while Margaret stays home and paints, Walter goes out pushing the art and taking credit for her work.

Adams is phenomenal as Margaret, and while she may seem like a timid, meek character at times, she has a willpower to her, as well as an animalistic attachment to her daughter and to her paintings that isn't hard to relate to. She's a perfectly capable actress when given the right role (let's just forget about Lois Lane, shall we?), and is clearly very invested in her performance here. Waltz, however, has received criticism for his portrayal of Walter, and has been called "over-the-top" and "silly." However, a quick look into the actual story reveals that the real-life Walter Keane actually did act like this, and even cross-examined himself in court, just as Waltz does in the film. In fact, Burton and Waltz said that they had to actually tone down Keane's mannerisms and eccentricities, and in reality he was even more affected than Waltz portrayed him as. Another example of how tame this film is compared to Burton's other films.

The film's best moments come while the Big Eyes movement is taking off, and Walter slowly begins to make his transformation from a mild-mannered painter to a manipulative, nasty creep. Different audience members will begin to hate him at different times (I personally started hating him as soon as he took credit for Margaret's work, no matter how innocuous it was at first), but when he really starts to show his true colors, Waltz takes off on a wild metamorphosis that is both utterly captivating and gleefully despicable. Even when they scream at each other, Adams and he have excellent screen chemistry, and none of it ever feels gratuitous (the mark of both good acting and good writing).

But what makes Big Eyes so powerful is the morality of it. At the end of the day, it doesn't even matter whether Margaret's paintings were good or not-- the fact that Walter took credit for her work is wrong, and even if he hadn't completed his evolution into the turd he soon became, his actions were still reprehensible. Any artist, no matter what they do, deserves to receive the credit and criticism that comes with their work, and denying them that is a tremendous injustice. When Margaret explains why she paints the eyes so large, her words come straight from her heart-- yet soon enough, she is forced to watch Walter go on talk shows promoting her works as his own, interpreting them as he pleases and butchering his explanations. The pain she must have felt is nothing short of heartbreaking.

Final Score for Big Eyes: 8/10 stars. This is far and away Tim Burton's best film, and something I would never have expected from him. The performances are pitch-perfect, the writing is excellent, and (most importantly) the story is worth telling. I'm not afraid to say that I unabashedly love this film for its message, its endlessly witty dialogue, and, yes, its colorful and inventive direction. Overall a total gem of a film, and one of the best of 2014.