Review of Big Eyes (2014) by Greg B — 28 Dec 2014

"Big Eyes" is yet another powerhouse film to come out in December of this year. Starring the lovely and charismatic Amy Adams as Margaret Keane and the charming but devious Christoph Waltz as her love interest Walter Keane in the film, the two forge a compelling but sometimes dark relationship.

The basic premise is that Margaret Keane is responsible for painting portraits of children with the size of the eyes accentuated. In 1950's culture, women were seen as subservient to men, and were thus unable to be seen as true pioneers or visionaries.

Walter takes credit for Margaret's work, perpetuating the lie that it is "financially necessary." Walter is the textbook sociopath who appears charming at first but comes to evince his true nature once you go beneath the surface.

I thought this film was a masterpiece in every sense of the word. There are moments of angst, brilliantly scripted dialogue, and an ending that had me in stitches. Amy Adams and Christoph Waltz have terrific chemistry, and their performances are a triumph and should be lauded come Oscar time.

Waltz plays the sympathetic villain who despite all his sexist remarks still has that debonnaire swagger to him and actually comes across charming when he goes on tirades. One of the finest films of 2014 and definitely worth a look ------------------------------------------------ A.