Directed by: Tim Burton
Starring: Amy Adams, Christoph Waltz, Danny Huston, Jason Schwartzman, Krysten Ritter, Delaney Raye, Madeleine Arthur
Big Eyes is not as much a biopic of artist Margaret Keane as it is a document of her struggle to have her voice heard and her work rightly credited to her. Her arrangement with her husband Walter was simple. She does the work, he sells it and puts his name on the paintings. They make a lot of money, although Walter appears on the cover of magazines, but all should be well right? Only a fool would upset this apple cart, no? It is not that easy. Walter's egomaniacal control over Margaret and practically locking her in a room to create an assembly line of art wears on Margaret. She is forced to lie to her daughter about what she is doing in the room and this will not do. For Margaret, this is worth the risk of upsetting Walter's apple cart.
Tim Burton's Big Eyes is based on true events. Keane's paintings of large eyed children are known worldwide, even if you don't remember who actually made them. I remember seeing them, but I never looked into who the artist was. But, the paintings are indelibly etched in memory as part of pop culture. Burton has made a career of telling stories that were part sci-fi fantasy and part spooky horror stories. Don't forget he also directed Pee Wee's Big Adventure. Big Eyes is told more or less straightforward without bells and whistles. It is a different, refreshing direction for him.
When Big Eyes opens, Margaret (Adams) is a recently divorced woman with a young child who moves to San Francisco trying to sell her paintings. Her work is scoffed and sales aren't good. She meets Walter Keane (Waltz) in a park one day while both are painting. Walter regales Margaret and her daughter with stories of living and studying art in Paris. They are both wowed. A romance blossoms and the two soon are married. Walter convinces Margaret of his artistic brilliance by showing her work he allegedly did, but we soon find out he may have studied art without ever actually creating any. Since he is a born salesman (and maybe even a con man), he convinces Margaret to allow him to sell her work and take credit. Oodles of money will flow in, which it does, and life will be good for all.
It is surely good for Walter, whose face graces magazine covers as his celebrity and fame rises on the back of Margaret's incessant work. She may receive ancillary benefit, but soon she is weary of lying to her child about why she's confined to a room for sixteen hours a day. Walter, drunk with fame and fortune, is not about to let the gravy train stop on account of Margaret's qualms. Margaret feels like a prisoner and her relationship with her daughter suffers.
Adams and Waltz are two top-notch actors whose performances are a study in contrasts. Adams' Margaret is gullible, reticent, but eventually finds the strength to stand up to Walter. We understand why she feels as she does and we sympathize. Waltz projects the right amount of charisma, sneaky charm, and a natural knack for sales. We respond to his going over the top because, let's face it, Walter brings nothing else to the table and he knows it. The bravado is part of his misdirection.
As in real life, the Keanes took their battle over authorship of the paintings to court. The judge comes up with a brilliantly easy solution: Have Margaret and Walter each create a painting in front of him and the jury. It is hilarious watching Walter attempt to weasel out of this. He summons up every bit of energy and excuse to avoid being exposed, but soon he finds no amount of conning will get him out of this.
Big Eyes is not a movie with a flashy story, just great performances by actors with tons of charm and plenty to spare. We see what drives them and we see why Margaret eventually has to say "enough". This is not a word in Walter's vocabulary. He is indifferent to his family's wants and needs. As long as he is making money and achieving any sort of recognition which has eluded him his whole life, he can live with that.
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