Director: Tim Burton
Cast: Amy Adams, Christoph Waltz, Krysten Ritter, Jason Schwartzman, Danny Huston, Terrance Stamp
If you don't know the story of the Keane saga and thebig eye paintings, then this review may contain some spoilers, but as always I try my best not to ruin it for you, so you can still see and enjoy the film should you choose to do so.
Tim Burton has taken on the story of Margaret and Walter Keane and the saga of the big eyed waifs, and I really thought this was going to be Burton returning to his best (think ED WOOD), but in my opinion it didn't quite make it to that level of greatness. That's not to say that the film wasn't good and that I didn't enjoy it, because it was, and I did, but it just didn't reach my very high expectations.
BIG EYES is based on the strange but very true story of artist Margaret Keane, who separated from her overbearing husband in Nashville and moved to San Francisco in the 50's to make a better life for her and her daughter. Now as you can imagine, up and leaving your husband in the 50's wasn't the done thing, but she did it and she took her art with her.
After a whirlwind romance with "Sunday painter" Walter Keane and a threatening letter that she was an unfit mother, Margaret marries Walter and it all seems to be going swimmingly until after a bit of confusion, he starts and continues to takes credit for her artwork. The lie becomes bigger than either of them can manage, and life quickly spirals out of control.
the Keane's in the midst of their whirlwind romance
What Keane (Walter that is) lacked in artistic talent, he made up for in charisma, his ability to schmooze and get his name out there. Without his expert level publicity skills I wonder if the waifs would have ever made it in an art world more interested in modern art than kitschy, cutesy paintings. His need for continued success and his down right money grubbing whorishness turned Margaret into little more than a sweatshop worker who didn't get to enjoy any of the benefits of being a much loved painter. It turned the thing she loved most into something she could no longer stand. That to me is the greatest tragedy of this story.
I'll be honest, there were some parts of the Keane tale that I didn't know, but I did have the general gist of it, so I was pleased that there were still some moments in the film where I was surprised by what was happening. I can appreciate that it is hard when you're telling a well known tale to keep it fresh and exciting for the viewer, but I did go in with high expectations, and I did come out a little disappointed that there wasn't more of the unknown details revealed in the film.
Visually this film is incredible, the set, the colours, the art work, and I really enjoyed watching it. In fact by the end I was contemplating how much I would be willing to spend on my favourite big eyed waif. Coupled with a great soundtrack the film was emotionally moving and I think it covered as much of the story as anyone would need to see.
Walter and Margaret in the club where the Big Eyes were first showcased and sold
What BIG EYES doesn't do is cover off some of the issues it raises, such as the quite obvious issues of domestic abuse, and the way one would truly deal with their art being loved by the masses, but not really being considered art by the art world, Schwartzman's character puts it perfectly "oh god, it's a movement". What makes art, art? Is it that it's popular with the masses and loved by all, or is it what the art critics of the world think of you? I don't know the answer to that, but I do know that art is very subjective, and I'm not sure that I believe that only one person or a group of elite persons should get to decide what's art and what isn't.
This is Burton's first live action film in I don't know how long - I'm going to go with around a decade, I could look it up, but I can't be bothered at this late hour - that doesn't feature Johnny Depp, and that was ok with me. I mean, I love Johnny Depp, but I was extremely excited by the casting when I first found out who would be starring in this film. However, by the end I was a little disappointed by the quality of the acting in some parts, given the amount of talent in the cast. Credit where credit is due, Amy Adams had some truly shining moments throughout the film, like the moment where she grapples with lying to her daughter for the first time ever. There were times though when I found her a little but meh, but I don't know quite know why. Whether it was the script, or just that I found her dramaticness (yes that's probably a made up word, but I'm using it anyway) a little bit put on I'm not sure. Something, sometimes just wasn't right.
Christoph Waltz started off the film in a blaze of charming glory, but by the end I was a little sick of his hammed up performance of the Walter 'the sociopath' Keane. I get that he probably was a right prat, and that he was supposed to be outrageous and unstable, but I really did find it to be a little bit too much at times, and maybe that's because there wasn't enough of the development throughout the story of the underlying issues. But it escalated very quickly in the film without much explanation, so it seemed a little off maybe.
There were some truly powerful moments between them, like when Margaret truly began to stand up to Walter and you could see his whole world began collapsing around him. Or when Margaret's daughter Jane let her mother know that she knew the truth and had known it for years. Those moments really made the film and I think they were done brilliantly, but they were moments and I would have liked to have seen the whole film be on that level the whole time.
Even thought I have been picking little holes in it, I really did enjoy the film and I did feel incredibly satisfied when Margaret took control and got her art and her life back. Particularly when the judge on their trial said that the only way to determine the true artist was to have both Walter and Margaret paint a big eye in court. I had a moment of "sucked in Walter, this is what you get you bastard!" and that was really satisfying.
I loved the telling of the rest of the story in the end credits, and I truly love that Margaret Keane was involved and I especially love that she still paints to this day. I think that's incredible and I hope I can still be doing the things I love at her age (although I don't know if my body will hold up to all the dancing I do, but I can only hope!).
Amy Adams and Margaret Keane - cute right!
Overall this is a beautifully shot film with a lovely soundtrack and for all the nitpicky holes I've made a very solid piece of cinema. Side note: Terrance Stamp (for all of the 10 minutes he features) was bloody brilliant, and Danny Huston as the journalist and narrator of the Keane's life was great as well. Also, check out the Lana Del Ray theme for BIG EYES - it was beautiful.
I would recommend paying 20-something dollars to catch this at the cinema if you're wanting a nice film to see in the next week or so, just don't go in with as high expectations as I had. Like I said, I quite liked the film as I was watching it and I still like it now, but it didn't quite hit the mark and I think the root cause of my disappointment is the incredibly high expectations I had. I wanted it to be AMAZING and it didn't quite get to that level.
3.5 out of 5 for BIG EYES
xoxo
The Blonde Bombshell
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