Big Eyes / via Facebook
Rated: PG-13
Staring: Amy Adams and Christoph Waltz
Directed by Tim Burton
At some point, you’ve no doubt seen those depictions of bizarrely wide-eyed waifs by Margaret Keane. Big Eyes, the latest film from Tim Burton, explores the story behind this kitschy genre.
As the film opens in Northern California suburbia circa 1958, Margaret (Amy Adams) is fleeing an oppressive marriage. With her school-aged daughter, Jane (Delaney Raye) in tow, Margaret hurriedly jumps in the car and drives away to San Francisco.
Upon arrival, Margaret struggles to support herself and her daughter. After all, she has only worked as a housewife and has no résumé. Eventually, she lands a job, working for a furniture company. In her spare time, Margaret paints her anatomically distorted portraits of young children.
Weekends, Margaret tries to sell her paintings at glorified flea markets. There, she is approached by Walter Keane (Christoph Waltz), a real estate agent, who is pursuing his own muse as a painter of Parisian street scenes. Walter nostalgically recounts his days in Montmartre as the inspiration for his artwork.
They marry. Although Walter continues to peddle his own collection, he discovers that only Margaret’s work is saleable. He decides to take credit for her work. Margaret is understandably appalled. Unfazed, Walter rationalizes, “Lady art doesn’t sell,” contending that he is simply trying to provide the family with a better life. How long will Margaret allow Walter to take the credit for her work?
Adams adroitly captures a submissive woman from a bygone era, who reflexively acquiesces to her husband’s fiat. Waltz exudes unctuous charm as a predatory fraud-monger. The supporting cast includes Danny Huston as a gossip columnist always eager for a scoop; Jason Schwartzman as a rival gallery owner incredulous at the commercial appeal of Keane’s renderings; and Jon Polito as a local night club owner.
Who better to explore the story behind this off-beat phenomenon than the convention-defying, visually oriented Burton? For this particular film, Burton suppresses much of the exaggerated eccentricity evident in such prior works as Mars Attacks! and Corpse Bride. The result is a more subdued, realistic work, devoid of CGI.
Burton is a collector of Keane’s paintings. He commissioned her to do a portrait of his sweetheart, Helena Bonham Carter, and has an obvious bias with regard to the subject matter. Despite this, Burton provides a nicely balanced treatment of the debate surrounding the artistic merit of her paintings. He casts Terence Stamp as John Canady, then the art critic for The New York Times. As shown in the film, Canady assailed Keane’s work as, “synthetic hack work” and “an infinity of kitsch.” Burton leaves it to viewers to form their own assessment.
With strong acting and production values, Big Eyes is an engaging film. This eye-opening exposé raises some important questions about the nature of gender roles and the commercial imperative in the art market. However, Big Eyes fails to provide totally satisfying answers.
