Big Eyes

Big Eyes is, without a doubt, director Tim Burton's most subdued film in years. Yes, subdued. It's got bright primaries but his gothic stylings aren't there. It's all the more impressive for it.

In 1958, housewife Margaret Ulbrich (Amy Adams) leaves her husband Frank and begins life anew in San Francisco. She has no job experience but a lot of paintings. These paintings are of children and animals with big puppy dog eyes. One day, Margaret sells her work at an outdoor art gallery. That's when fellow artist Walter Keane (Christoph Waltz) shows up. They fall for each other right away.

Walter sells Margaret's paintings at a nightclub. Walter takes advantage of a few misunderstandings and starts taking credit for Margaret's work. He convinces her to go along with it despite her misgivings. Eventually, copies of Walter-but-really-Margaret's work is mass produced. Margaret feels powerless to stop Walter's misdeeds. She'll have to act as Walter's ego grows out of control.

As I said, the film emphasizes bright primaries. It has the brightest shades of red, green and blue possible. It easily evokes the suburbs of Burton's Edward Scissorhands. It also looked like a living painting at times.

The film is about Margaret learning to assert herself in life and art. As portrayed by Amy Adams, her arc is a compelling story. As Walter, Waltz is slick and charming as if to say "obvious con artist alert." He's scary once he drops the nice act. He's amusing again once we understand him as a pathetic loser. Among the supporting cast, James Saito stands out as the Judge of the Keanes' climactic trial who won't tolerate the family circus.

The music also scores good points here. Danny Elfman's emotive score is another memorable score. Singer-Songwriter Lana Del Ray has two songs which include a mesmerizing title track. It's also a great lyrical description of the story. Listen to it and you'll hear what I mean.

Those who can't stand Burton's usual styling may find Big Eyes more to their liking. Its true-life story isn't drowned out by the production design. It's a story you'll be invested in from beginning to end. When you look into the story, you're sure to find many interesting overlaps.