Big Eyes
2014
***
Director: Tim Burton
Cast: Amy Adams, Christoph Waltz, Danny Huston, Jon Polito, Krysten Ritter, Jason Schwartzman, Terence Stamp, Madeleine Arthur, Delaney Raye
In the late 1950s, Margaret and her young daughter move to San Francisco. Margaret, who loves to paint, meets and marries Walter Keane, another wannabe artist. When her paintings of big eyed children become a runaway success, she does all the work while Walter takes all the credit. This is a compelling real-life drama, but the fact that Margaret is complicit in this scam diminishes the dramatic impact and leads to some grating scenes in the second half. It was scripted by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, who have specialised in biographical stories, such as The People vs. Larry Flynt, Man on the Moon, and Auto Focus. The end result is the most understated film Tim Burton has made since Ed Wood, which was incidentally penned by the same duo. Amy Adams gives another great lead performance but Christoph Waltz hams it as Walter.
