FilmSnobReviews

Title: Big Eyes
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Director: Tim Burton
Starring: Amy Adams, Christoph Waltz, Krysten Ritter
Runtime: 1 hr 46 mins

What It Is: During the 1960’s Walter Keane (Waltz) was one of the biggest artists on the scene. The issue is he didn’t paint any of the infamous “big eye waifs” he became famous for…his wife did. Margaret Keane (Adams in a Golden Globe winning role) was a soft spoken woman more focused on her paintings and her daughter. When she meet the charismatic Walter she falls for him, they marry and so begins their journey towards fame, and success. Once Margaret realizes what she’s done to herself she sues Walter and the whole thing take a crazy turn.   

What We Think: It’s okay. Tim Burton directs this thing, and it doesn’t seem like a movie he directed. There are hints of his quirk and even a touch of his suburban escapism prevalent in his earlier films. Amy Adams and Christoph Waltz are as usual good, and even the smaller characters like those played by Ritter and Jason Schwartzman. The story is all over the place and Burton loses it a bit. Perhaps a tighter noose from him could have helped propel this thing. Absent are the tropes we’ve come to expect from Burton, as are the normal cache of actors he works with. No Depp, Bonham Carter, or the like. It’s a much more subdued piece from Burton and it almost worked.

Our Grade: C, Given all the tool at Burton’s disposal I feel his lack of grip hurt what could have been an interesting little movie. Instead it turns our average and uninspired. I believe his next venture is a book series with a goth angle we’ll see where that goes. Congrats to Amy Adams on her Golden Globe win for this. I cannot recommend this film all that much, but if you are a Burton completest it’ll be required viewing.