Big Eyes

Big Eyes is a 2014 American biographical comedy-drama film directed by Tim Burton, written by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski and starring Amy Adams and Christoph Waltz. The film is about the life of American artist Margaret Keane—famous for painting and drawing portraits of people with big eyes. It follows the story of Margaret and her husband, Walter Keane, who took credit for Margaret's phenomenally successful and popular paintings in the 1950s and 1960s. It follows the lawsuit and trial between Margaret and Walter, after Margaret reveals she is the true artist behind the paintings.
Big Eyes had its world premiere in New York City on December 15, 2014, and was released on December 25, 2014, in the U.S. by The Weinstein Company. The film was met with positive reviews, praising the performances of both Adams and Waltz, with Adams winning the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical and was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Waltz was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award for his performance and Lana Del Rey received a Golden Globe nomination for the film's theme song "Big Eyes".
==Plot==
In 1958, Margaret Ulbrich leaves her husband and takes her young daughter Jane to North Beach, San Francisco. Supporting her daughter alone, Margaret gets a job painting illustrations at a furniture factory. While creating portraits at an outdoor art show, Margaret meets Walter Keane, who is selling his Parisian street scene paintings. Soon, Walter proposes to her and they marry.
Walter goes to a popular jazz club (the hungry i) and tries to convince the club's owner, Enrico Banducci, to purchase the couple's paintings. He only agrees to rent out the walls to Walter. A drunk woman is touched by one of Margaret's paintings and buys it. Walter fights with Banducci and ends up on the front page of the local newspaper. When Walter goes to the club again it is packed with curious people. Dick Nolan, a celebrity gossip columnist (who serves as the film's narrator), wants to know more about Walter's art, but is only interested in Margaret's paintings. Afterward, Walter shows Margaret all the money they have made from the sales. He tells her they are a great team: she can stay at home painting and he will sell her works.
Walter opens up his own Keane gallery, promoting the art as his own work, and sells reproductions. Margaret, however, is upset about Walter taking credit for her art, and feels guilty about lying to Jane about who is the real artist. Margaret decides to paint in a different style with elongated features and small eyes, so that she can honestly tell people she is also a painter.
Margaret and Walter move into a mansion. While going through a crate Margaret finds a stack of paintings of Parisian street scenes, but they are all signed by S. CENIC. She realizes Walter paints over the name of the original artist and claims the paintings as his own. When Margaret confronts Walter, he says he always wanted to be an artist, but never had the talent.
Walter learns of the New York World's Fair and demands Margaret paint something to put on display; she refuses and Walter threatens to have her killed. Jane discovers her mother working on the World's Fair painting Tomorrow Forever. Jane tells her mother she always knew that she was the real artist.
At a party, Walter is angered after reading John Canaday's scathing review of the Tomorrow Forever exhibit and confronts Canaday. Back at home, Walter starts drunkenly throwing lit matches at Margaret and Jane. They run into the studio and lock the door, but Walter nearly sets the house on fire. Margaret runs away with Jane.
One year later, Margaret and Jane have settled in Honolulu, Hawaii. Walter will not agree to a divorce unless Margaret signs over the rights to every painting, and produces 100 more. Margaret agrees and continues sending paintings to California. Margaret is visited by two Jehovah's Witnesses who convince her that honesty is important. The next time Walter receives the paintings, they are signed "MDH Keane". On a Hawaiian radio show, Margaret reveals she is the real artist behind the paintings attributed to Walter, making national news. Nolan publishes Walter's claims that Margaret has "gone nuts". Margaret sues both Walter and the newspapers that printed his version of the story for libel and slander.
At the trial, reporters swarm the courthouse in Honolulu. The judge immediately rules that Margaret's statements in the press have contributed to the public idea that Walter has painted the paintings, and as such dismisses the libel lawsuit against the newspapers. Since the libel suit only concerned the newspaper and its lawyers, Walter is left to defend himself against slander, even cross-examining himself as a "witness". The judge directs both Margaret and Walter to create a painting in one hour to prove who is the real artist. Margaret paints steadily, but Walter is hesitant, claiming his arm hurts too much to hold a paintbrush. Margaret completes her painting and wins the lawsuit. Outside the courthouse, Margaret says she doesn't care about money and just wants credit for her paintings. A fan asks her to sign a copy of Tomorrow's Masters and she does, finally autographing her own work.
The end credits then state that Margaret later retired in life and opened an art gallery, while Walter continued with his claim that he was the true artist but never produced anything to back this, and eventually died bitter and penniless.
==Cast==
*Amy Adams as Margaret Keane
*Christoph Waltz as Walter Keane
*Danny Huston as Dick Nolan
*Jon Polito as Enrico Banducci
*Krysten Ritter as DeeAnn
*James Saito as the judge
*Jason Schwartzman as Ruben
*Terence Stamp as John Canaday
*Madeleine Arthur as Jane
**Delaney Raye as a young Jane
==Production==
Writers Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski negotiated over the life rights with Margaret Keane, and wrote Big Eyes as a spec script. In October 2007, it was announced that development was moving forward with Alexander and Karaszewski directing their script, and nightclub operator Andrew Meieran fully financing an under-$20 million budget, through his Bureau of Moving Pictures banner. Kate Hudson and Thomas Haden Church were set to star, and filming was to begin in June 2008, but was pushed back over prospects from a new Screen Actors Guild contract.
In September 2010, it was announced that Tim Burton had also become involved as producer for the film. Principal photography was scheduled to start in April 2012, with Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Reynolds attached to star. By 2013, Burton had taken over directing and Big Eyes was set up at The Weinstein Company, with Amy Adams and Christoph Waltz starring. Filming began in July 2013.
Big Eyes is Burton's first film since Edward Scissorhands to be edited by someone other than Chris Lebenzon, who had other commitments with Maleficent the same year.
==Soundtrack==
It was reported in November 2014 that singer Lana Del Rey would contribute with two original songs to the soundtrack. The songs "Big Eyes" and "I Can Fly", which Lana Del Rey wrote and performed, were leaked in December 2014; the soundtrack album and both songs were officially released on December 23, 2014.
==Reception==
===Box office===
Big Eyes earned $3 million during its opening weekend and grossed $14.5 million in North America and $14.8 million internationally, for a worldwide total gross of $29.3 million.
===Critical reaction===
On Rotten Tomatoes, Big Eyes holds a rating of 72%, based on 190 reviews, with an average rating of 6.7/10. The site's consensus reads: "Well-acted, thought-provoking, and a refreshing change of pace for Tim Burton, Big Eyes works both as a biopic and as a timelessly relevant piece of social commentary". On Metacritic, the film has a score of 62 out of 100, based on 40 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
The Philadelphia Inquirer's Steven Rea awarded the film three-and-a-half stars out of four, praising Adams' and Waltz's performances and the film's themes. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone criticized the film's uneven tone and pacing, but admitted that it was a "heartfelt tribute to the yearning that drives even the most marginalized artist to self expression no matter what the hell anyone thinks."
Category:2014 films
Category:English-language films
Category:2010s biographical films
Category:American films
Category:American biographical films
Category:Biographical films about painters
Category:American courtroom films
Category:2010s feminist films
Category:Films featuring a Best Musical or Comedy Actress Golden Globe winning performance
Category:Films scored by Danny Elfman
Category:Films directed by Tim Burton
Category:Films set in 1958
Category:Films set in 1963
Category:Films set in 1964
Category:Films set in 1965
Category:Films set in Honolulu
Category:Films set in San Francisco
Category:Films shot in San Francisco
Category:Films shot in Vancouver
Category:North Beach, San Francisco
Category:Films with screenplays by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski
Category:Cultural depictions of American women
Category:Cultural depictions of 20th-century painters
Category:Ophthalmic conditions emphasizing symbolism
Category:American feminist films
Category:Rated PG-13