Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Big Eyes - 8 stars out of 10

Big Eyes - 8 stars out of 10

“Big Eyes” is the fascinating true story of artist Margaret Keane and her big-eyed artwork.  Her unique style is unlike any other, but the story of her jealous husband is even more exceptional.  This is a pretty big change of pace for Tim Burton.  It seems that he has traded in long, spider-like legs for big eyes as he tells the story with accuracy and restraint.  The script carefully paces the events so that each new development is a surprise.  These surprises create some strong emotional responses as our perspective allows us to see what the rest of the world could not.  This well-written script set the film up for success, but the heart of the story lies in the acting.  I won’t spoil the story but I will say that Christoph Waltz’s characterization is so good that you will be torn between loving him and hating him.  Likewise, Amy Adams delivers a performance that allows us to really cheer her character on through her challenging predicament.  These two actors steal the show and really create a slice of reality before our own big eyes.  I greatly appreciate that “Big Eyes” is cleaner than many of its competitors and this is definitely a film that can easily be recommended to a wide audience.

[Pictured: Waltz and Adams carry the entire film on their shoulders from start to finish]

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