“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]
