SHE CREATED IT. HE SOLD IT. AND THEY BOUGHT IT.
In 1950s San Francisco, aspiring artist Margaret Ulbrich (Amy Adams) meets another painter, Walter Keane (Christoph Waltz), and marries him; he soon becomes wildly famous for his paintings of children with big eyes… but Margaret is actually behind them. A longtime collector of Keane’s work, Tim Burton tells with great sympathy the story of how she was duped into letting her husband deceive an entire world for years. An unusually straightforward comedy-drama for him that never quite reaches any considerable heights. The two leads are good, however, and the film also benefits from its music and colorful period details.
2014-U.S. 106 min. Color. Directed by Tim Burton. Music: Danny Elfman. Song: “Big Eyes” (Lana Del Rey). Cast: Amy Adams (Margaret Keane), Christoph Waltz (Walter Keane), Danny Huston (Dick Nolan), Jon Polito, Krysten Ritter, Jason Schwartzman… Terence Stamp.
Trivia: Kate Hudson and Thomas Haden Church, then Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Reynolds were allegedly considered for the leads.
Golden Globe: Best Actress (Adams).
