Big Eyes (2014)
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A woman discovers her husband has been stealing credit for her phenomenally popular paintings of people with big eyes.
The story
In 1958, Margaret Ulbrich leaves her husband and moves to North Beach, San Francisco, where she begins painting illustrations. She meets Walter Keane, a real estate man who sells paintings of Parisian street scenes. After marrying Walter and retaining custody of her daughter, Jane, Margaret finds herself in a complicated artistic partnership. Walter convinces a jazz club owner to exhibit their work, leading to a local sensation. However, Walter begins to take credit for Margaret's paintings of young girls with big eyes, suggesting they team up so he can handle the publicity and sales while she remains at home.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After Walter begins selling reproductions of Margaret's work and they move into a mansion, Margaret feels isolated and discovers Walter has been painting over the names of original artists to claim them as his own. When she confronts him, he admits he lacks the talent to be an artist. As Margaret loses interest in the ruse, Walter threatens her life and demands she paint a 'masterpiece' for the New York World's Fair. After a scathing review leads to a violent confrontation where Walter threatens to set the studio on fire, Margaret and Jane escape to Hawaii. A year later, Margaret agrees to a divorce on the condition that she signs over the rights to her paintings. However, influenced by her interest in the Jehovah's Witnesses, she eventually reveals she is the real artist on a radio show. This leads to a lawsuit where Walter, mimicking Perry Mason, fails to defend himself in court. The judge orders both to paint in court; Walter stalls while Margaret paints steadily, leading to her victory. Walter dies penniless while Margaret remarries and opens a new gallery.
- First release year
- 2014
- Runtime (minutes)
- 106
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Tim Burton
- Writers
- Scott Alexander · writer; Larry Karaszewski · writer
- Cast and characters
- Amy Adams · Margaret Keane; Christoph Waltz · Walter Keane; Danny Huston · Dick Nolan; Krysten Ritter · Dee-Ann; Jason Schwartzman · Ruben; Terence Stamp · John Canaday; Jon Polito · Enrico Banducci; Delaney Raye · Young Jane
- Genres
- biographical drama
- Themes
- Artistic authorship; Deception; Domestic abuse; Feminist struggle; Honesty
- Tone and mood
- Biographical; Dramatic; Thought-provoking
- Premise and plot tags
- Biopic; Courtroom drama; Art history; Feminist film
- Source material / true-story basis
- The life of artist Margaret Keane
- Reception
- The film was met with generally favorable reviews, particularly for the lead performances, and performed moderately well at the box office.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 72% · scale: approval rating · review count: 198; Metacritic · score: 62 · scale: 100 · review count: 40
- Awards and nominations
- Golden Globe Award · Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical · win; BAFTA · Best Actress in a Leading Role · nomination
- Production trivia
- Keane's paintings were recreated by prop artist Lisa Godwin.; Tim Burton's first film since Edward Scissorhands (1990) to be edited by someone other than Chris Lebenzon.; The film's treatment of art critic John Canaday prompted discussion about the artistic merit of the paintings.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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