Big Eyes 2014

     The setting of this film is San Francisco and Hawaii of the 1950’s and 1960’s.  Margaret and her daughter Jane leave their home with only Margaret’s paintings.  She is leaving her husband.  Margaret gets a job painting illustrations on furniture and she tries to sell her paintings in the park.  She meets Walter Keane, he is also trying to sell his landscape paintings.  It doesn’t take very long before they marry and join forces to sell their work.  It takes a while for Margaret to realize Walter is claiming her paintings with the big eyes as his own work.  Margaret backs off trying to get Walter to stop lying and she stays at home working on her paintings.  Finally, everything blows up and Margaret and Jane are leaving again in the car.

     There were so many times I was thoroughly disgusted with Walter!!  It’s difficult to believe this film is true and based on the real lives of Margaret, Jane and Walter.  Everyone thought Walter was the artist, he became famous and making prints of the paintings made a lot of money.  3 ½* (I liked this movie)

106 min, Bio directed by Tim Burton with Amy Adams, Christoph Waltz, Danny Huston, Krysten Ritter, Jason Schwartzman, Terrence Stamp, Jon Polito, Delaney Raye, Madeleine Arthur, James Saito.

Note:  Imdb 7.0 out of 10, 72% critic 69% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 2 ½*.

Special Note:  Amy Adams won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress and was nominated for a BAFTA Award.  Christoph Waltz was also nominated for a Golden Globe and Lana Del Rey was nominated for a Golden Globe for the theme song.  Margaret Keane will be 88 years old in September, she still paints and she lives in Napa, California.