Big Eyes

Big Eyes is a 2014 American biographical comedy-drama film directed by Tim Burton, written by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski and starring Amy Adams and Christoph Waltz. The film is about the life of American artist Margaret Keane—famous for painting and drawing portraits of people with big eyes. It follows the story of Margaret and her husband, Walter Keane, who took credit for Margaret's phenomenally successful and popular paintings in the 1950s and 1960s. It follows the lawsuit and trial between Margaret and Walter, after Margaret reveals she is the true artist behind the paintings.
"Big Eyes" had its world premiere in New York City on December 15, 2014, and was released on December 25, 2014, in the U.S. by The Weinstein Company. The film was met with positive reviews, praising the performances of both Adams and Waltz, with Adams winning the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical and was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Waltz was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award for his performance and Lana Del Rey received a Golden Globe nomination for the film's theme song "Big Eyes".
Plot.
In 1958, Margaret Ulbrich leaves her husband and takes her young daughter Jane to North Beach, San Francisco. Supporting her daughter alone, Margaret gets a job painting illustrations at a furniture factory. While doing portraits at an outdoor art show, she meets Walter Keane, who sells Parisian street scene paintings. Soon, he proposes and they marry.
Walter goes to a popular jazz club (the hungry i) and tries to convince the owner, Enrico Banducci, to purchase their paintings. He only agrees to rent out the walls to Walter. A drunk woman is touched by one of Margaret's paintings and buys it. Walter fights with Banducci and ends up on the front page of the local newspaper. When Walter goes to the club again it is packed with curious people. Dick Nolan, a celebrity gossip columnist (the film's narrator), wants to know more about Walter's art, but is only interested in Margaret's paintings. Afterward, Walter shows Margaret how much they have made from the sales. He tells her they are a great team: she can stay at home painting and he will sell her works.
Walter opens up his own Keane gallery, promoting the art as his own work, and sells reproductions. Margaret is upset he takes credit for them, and feels guilty lying to Jane about who is the real artist. She decides to paint in a different style with elongated features and small eyes, so that she can honestly tell people she is also a painter.
Margaret and Walter move into a mansion. While going through a crate Margaret finds paintings of Parisian street scenes, all signed by S. CENIC. She realizes he paints over the name of the original artist, claiming the paintings as his own. When confronted, he says he always wanted to be an artist, but never had the talent.
Walter learns of the New York World's Fair and demands Margaret paint something to put on display; when she refuses, Walter threatens to have her killed. Jane finds her mother working on the World's Fair painting "Tomorrow Forever". Jane tells her mother she always knew that she was the real artist.
At a party, Walter is angered after reading John Canaday's scathing review of the "Tomorrow Forever" exhibit and confronts Canaday. At home, he starts drunkenly throwing lit matches at Margaret and Jane. They run into the studio and lock the door, but Walter nearly sets the house on fire. Margaret runs away with Jane.
One year later, Margaret and Jane have settled in Honolulu, Hawaii. Walter will only give her a divorce if she signs over the rights to every painting, and produces 100 more. Margaret agrees and continues sending paintings to California. She is visited by two Jehovah's Witnesses who convince her of the importance of honesty. The next time Walter receives the paintings, they are signed "MDH Keane". On a Hawaiian radio show, Margaret reveals she is the real artist behind the paintings attributed to Walter, making national news. Nolan publishes Walter's claims that she has "gone nuts". Margaret sues both Walter and the newspapers that printed his version of the story for libel and slander.
At the trial, reporters swarm the Honolulu courthouse. The judge immediately dismisses the libel lawsuit against the newspapers, and Walter is left to defend himself against slander, even cross-examining himself as a "witness". The judge directs both Margaret and Walter to create a painting in one hour to prove who is the real artist. She paints steadily, but he is hesitant, claiming his arm hurts too much to hold a paintbrush. She completes her painting and wins the lawsuit. Outside the courthouse, she says she doesn't care about money and just wants credit for her paintings. A fan asks her to sign a copy of "Tomorrow's Masters" and she does, finally autographing her own work.
End credits state that Margaret later retired and opened an art gallery, while Walter continued insisting he was the true artist but never painting anything since, eventually dying bitter and penniless.
Production.
Writers Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski negotiated over the life rights with Margaret Keane, and wrote "Big Eyes" as a spec script. In October 2007, it was announced that development was moving forward with Alexander and Karaszewski directing their script, and nightclub operator Andrew Meieran fully financing an under-$20 million budget, through his Bureau of Moving Pictures banner. Kate Hudson and Thomas Haden Church were set to star, and filming was to begin in June 2008, but was pushed back over prospects from a new Screen Actors Guild contract.
In September 2010, it was announced that Tim Burton had also become involved as producer for the film. Principal photography was scheduled to start in April 2012, with Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Reynolds attached to star. By 2013, Burton had taken over directing and "Big Eyes" was set up at The Weinstein Company, with Amy Adams and Christoph Waltz starring. Filming began in July 2013.
"Big Eyes" is Burton's first film since "Edward Scissorhands" to be edited by someone other than Chris Lebenzon, who had other commitments with "Maleficent" the same year.
Soundtrack.
It was reported in November 2014 that singer Lana Del Rey would contribute with two original songs to the soundtrack. The songs "Big Eyes" and "I Can Fly", which Lana Del Rey wrote and performed, were leaked in December 2014; the soundtrack album and both songs were officially released on December 23, 2014.
Reception.
Box office.
"Big Eyes" earned $3 million during its opening weekend and grossed $14.5 million in North America and $14.8 million internationally, for a worldwide total gross of $29.3 million.
Critical reaction.
On Rotten Tomatoes, "Big Eyes" holds a rating of 72%, based on 190 reviews, with an average rating of 6.7/10. The site's consensus reads: "Well-acted, thought-provoking, and a refreshing change of pace for Tim Burton, "Big Eyes" works both as a biopic and as a timelessly relevant piece of social commentary". On Metacritic, the film has a score of 62 out of 100, based on 40 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
"The Philadelphia Inquirer"s Steven Rea awarded the film three-and-a-half stars out of four, praising Adams' and Waltz's performances and the film's themes. Peter Travers of "Rolling Stone" criticized the film's uneven tone and pacing, but admitted that it was a "heartfelt tribute to the yearning that drives even the most marginalized artist to self expression no matter what the hell anyone thinks."