Big Eyes

Tim Burton's odd and fun little movie tells the story of Margaret Keane (Amy Adams), the painter behind the “big eyes” portraits of the ‘60s, and her loser husband Walter (Christoph Waltz) who took credit for her work. The story begins with Margaret leaving her first husband and winding up in San Francisco, where she eventually runs into alleged artist Walter. They have a quick courtship, get married and, before long, Walter is claiming her work as his own. The two eventually wind up in a legal battle, with Walter defending himself. The movie oscillates back and forth between serious drama and outrageous comedy. The comedy angle definitely plays out in the courtroom scenes, where Waltz goes full-blown clown. The look of the film has the characteristic Burton exaggerated colors, and is reminiscent at times of his Edward Scissorhands. Adams is mostly fine here, but seems a bit lost at times, as if she's not quite sure how Burton wants to tell the story. Waltz delivers a somewhat crazed performance that makes the film's tone a bit uneven at times, but it remains enjoyable.