Big Eyes (Amy Adams, Christoph Waltz, Danny Huston) – Consider Christoph Waltz’s three previous big American films: Inglourious Basterds, Django Unchained, and Water for Elephants. He has played big, bold, memorable, formidable characters in a way that few actors in history ever could. Right now, I think he is the greatest actor in the world.
In Big Eyes, he plays Walter Keane, a larger-than-life charmer who has dreamed of being an artist all his life. Living in San Francisco, he hawks his wares in art fares by the beach on weekends while serving as a real estate agent to earn a living. He has a gift but not for art. He is a born salesman, a carnival barker in the best and worst ways. He charms the ladies and promotes himself.
One weekend, his stand is next to Margaret’s (Amy Adams). She is a frustrated housewife and mother who leaves an abusive relationship in the suburbs and seeks a life as an artist with true skill. Her drawings and paintings always feature children – usually sad, reflective, lonely girls – all with big eyes.
Walter is smitten by her looks and is envious of the greater interest people show in her work than in his. She is shy, uncertain and proud. But Margaret has no idea how to sell her wares while Walter excels at it. Befriending a local gossip columnist (Danny Huston), Walter leverages publicity and a forum in a popular nightclub into a multi-million dollar art franchise while convincing the world that the “Keane” on the paintings is he, not she. She doesn’t like it, but she goes along. And that creates the tension of the film.
This giant fraud earns them riches and fame while carving a wedge in their marriage. As he becomes increasingly volatile and less loving, she goes from willing victim to unwitting accomplice. Eventually, she faces a moral crisis; he never does.
The rest is history; it is a largely true story. As storytelling, the film is engrossing. But it isn’t the movie that shines; it is the performances. Both leads were nominated for Golden Globes. Adams is great but not nearly as memorable as Waltz. He just has an amazing gift as an actor that fills the screen and creates unforgettable performances.