30 January 2015

Big Eyes


Big Eyes is a fun, lighthearted, feel good comedy that ultimately was just that. A lightweight Tim Burton outing that did not dig deep enough into its characters' psyche to give it much heft - or Oscar prestige - despite a good performance by Amy Adams.

Big Eyes reminds me a lot of the other Burton film,Big Fish, in that they both although outwardly seem atypical of Burton, but essentially, and undeniably, his stamp can still be found. The film floats along in its bright, breezy, palette but writers Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski never really managed to highlight the artistic struggle that Adams' character supposed goes through.

Also, we never really know Christoph Waltz's character well. His motivations: are they purely greed or driven by a deeper desire for acceptance?

Nonetheless, even with such lack of characterisation, Adams still managed to convey the struggle within Margaret Keane, especially when it came to the relationship that she has with her on-screen daughter. Adams still need to practice on maintaining her accents. Her southern accent drawled in and out.

On the other hand, we have Waltz, who gave Walter Keane such a maniacal energy throughout, that sometimes you wonder if Walter was possibly bipolar. Or at least with some sort of Personality Disorder. Thence, he was a difficult character to relate to.

The music was typically Danny Elfman in a Burton production. Whimsical throughout even in the darker moments.

An entertaining film that benefited from Adams performance, but ultimately too superficial and lightweight for her talents.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Transformers: Rise of the Beast

A fun, mindless summer popcorn, CGI-heavy, action-packed studio flick that sufficiently entertained without requiring too much, or any, thin...