BIG EYES
MOVE REVIEW:
By Tamera Lawrence
Family life
was different in the 1950’s for women, who were expected to stay at home and
take care of their family. A husband was the main breadwinner. For better
or worse is the motto and divorce is frowned upon. So when Margaret Keane
(Amy Adam) leaves her husband, towing along their young daughter, she is met
with a stigma already attached. Work is hard to come by for the housewife, who
gets a job painting furniture. But Margaret is not deterred, painting portraits
of her daughter and other children with her trademark of huge, sad eyes or
better known as the “Windows of the Soul.”
During an sidewalk art fair, Margaret meets
the charming Walter Keane, who sweeps her off her feet. With praise and enough ambition
for the both of them, the soon to be
husband sets upon a quest to find a market for the both of them. It works only
too well. Dismayed when his wife’s art begins to sell, Walter claims her
artwork as his own, basking in his what
should have been his wife’s glory. The eccentric Walter soon hits payday as
the paintings, posters and postcards craze begins. But poor Margaret is left
out of the limelight, resentful and frustrated by her husband’s lies. Things
only spiral after that in what leads to a heated showdown between husband and
wife.
Based on a
true story, BIG EYES is a wonderful
drama with a few laughs in between. Margaret is an exceptional character, who
one can only root for. As much as you want to hate Walter, you can’t help but
smile at his quirky character and his sinister charm.
BIG EYES is a great movie, well written and
worth watching.
Go see it.
Reviewed by: Author Tamera Lawrence
Author of:
THE POND,
WRECKER
GHOST OF MAYFLOWER: A Pennhurst Haunting
THE SERPENT'S MARK
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