Tim Burton reunites with the screenwriters of Ed Wood, Scott Alexander & Larry Karaszewski. Amy Adams and Christoph Waltz star as Margaret & Walter Keane.
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.
Cast[]
- Amy Adams as Margaret Keane
- Christoph Waltz as Walter Keane
- Danny Huston as Dick Nolan
- Krysten Ritter as Dee-Ann
- Jason Schwartzman as Ruben
- Terence Stamp as John Canaday
- Jon Polito as Enrico Banducci
- Delaney Raye as Young Jane
- Madeleine Arthur as Older Jane
- James Saito as Judge
- Farryn VanHumbeck as Lily
- Guido Furlani as Dino Olivetti
- Elisabetta Fantone as Olivetti Girl
- Emily Maddison as 2nd Olivetti Girl (as Emily Bruhn)
- Brent Chapman as Factory Boss
- Gabe Khouth as Dad at Art Show
- Dylan Kingwell as Boy at Art Show
- Peter Kelamis as Real Estate Guy
- Deni DeLory as Fancy Lady
- Desiree Zurowski as Tipsy Lady
- Vincent Gale as Tipsy Man
- Fred Keating as Priest
- Byron Bertram as Bathroom Man
- Heather Doerksen as Gossipy Woman #1
- Eliza Norbury as Gossipy Woman #2
- Ryan Beil as Nosy Gallery Guy
- Frenchy Gagne as Henri the Maitre'd (as Frenchy)
- Fiona Vroom as Gallery Assistant
- Jill Morrison as Gallery Patron
- Leela Savasta as Hippie Chick
- Linda Sato as Jehovah's Witness #1
- Traci Toguchi as Jehovah's Witness #2
- Stephanie Bennett as Coed #1
- Andrea Bucko as Coed #2
- Emily Fonda as Sexy Girl
- Aaron Craven as Early Buyer
- Lear Howard as Proper Woman
- Heather Ireland as Proper Woman
- Linda Marr as Proper Woman
- Doreen McKenzie as Proper Woman
- Elizabeth Urrea as Proper Woman
- Kari-Ann Wood as Female Art Gallery Attendee (as Kari Ann Wood)
- Dale Wolfe as TV Host
- Patricia Mayen-Salazar as Fan #1
- Tony Alcantar as Fan #2
- Darren Dolynski as Snobby Artist #1
- David Milchard as Snobby Artist #2
- Andrew Airlie as Rich Man
- Forbes Angus as Civic Leader
- Michael Kopsa as NY Society Man
- Alan MacFarlane as Society Man #1
- Thomas Potter as Society Man #2 (as Thomas J. Potter)
- Colleen Winton as Mrs. Teasdale
- Pomaika'i Brown as Radio DJ
- Dan Cooke as Reporter #1
- L.G. Michael Brown as Reporter #2 (as L.G. Mike Brown)
- Barclay Hope as Gannett Lawyer
- Mia Adams as Autograph Seeker
- Michael St. John Smith as Margaret's Lawyer
- Timothy Van Cleave as Cal Tjader
- Eric Keenleyside as Gannett Lawyer #2
- Greg Kean as Gannett Lawyer #3
- Sean Campbell as Bailiff
- Julie Johnson as Hungry i Patron
- Matthew Kevin Anderson as Hipster Man (as Matthew Anderson)
- Britt Irvin as Hipster Lady
Uncredited[]
- Jaden Alexander as Beatnik
- James Allore as Bistro Patron/Gallery Attendee
- Alex Anstey as Art Today Announcer
- Jock Armour as Jane's Teenage Friend
- Ian Boisvert as Beatnik Bicyclist
- Raj K. Bose as News Photographer
- Joe Bravo as Beatnik
- Billy Burton as Boy at Park
- Nell Burton as Girl at Park
- Kurt Cotton as Pedestrian
- Dyendis Davis-Jones as Beatnik
- Oliver Drawson as Court Room Sketch Artist
- Peter Dwerryhouse as Art Patron
- Ryan Else as Bicycle Riding Beatnik
- Amy Esterle as Bar Patron
- Casey T. Evans as Pedestrian #2
- Rebecca Georgelin as Art Investor
- Tony Grat as Cafe Waiter
- Ariel Hart as Beatnik
- Christina Hepburn as Beatnik
- Matthew Hoglie as Art Show Patron
- Leslie Hucul as Art Gallery Patron/Passerby
- Olga Kalashnikova as Flirty Royal Hawaiian Bar Patron
- Margaret Keane as Old Lady at Park
- George W. Leonard as Man Looking at Painting
- Michael A. Lilly as Beach Patron/Hotel Patron
- John Lobato as Beatnik
- Guy Ludewig as Hipster Guy
- Rick Mischke as Musician
- Travis Michael Myers as Cafe Patron
- Bulat Nasibullin as Bar Patron
- Christian Harris Neeman as Beatnik
- Paul Oostergo as Gala Guest/Passerby
- Christine Reade as NY Times Secretary to Canaday
- Sandy Ritz as Supporter
- Vanessa Ross as San Fran Local Lady
- Bomber Hurley Smith as Beatnik
- David Svoboda as Pedestrian
- Dwight Taylor as North Beach Patron
- Lowell Thomas as Lowell Thomas (archive footage)
- Laryssa Troniak as Art Patron
- Steven Wiig as Beatnik
- Scotty Wood as Greaser
Production[]
Soundtrack[]
- Main article: Big Eyes (soundtrack)
Videos[]
External links[]
Big Eyes at the Internet Movie Database