Big Eyes (2014)

Burton so nearly wins back my 

appreciation with this film, 

however it falls flat on it's face

 and embarrasses itself in it's last Act.

It is such a shame how weak a director Tim Burton has become over the last 10 years or so. His ideas are stale and repetitive, his visual carries no surprise or intrigue anymore, and he seems to have forgotten how to tell a story. One of the most important directors of the 80's and 90's, became a joke in the 2000's, a joke which is becoming even more cringe-worthy into the 2010's. Despite such a long period of disappointment however, Big Eyes looked intriguing to me. Burton had dropped his two most recurring (repetitive) lead actors in favor of Christoph Waltz and Amy Adams, two actors I genuinely love. In addition, the concept seemed to be one which Burton held more personally than his more recent and cynic fair. The idea of a period biopic about a kitsch icon closely evokes Ed Wood, one of Burton's most beloved works.  However, despite this intriguing concept and a very strong first two Acts, the film collapses in a spectacular fashion by the end and was a sad disappointment

The film's greatest achievement comes in it's visuals. Burton knows how to set-up a shot and has a great eye for colour. He nails the aesthetic, evoking a kitsch painting in the film's overall visual style and setting the period perfectly. I cannot fault Big Eyes for how it looks, for it is quite stunning throughout and deserves praise because of it. The film would have probably benefited from being recorded on film, like Burton wanted to, in order to better capture the period and style, however it looks fine regardless and the decision was out of Burton's hands on the matter anyway, so it would be unfair to really put this against the film.

The film has some great acting in it too. Waltz is great, actually successfully portraying a charming but despicable con-man, a very hard thing to do. He gets hit hard by the flaws that appear in the film's third Act, however despite this the performance is still good overall. Amy Adams is also solid, however her performance is marred by the lack of complexity in the role. She basically has one note to play, confused and submissive. However she does play this one note as well as possible. John Polito and Terrence Stamp also do well insmall supporting roles, and brighten things up when they appear. The rest of the acting is average, with the exception of one appalling teenage actress how appears in the third Act (one of the several issues that appear there). She is unbelievably wooden and awkward, she doesn't get that many lines but she still really pissed me off despite that. My outlook on the film was honestly shaken a little by her, and it is confusing to imagin Burton allowing that delivery to be kept in the final cut.

The script and pacing is fine, again except in the third Act, and despite being heavy handed in places, the film seems to have been fairly well written. I must emphasise that I did enjoy the film despite the majority of it's flaws. It was far from terrible and I was entertained enough to give the film a pass. However the final 20-30 minutes were horrendous and must be discussed. I would consider it quite average overall.

The relatively serious and mature tone of the first two Acts collapses. during the build-up to the film's 'climax' (the courtroom sequences). Things go from relatable and interesting, to moronically cartoony in the span of a few brief scenes. I cannot emphasise enough how badly the tone collapses, and it is sad to behold Burton give up the film's soul so flippantly. It transforms itself into yet another tired Buron-esk waste of substance, wherin Burton appeals to his tween fanbrats before actually creating something with substance. The quality of the dialogue slips and hits Waltz's character hard, removing any semblence of realism in the character, and turning it inot a joke. This is especially insulting considering the character was based upon a real person, who I imagine deserved a more complex portrayal of his actual life than this.

I have a theory as to why the film gives up towards the end. Burton shows incredible care and respect for the events within the first portion of the film, because the events interest him. H clearly cares about the art and is interested in analysing the nature of identity and pride within art using this stroy as a backdrop, However, when it comes to the courtroom drama and some of the later events which shaped the lives of the real people. It's clear that he cares far less. For example, Amy Adams' character becomes a Jehovah's Witness near the end of the film. This is a very important aspect of the character's development and should have been given a good amount of attention, in fact religion plays an important role even before this, as she comes from a Methodist household. However this entire dimension of the character is maybe given 2 minutes of total screentime. Burton clearly didn't care about the character in this way, and so didn't care to show her in this way. This shallowness permeates the entire film, and shows a director who is more comfortable showing what he wants in a story rather than the truth of the events and people.

Burton lost more respect from me with this film than possibly any other. For now there is no excuse. This was a passion project, and when you cannot succeed in a film you were passionate about, then you can never truly succeed. Burton has gone past the point of competence, and that is a sad thing,

By Jack D. Phillips

A Zoom Film Review