History Film / BigEyes

* WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue: [[spoiler: Walter spent the rest of his life trying to reclaim credit for Margret's work and died bitter, penniless and having never produced another painting. Margret, meanwhile, happily remarried, returned to San Francisco and continues to paint every day]].

* ShownTheirWork: The painting Marget does in [[spoiler: the courtroom to prove that she's the artist]]? That's a recreation of the actual painting she did.

* TheBarnum: Walter is introduced by his uncanny ability to sell even the tritest art as highbrow and chic, and builds his entire empire on being able to sell himself as a creative genius [[spoiler: despite never having done a single painting in his life]].

* DomesticAbuser: Walter, of the mental and emotional kind mostly. But after being humiliated by a critic, [[spoiler: he gets drunk at home and starts tossing lit matches at Margaret and her daughter, nearly lighting a can of turpentine in the painting room the girls had locked themselves in.]]

* ChildrenAreInnocent: Janie sees right through Margret and (especially) Walter's scam almost immediately. The first time Margret feels any remorse about allowing Walter to take credit for her paintings is when she has to lie to her daughter about it.

* DoingItForTheArt: InUniverse. Margret has no reason to paint her "big eyes" other than out of personal expression, as proven by her difficulty to actually sell them. Any real-life artist will be able to tell that [[spoiler: Walter is not an artist by the way he "waits for inspiration to strike," unlike Margret who draws and paints from the soul without needing any sort of mental preparation]].

''Big Eyes'' is a 2014 film directed by Creator/TimBurton about [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Keane Margaret Keane]] (Creator/AmyAdams), a housewife whose paintings of waifs with large eyes became famous in the [[TheFifties 1950s]], as her husband, Walter (Creator/ChristophWaltz) took the credit for them. In the [[TheSixties 1960s]], she takes him to court in order to prove once and for all who the true artist is.

-->'''Walter:''' (*smugly*) Hmmm... it sounds like you're describing two different men. One a sadistic ogre, and the other one a delightful bon vivant.

-->'''Walter:''' (*suddenly furious*) THAT'S AN OUTRAGEOUS STATEMENT! I demand we STRIKE IT FROM THE RECORD!

-->'''Walter:''' {smugly} Hmmm... it sounds like you're describing two different men. One a sadistic ogre, and the other one a delightful bon vivant.

-->'''Walter:''' {suddenly furious} THAT'S AN OUTRAGEOUS STATEMENT! I demand we STRIKE IT FROM THE RECORD!

%% * ReclusiveArtist: InUniverse. Margaret is forced into this state by Walter, Walter taking credit for creating them while Margaret spending all of her time making them in her studio.

* RealPersonCameo: The real Margaret Keane is seen sitting on a park bench reading a book when Movie!Margaret and Walter are painting in the park.

* TheCameo: The real Margret Keane is seen sitting on a park bench reading a book when Movie!Margret and Walter are painting in the park.

* PunnyName: S. Cenic, the scenic artist [[spoiler: who's paintings Walter forged]].

* KickTheDog: Walter telling Margaret that he "puts up with" her daughter is the first sign that he has the potential to cross the threshold from JerkWithAHeartOfGold to CompleteMonster.

* SpiritualSuccessor: To Tim Burton's first biopic ''Film/EdWood'', written by the same screenwriters. The films were even released exactly 20 years apart and both even featured a lead character who's an alcoholic.

* TheCameo: See if you can spot the real life Margaret Keane in the movie. Hint, [[spoiler:she's an old lady sitting on a park bench.]]
* ChildrenAreInnocent: Margaret believes she has crossed the MoralEventHorizon by lying to her child about the paintings.
* ConArtist: Walter Keane, through his constant lies, resembles one quite a bit even before he builds an empire on a sham.

* DisappearedDad: While he is mentioned, Jane's father and Margaret's 1st husband never appears except for in a wedding photo.

* AFoolForAClient: After the Gannett lawyers leave him, Walter megalomaniacally decides to represent himself, guided only by his vague memories of ''Series/PerryMason'' episodes. This works out as well for him as you'd expect.

* SpiritualSuccessor: To Tim Burton's first biopic ''Film/EdWood'', written by the same screenwriters. The films were even released exactly 20 years apart.

* PunnyName: S. Cenic, the scenic artist.

* KickTheDog: Walter signals that he's not just a flawed guy, but an actual asshole, when he tells Margaret that he "puts up with" her daughter.

* AssociatedComposer: It's not surprising that the score for the film was composed by Creator/DannyElfman.

%% * ConArtist: Walter Keane.

%% * PunnyName: S. Cenic.

* ThroughTheEyesOfMadness: Subverted. When Walter begins commercializing her work, Margaret starts to see people in the grocery store with giant eyes like in her paintings. This is never brought up again.

* IResembleThatRemark: When Margaret testifies that Walter was abusive but good at charming customers
-->''Walter:'' {smugly} Hmmm... it sounds like you're describing two different men. One a sadistic ogre, and the other one a delightful bon vivant.
-->''Margaret:'' Yeah, that's you, Walter. You're Jekyll and Hyde.
-->''Walter:'' {suddenly furious} THAT'S AN OUTRAGEOUS STATEMENT! I demand we STRIKE IT FROM THE RECORD!

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/b89deec431f010b75a58413c9db1fde2.png]]

* AssociatedComposer: It's not surprising that the score for the film was composed by DannyElfman.

* PunnyName: S. Cenic.

%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1421858339058264000
%% Please do not change or remove without starting a new thread.

* ConArtist: Walter Keane.

* [[spoiler:FridgeBrilliance: It is revealed that all of the paintings he made ''before'' he met Margaret were actually someone else's and that he never actually made a painting in his life. This is hinted at earlier, as he is always seen with an easel and other painting supplies, but he is never ''actually'' seen painting anything.]]

* LazyArtist: Walter has his wife do all of the work while he takes all of the credit, mass-producing the paintings for mass-profit. [[spoiler:It is even implied in the film that he has ''never'' painted a painting in his life, having stolen other people's paintings and marketing them as his own.]]
* HollywoodLaw: In universe example. Walter represents himself in the court case and his only prior experience is from watching ''Series/PerryMason''. The judge calls him out on his posturing.

* ReclusiveArtist: Margaret is forced into this state by Walter, Walter taking credit for creating them while Margaret spending all of her time making them in her studio.

* ThroughTheEyesOfMadness: Subverted. When Walter begins commercializing her work, Margaret starts to see people in the grocery store with giant eyes like in her paintings. [[LetUsNeverSpeakOfThisAgain This is never brought up again]].

''Big Eyes'' is a 2014 film directed by Creator/TimBurton about [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Keane Margaret Keane]] (Creator/AmyAdams), a housewife whose paintings of waifs with large eyes became famous in the 1950s, as her husband, Walter (Creator/ChristophWaltz) took the credit for them. In the 1960s, she takes him to court in order to prove once and for all who the true artist is.

* ThroughTheEyesOfMadness: Subverted. When Walter begins commercializing her work, Margaret starts to see people in the grocery store with giant eyes like in her paintings. This is never brought up again.