(2014) (Amy Adams, Christoph Waltz) (PG-13)
- QUICK TAKE:
- Drama: A mid 20th century painter must contend with allowing her flamboyant husband to take credit for her works that are becoming increasingly popular with the public.
- PLOT:
- It's 1958 and Margaret Ulbrich (AMY ADAMS) has arrived in San Francisco with her young daughter, Jane (DELANEY RAYE), to escape from her husband. With the help of her friend, DeAnn (KRYSTEN RITTER), she gets settled in and takes a job painting designs on furniture, while also doing creative portraits at art fairs on the side. It's at the latter that she meets fellow painter Walter Keane (CHRISTOPH WALTZ) who is a successful commercial real estate agent and similarly sells his paintings on the side.
The two hit it off and are soon married, with Walter trying to peddle Margaret's works wherever he can. That includes a nightclub where he convinces the owner, Enrico Banducci (JON POLITO), to lease him wall space to display her work. When they come to blows over the placement of that, their tiff makes the front page news thanks to celebrity newspaper reporter Dick Nolan (DANNY HUSTON). It's not long before her work is a hit, but while trying to make sales of her paintings featuring children with oversized eyes, Walter takes credit for the work and convinces Margaret to continue that ruse.
As she toils away creating her paintings, he works as the showman, continuing to take credit and becoming something of a celebrity himself, all while keeping that secret from Jane (MADELEINE ARTHUR) who's now getting older. When Walter realizes they could make a lot of money selling mass-reproduced posters of her work, he becomes a national sensation, much to the chagrin of art critic John Canaday (TERENCE STAMP) who dismisses the paintings and their artistic merit. As their ruse continues, Margaret starts to head toward her breaking point, especially as Walter's behavior continues to devolve in his quest for more fame and money.
- WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?
- Unless they're fans of anyone in the cast or are really into artists and art, it doesn't seem too likely.
- WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13
- For thematic elements and brief strong language.
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