Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) is destined to be a classic for years to come. It's a film so bold, so audacious and so insane that I can't imagine it being one easily forgotten. Director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's circling, dizzying camera tricks make for an energetic and unnerving watch that is filled with substance, humor, emotion, fantasy, wit, and satire. It's a movie that is overflowing with ideas and themes that is almost too much to unpack from just one watch. Birdman doesn't always work. It's ending is flimsy despite the fact that the perfect ending was possible. But when Birdman is good, it's spectacular. Brilliant writing and astonishing performances highlight this astounding film which is breathtakingly original and daring and comes achingly close to being a total masterpiece.
Riggan Thompson (Michael Keaton) was a superstar. He was Birdman. His movies grossed billions. Now, he's nothing but a washed up old actor. Riggan's attempt at saving his last shreds of self-respect involve putting on a Broadway production of What We Talk About When We Talk About Love, an adaptation of Raymond Carver's novel. However, that isn't going particularly well. Riggan first has to deal with an awful actor (Jeremy Shamos), but when he is injured on set, a bigger problem is created. Riggan's co-star Lesley (Naomi Watts) immediately suggests Mike Shiner (Edward Norton), a narcissistic, yet brilliant actor who completely dominates everything he's involved with. Eventually, Jake (Zach Galifianakis), Riggan's lawyer, publicist, and best friend, brings Shiner onto the production because of his ability to sell tickets.
Previews begin and the show seems like a disaster from the start. Shiner shows up drunk to the first preview, then makes an even bigger mistake at the second one. The whole play seems to be collapsing around Riggan and that gives way for some of his personal demons to come in. Riggan is haunted by Birdman, who is always giving him profane and hilarious advice in his ear. He also deals with the guilt of not being around for his daughter Sam (Emma Stone). He's also dealing with his girlfriend, Laura (Andrea Risenborough), who may or may not be pregnant. But most of all, Riggan is confronting feelings of worthlessness and irrelevance. To solve all those issues, Riggan decides to lay all his chips on this play as his last chance at redemption.
People have been inevitably bringing up Michael Keaton's past as Batman when discussing this film, even though Keaton has vehemently denied that he actually had any personal connection to this character. And after viewing this film, I believe Keaton. Riggan is a character so deeply scarred and screwed up that I definitely wouldn't be surprised if Keaton felt a complete emotional distance from him. He might have understood the whole irrelevance thing, but once Riggan starts moving objects around with his mind and flying around New York like Birdman, he probably didn't exactly see himself.
Even if Keaton doesn't have much of a connection to Riggan, he gives a thoroughly terrific performance in this film. His emotional range and energy is fantastic and he brings the character to vivid life. We as audience members are able to understand Riggan fully and that's thanks to the script and Keaton's breathtaking performance. The supporting cast certainly doesn't hurt either. Naomi Watts, Andrea Risenborough, Amy Ryan and especially Zach Galifianakis all bring something special to the table, but the two standouts are Edward Norton and Emma Stone. Norton plays the arrogant a-hole with a fiery, combative burn, yet he makes Shiner also have a tender side. It's an awesome performance and one that will surely get Norton an Oscar nod. Stone is great overall as the damaged daughter of Riggan and she has a few moments where she really shines. Oscar glory is in Stone's future as well.
The script is deliciously witty and sarcastic, filled with pop culture references that hit or miss and blisteringly funny and terrific dialogue that is endlessly quotable. The verbal sparring between the characters is great and the camera work makes the dialogue have a sense of immediacy and intensity that it might have not had otherwise.
In the end, this is a film that plays out like a giant high-wire act that could self-destruct at any moment. Thankfully, Inarritu manages to keep it all together. The dizzying camera work is a great gimmick that gives the film an appropriate sense of surrealism and makes everything feel crazier. The camera feels weightless, and it just feels like we're flying around the action with Inarritu. It does all get a little overwhelming at times, but Inarritu doesn't let the camera and editing tricks distract from the actual film. There were times where I felt like he was keeping the shot together for no reason at all, however, it still didn't detract from the overall product.
Of course, Inarritu couldn't have done this without his legendary cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki. He won an Oscar last year for Gravity and he's going to get another one for Birdman. If you didn't previously didn't believe that shot composition and cinematography affected a film, you'll believe it after Birdman. The booming drum score is also quite effective, giving the movie even more energy and bravura.
Birdman is overflowing with passion and energy. It is also overflowing with themes. This is a thematically rich movie that manages to be about as subtle as a sledgehammer, yet still effective. The messages about Hollywood vs. Broadway, modern blockbusters and our inherent desire to be heard and felt are quite interesting and they make for intriguing food for thought once this movie ends.
You know when I said that this movie could have self-destructed at any moment a few paragraphs ago? This movie self-destructs in the last few minutes. The ending of this movie is not horrible. It is just rather mediocre. Instead of leaving me invigorated and energized like the rest of the movie did, it left me saying "Meh" when walking out of the theater. The perfect ending was there. Inarritu just didn't go for it. And I honestly don't know why.
Birdman is a terrifically scripted and brilliantly acted indie movie pumped with adrenaline. Keaton, Norton and Stone are great and the script is awesome. It's a movie where the look and feel is just as important as the substance, which is unique for an indie film. If only this movie had a better ending, it would have been perfect. Despite its imperfections, I see this movie being a classic for years to come. It's a movie so blisteringly original and so breathtakingly energetic and different that it feels like a straight-up cinematic classic. And in my mind, it almost was.
THE FINAL GRADE: A- (8.5/10)
Image Credits: The Hollywood Reporter, Mashable, We Are Movie Geeks, Roger Ebert.com, Coming Soon
Riggan Thompson (Michael Keaton) was a superstar. He was Birdman. His movies grossed billions. Now, he's nothing but a washed up old actor. Riggan's attempt at saving his last shreds of self-respect involve putting on a Broadway production of What We Talk About When We Talk About Love, an adaptation of Raymond Carver's novel. However, that isn't going particularly well. Riggan first has to deal with an awful actor (Jeremy Shamos), but when he is injured on set, a bigger problem is created. Riggan's co-star Lesley (Naomi Watts) immediately suggests Mike Shiner (Edward Norton), a narcissistic, yet brilliant actor who completely dominates everything he's involved with. Eventually, Jake (Zach Galifianakis), Riggan's lawyer, publicist, and best friend, brings Shiner onto the production because of his ability to sell tickets.
Previews begin and the show seems like a disaster from the start. Shiner shows up drunk to the first preview, then makes an even bigger mistake at the second one. The whole play seems to be collapsing around Riggan and that gives way for some of his personal demons to come in. Riggan is haunted by Birdman, who is always giving him profane and hilarious advice in his ear. He also deals with the guilt of not being around for his daughter Sam (Emma Stone). He's also dealing with his girlfriend, Laura (Andrea Risenborough), who may or may not be pregnant. But most of all, Riggan is confronting feelings of worthlessness and irrelevance. To solve all those issues, Riggan decides to lay all his chips on this play as his last chance at redemption.
People have been inevitably bringing up Michael Keaton's past as Batman when discussing this film, even though Keaton has vehemently denied that he actually had any personal connection to this character. And after viewing this film, I believe Keaton. Riggan is a character so deeply scarred and screwed up that I definitely wouldn't be surprised if Keaton felt a complete emotional distance from him. He might have understood the whole irrelevance thing, but once Riggan starts moving objects around with his mind and flying around New York like Birdman, he probably didn't exactly see himself.Even if Keaton doesn't have much of a connection to Riggan, he gives a thoroughly terrific performance in this film. His emotional range and energy is fantastic and he brings the character to vivid life. We as audience members are able to understand Riggan fully and that's thanks to the script and Keaton's breathtaking performance. The supporting cast certainly doesn't hurt either. Naomi Watts, Andrea Risenborough, Amy Ryan and especially Zach Galifianakis all bring something special to the table, but the two standouts are Edward Norton and Emma Stone. Norton plays the arrogant a-hole with a fiery, combative burn, yet he makes Shiner also have a tender side. It's an awesome performance and one that will surely get Norton an Oscar nod. Stone is great overall as the damaged daughter of Riggan and she has a few moments where she really shines. Oscar glory is in Stone's future as well.
The script is deliciously witty and sarcastic, filled with pop culture references that hit or miss and blisteringly funny and terrific dialogue that is endlessly quotable. The verbal sparring between the characters is great and the camera work makes the dialogue have a sense of immediacy and intensity that it might have not had otherwise.
In the end, this is a film that plays out like a giant high-wire act that could self-destruct at any moment. Thankfully, Inarritu manages to keep it all together. The dizzying camera work is a great gimmick that gives the film an appropriate sense of surrealism and makes everything feel crazier. The camera feels weightless, and it just feels like we're flying around the action with Inarritu. It does all get a little overwhelming at times, but Inarritu doesn't let the camera and editing tricks distract from the actual film. There were times where I felt like he was keeping the shot together for no reason at all, however, it still didn't detract from the overall product.
Of course, Inarritu couldn't have done this without his legendary cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki. He won an Oscar last year for Gravity and he's going to get another one for Birdman. If you didn't previously didn't believe that shot composition and cinematography affected a film, you'll believe it after Birdman. The booming drum score is also quite effective, giving the movie even more energy and bravura.Birdman is overflowing with passion and energy. It is also overflowing with themes. This is a thematically rich movie that manages to be about as subtle as a sledgehammer, yet still effective. The messages about Hollywood vs. Broadway, modern blockbusters and our inherent desire to be heard and felt are quite interesting and they make for intriguing food for thought once this movie ends.
You know when I said that this movie could have self-destructed at any moment a few paragraphs ago? This movie self-destructs in the last few minutes. The ending of this movie is not horrible. It is just rather mediocre. Instead of leaving me invigorated and energized like the rest of the movie did, it left me saying "Meh" when walking out of the theater. The perfect ending was there. Inarritu just didn't go for it. And I honestly don't know why.
Birdman is a terrifically scripted and brilliantly acted indie movie pumped with adrenaline. Keaton, Norton and Stone are great and the script is awesome. It's a movie where the look and feel is just as important as the substance, which is unique for an indie film. If only this movie had a better ending, it would have been perfect. Despite its imperfections, I see this movie being a classic for years to come. It's a movie so blisteringly original and so breathtakingly energetic and different that it feels like a straight-up cinematic classic. And in my mind, it almost was.
THE FINAL GRADE: A- (8.5/10)
Image Credits: The Hollywood Reporter, Mashable, We Are Movie Geeks, Roger Ebert.com, Coming Soon
Michael Keaton is one of my favorite actors and he did really well in this film.
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