When viewing BIRDMAN, the newest film from director
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, it’s difficult to not take it as an autobiography
of its star, Michael Keaton. Centered around a former action star who is trying
to recapture his old glory, it very much is a large chapter out of Keaton’s career.
But once you get your head around that, BIRDMAN (subtitled THE UNEXPECTED
VIRTUE OF IGNORANCE), has a lot more to offer.
Riggan Thomson (Keaton) is a former action movie-star who
hasn’t had a hit in 20 years, and is now hearing the voice of his old
character, a winged superhero, in his head. Thomson is directing and starring
in his Broadway play with the help of his manager (Zach Galifianakis), and
angsty daughter (Emma Stone), and is constantly banging heads with the play’s
star (Edward Norton).
On the surface, BIRDMAN feels a little like a standard superhero
film, only put in reverse. Where the standard template has a hero struggling
with his true self, BIRDMAN goes behind the scenes and inside the head of the
actor who once was famous for wearing the costume. The Birdman persona he hears
acts as an antagonist in the film, as it pokes and prods Thomson in all the
wrong directions; where Thomson wants to move on with his life and have meaning
in the world again, the Birdman persona wants to recapture the old glory.
Reality merges with fantasy several times as Thomson’s imagination unleashes some
wild and stunning happenings that we aren’t quite sure are real or not, and
BIRDMAN soars as it tears through Thomson’s mind.
And under the surface, BIRDMAN has a lot more to say. Set in
modern times, director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu uses the film as an opportunity
to say a few things about fame and its price, and what it can do to a person
and his family. The film has a lot going on as Thomson struggles with staging
his play, his daughter who hates him, a girlfriend on the outs, and the star of
the play…whom he needs for the production to succeed, constantly mocking him. The
many storylines converge together nicely, and Inarritu makes every character
worthwhile. The writing is razor-sharp and full of wit, and the laughs come at
you so fast you need a minute to catch up.
BIRDMAN is a technical marvel. Made to look like the entire
movie is shot in one long take (you will never spot the edit points), most of
it is an illusion with clever camera trickery but a lot of it is done in
real-time…even with the film taking place over several days. BIRDMAN very much
feels like a stage production, or even a live television event, as the fluid
camera movement and on-the-spot performances by the cast gives it a very
realistic feel. From start to finish, BIRDMAN is fascinating to behold.
Performances are spectacular and should serve as an acting
clinic to all new up-and-comers. Michael Keaton is tremendous as he balances
one emotion after another while shouldering the burden of an actor whose best
days may be behind him. It would be dismissive to say that Keaton is just
playing himself, as he works much harder and deeper than that. Edward Norton
performs at an unbelievable level and is probably at his best ever. The
supporting cast of Zach Galifianakis, Naomi Watts, Andrea Riseborough, and Amy
Ryan are rock-solid…and Emma Stone nearly steals the show with the best work
she’s ever done.
BIRDMAN really shoots for the stars with its many plotlines
and themes and statements, and it may not hit the bullseye on every single one
of them, but it certainly gets close enough to earn a high score. Funny and dark,
real and honest, this an unabridged look inside of a man’s head, and it is
nothing short of a glorious flight.
BOTTOM LINE: See it
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