Directed by: Alejandro González Iñárritu
Rating: ★★★½
Birdman tells the tale of an out of work Hollywood actor, most famous for playing a popular superhero, who is trying to get his career back on track by performing in a play on Broadway.
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| Birdman can fly...! |
Riggan (Keaton) is in a dark place, mainly because he wants to be appreciated for his craft as an actor, rather than for his moneymaking Blockbusters, and because he keeps hearing his superhero alter ego constantly belittling him.
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| Riggan just wants to put the Birdman behind him. |
He also believes that he has psychic powers.
Birdman is an intensely paced in your face dark comedy drama that is brilliant executed. The directing is really amazing, as the cameras swoop and glide through the theatre and New York City to make it look and feel as if the movie has all been shot in one take.
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| The filming in and around the theatre gives the movie a really authentic edge to it. |
The script is very clever, mainly because it satirises everything about the creative professions- from the actors themselves to the directors, writers, critics and even audiences.
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| As much as there are funny or pretentious moments, there are also some very serious ones. |
There are overt and subtle references to movies, the theatre and literature that all embody what people love and hate about the industry, and the main themes of the movie- art vs money and fame vs artistry- are equally lovingly lampooned and seriously discussed.
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| Can Riggan ever be happy? |
The way in which the characters, story and camerawork all bleed into one another to create both a real and unreal world is incredibly intelligently executed: all to make Riggan a morally ambiguous unreliable narrator.
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| Riggan's emotional state is not very good... |
Michael Keaton gives a terrific performance, as does Edward Norton, as sleazy method actor Mike Shiner. The scenes between the two of them are Birdman’s strongest, particularly when they have verbal and physical confrontations.
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| Riggan and Mike constantly bicker- and fight! |
Emma Stone is very good as Sam, Riggan’s daughter, and the rest of the cast are, on the whole, strong, but this film really is all about Keaton and Norton chewing scenery together.
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| Riggan has a troubled relationship with his daughter. |
As much as I enjoyed Birdman, it isn’t perfect. It takes a long time to get into, and sometimes the intensity and energy that the movie has can be too much.
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| It must have been cold out there! |
Also, the ending is a bit of a let-down, as it goes where you expect it to, then it doesn’t, then it does, then it doesn’t. That may not make any sense but basically the ending is intentionally ambivalent, which I didn’t like. It leads you to a place and then pulls the rug out from under your feet before placing it back there again.
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| Riggan is not a happy man, but sometimes he manages to enjoy his life... |
Highlights of the movie range from the silly to the profound. I thought it was hilarious when Riggan has to run through Times Square in his underwear, and when Mike gets a bit too into his role on stage.
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| Just don't look down, Noami... |
The moment when we finally see Birdman is also strong and, ironically, one of the movie’s best moments, which Birdman himself mocks. There is also an incredibly powerful scene between actresses Lesley (Watts) and Laura (Riseborough) when Lesley discusses how, as a little girl, she always wanted to be on Broadway, and now she is on Broadway she feels just like a little girl. I felt that this line was very profound, and many other gems like this really stand out.
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| Will the show make it to opening night? |
Birdman has been nominated for many awards, and just won Best Screenplay and Best Actor at the Golden Globes. It’s not surprising that critics and industry professionals like the movie, because it’s unique and pretentious enough for them to enjoy it and make them look smart for saying ‘I get it’, even though the entire point of the movie is to mock these exact people and everyone who works in the creative profession.
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| Egos abound in the theatre world... |
Birdman is a smart, funny, deeply moving and entertaining movie which is technically well crafted and has a great soundtrack. It’s hard to strike the right balance between hateful and joyful of your own career, but I think that those behind Birdman got it right, as it very clearly and accurately shows both why people want to go into the profession, and the downside of when you finally make it there.
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