Birdman (2014) Movie Review

I genuinely can't explain to you how batshit insane and wonderful Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) is. It's like a hyper stream of thoughts that threatens to overwhelm the sense, but also knows just when to stimulate them. And also, did I mention that Birdman is so batshit insane? I feel like it needs to be mentioned often, because a lot of the time I would just stare at the screen going "What the fuck am I watching?" But in a good way. Like a fat person running a marathon. Or a fighter hugging his family before breaking the face of a man he doesn't know. Or me, running a marathon. Comedy works in rules of three, people.

Riggin Thomson is a former box office titan, been part of the Birdman franchise, a popular comicbook movie trilogy that earned billions. But that was over a decade ago, and now Riggin is, more or less, a washed up actor trying to make his mark in the acting world again, by adapting a Raymond Carver play for Broadway. He also has to worry about the other actors in the play; Laura (Andrea Riseborough), his current girlfriend, Lesley (Naomi Watts), an actress about to achieve her dream of being on broadway, and Mike (Edward Norton), a quasi-method Broadway veteran. There's also Riggin's best friend and agent Jake (Zach Galifanakis), his ex-wife Sylvia (Amy Ryan), and his former drug addict daughter and assistant Sam (Emma Stone).

Alejandro Inarritu is known for generally making some pretty downer films. He's made Amores Perros, 21 Grams, Babel, and Biutiful, all of which will makes you want to curl into a ball and call your family to tell you it'll be okay. With this movie, I felt like he just said "FUCK IT!" and decided to go balls to the wall and enjoy himself, though this movie can get dark at times. Another connection all his movies share, is that they showcase facets of the actors involved people may not have known they had. He put Gael Garcia Bernal on the map, showed the vulnerability of Benicio Del Toro, showed that Brad Pitt has always been more than abs and a perfect jawline, and that Javier Bardem can get sick too, despite being Spanish Brad Pitt.

Birdman is no different, as it shows that Michael Keaton is fucking force to be reckoned with. I'm not overly familiar with Keaton's filmography, to be honest, but this is the best performance I think he's given. Obviously, it's not hard to see the Birdman/Batman parallel to his life, but Riggin is an insane creation. He's a former A-list movie star that wants to prove he's a legitimate actor. That he's an artist. And Keaton is so wonderful in the role that I think he's certain to get an Oscar nomination for his work here. He perfectly embodies Riggin as someone who clearly knows they are better than what everyone sees, and he leaves it all out on the table. Beetlejuice feels tame compared to Riggin Thomson. BIRDMAN BIRDMAN BIRDMAN!

Similarly excellent is Edward Norton, as Mike, who is the type of actor everyone hates, but loves. He's an asshole, who knows he's brilliant, and is out there for himself. But Norton finds a way to make him utterly memorable, to the point where you can't wait for him to come back on screen. He nearly steals every scene he's in. But the first rule of acting, is you do not talk about acting. The second rule is make sure your cheek make up is in an L shape. Theatre basics.

The rest of the cast is all good. Naomi Watts as Mike's girlfriend is her usual fantastic self, as is Amy Ryan as Riggin's ex-wife, who is actually loving and supportive. Andrea Riseborough is strong, but fairly underused compared to the rest, while Zach Galifanakis plays it mostly straight, and puts in some of his strongest work. However, it's Emma Stone that surprised me, giving a range of emotion I haven't seen from her before. Yes, we all fucking love Emma Stone. She's all of our dream girls. But damn, she can act a storm up when she wants to. She makes Sam a fantastic character to watch, and one that we end up really caring about.

So, in case you hadn't heard, the entire film feels like it is shot in one gigantic take. The way the camera weaves along with the actors, along with seamless editing and beautiful cinematography, it really makes you feel like you're a part of the show along with them. A lot of credit has to go to DP Emmanuel Lubezki , who shoots with a wonderful crispness. Lubezki is pretty much the master of long takes, as he also shot Gravity last year (with it's 14 minute opening), as well as Children of Men (which has some of the best long takes ever put on film). The point is, don't bother looking for the edits. You won't find them. They'll find you. Oh, and gotta give it up to Antonio Sanchez, as well, for an up tempo jazz feel to the score, that keeps you, as well as the film, on your toes. 

Ultimately, the credit has to go to Inarritu, as he seems to blend all the aspects of this film together with such ease and craftsmanship. In the hands of a lesser director, this film could have been a total shit show. Yeah, the film has a couple of problems. Mainly that it can be a tad hard to follow, with so many pieces in play. And that the ending felt like a few false endings (Lord of the Rings syndrome). But otherwise, it's fucking great. I'd highly recommend you watch it with other people. And if they don't like it, shame them for being wrong and dumb and ugly.

Grade: A