Sixty three year old actor, Michael Keaton delivers an artistic triumph with the best ever performance of his long, long acting career,
BIRDMAN is a brilliant piece of filmmaking that is unique on many levels. No matter what you may or may not subjectively take away each time from watching this film, it is one of the best films of the last twelve months, an honest-to-goodness delight which improves with each viewing. Michael Keaton delivers an Oscar-worthy performance in his best role since starring as Tim Burton’s BATMAN in 1989 and 1992.
The film is very black comedy, mixed with dark magical realism, BIRDMAN as directed by Mexican-born Alejandro González Iñárritu (21 Grams, Babel) tells the story of Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton), a washed-up superhero movie star, who has since become an actor who has become self-doubting, but is now also desperate to revive his flagging career, choosing to direct and star on the stage in New York.
Filmed on location in and around New York City’s St. James Theater, this is where Michael Keaton’s character is putting on his own Broadway stage adaptation of Raymond Carver’s short story called What We Talk About When We Talk About Love which deals with the quest in life to be really loved.
Along the way, Michael Keaton grapples with many different characters; his daughter, played by Emma Stone, who is working as his assistant, but is fresh from rehab, his mistress and co-star lovingly played by Andrea Riseborough, and a troublesome but hard-drinking actor played by Edward Norton.
The cast spent most of the fast thirty-day shoot doing complex unbroken takes, with each take lasting as long as ten minutes. This was in line with the vision of director Alejandro González Iñárritu and his Oscar-winning cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki who wanted the audience to feel as if ‘magically’ the whole 119 minutes was shot in one continuous take.
BIRDMAN successfully mocks the modern definition of success and instant gratification, quantified by having large numbers of likes and followers, on social media like Facebook and Twitter.
There are many delightful lines to remember, snooty New York Times theatre critic Tabitha (Lindsay Duncan), tells Keaton’s character “You’re not an actor, you’re a celebrity.” Naomi Watts’s character asks “Why don’t I have any self-respect?” which prompts Andrea Riseborough’s character to reply: “You’re an actress, honey.”
BIRDMAN has already taken two Golden Globes and has been nominated for 10 Bafta Film Awards.
Highly Recommended, BIRDMAN stars Michael Keaton, Zach Galifianakis, Edward Norton, Andrea Riseborough, Amy Ryan, Emma Stone, and Naomi Watts.