Wow the movie “Birdman” is sure a clever, little black comedy of a film, which seems a shoe-in this award season. It’s about a washed-up superhero movie actor (played by Michael Keaton) who’s trying for a comeback by mounting a Broadway play based on a Raymond Carver story. Of course Michael Keaton starred as Batman twice way back when and hasn’t been in much notable of late, but this movie’s not his own true story. It’s just a great back story.
“Birdman” takes place almost all within the building of a New York City playhouse where Keaton’s character Riggan is trying to get his play up and running, but everything seems to be going wrong. He’s got family problems with his ex-wife and daughter (played by Emma Stone); staging problems with an egotistical, pretentious actor (played by Edward Norton); financial problems trying to fund it; problems with his possibly pregnant girlfriend who’s an actress in the play; and problems with a theater critic who says she’ll pan the production. The man’s in crisis. On top of all this, he keeps hearing the voice of his alter-ego, the Birdman, the superhero he once played, who keeps trying to lure him back to star in the action franchise again despite his advanced age.
The performances are all excellent, especially Edward Norton who seems to steal the movie at times as the jerk-of-a-guy actor. Emma Stone is terrific, too, as the depressed rehabbed daughter, and Naomi Watts who’s the ingenue in the play is top-notch as usual. And then there’s Keaton himself who brings a realness to the role that makes you almost believe it’s his own true story. Manhattan, too, is featured prominently and the film exudes a whole New York vibe, which people who like films set there will truly like.
I found the film darkly funny and clever. (It’s not for kiddies though there’s lots of bad language and inside jokes that they might not relate to.) Among other things, the movie spoofs fun at fame, acting, social media, and critics in dialogue you won’t want to miss. Much, too, has been talked about how the film appears to be done in one long take, the scenes flowing into each other as if there’s no edits. Apparently the filmmakers pulled this off digitally, but also the actors had to keep their scenes rolling for long periods. Visually it’s cool and adds to the realness of the play’s backstage shenanigans.
Whether the play will take off on opening night, you won’t know till the film’s end, which turns out to be quite a doozy. As for Keaton’s character, it’s left to one’s own interpretation what happens to him. Although I didn’t know what to expect going into see “Birdman,” I’ve liked it quite a bit more afterwards, with time and thought.
What about you— have you seen this movie or do you plan to? And what did you think?
In other news this week, I’ve continued reading Laura Hillenbrand’s nonfiction book “Unbroken” and watched the midseason finale of Season Five of “The Walking Dead,” which ends with quite a showdown at the hospital in downtown Atlanta where Beth was being held. Of course, I knew one of the main characters would likely die, but I was rather bummed with who ended up getting killed off. It definitely will take a toll on the group as they move forward. But what is next for them? And where will they go in the second half of Season Five? And who will be the main focus? I guess we won’t know for sure till February when the TV series starts up again.
Have you been following the show? What do you think so far of Season Five?
Wow, you have convinced me that I MUST see Birdman…the title didn’t grab me, so it slipped right by me.
Enjoy your week…and thanks for sharing yours.
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Thanks Laurel. Yeah just out Birdman when you get a chance. Cheers.
I want to see Birdman but I doubt it will get around where I live. So I’ll have to wait for it on DVD or Netflix. It does look intriguing, that’s for sure…I haven’t kept up with The Walking Dead so I’m glad you didn’t give any spoilers, but I don’t know if I’ll get back to it or not. Too many other shows to keep up with, mostly for me on Netflix.
Yeah Bryan, so many shows, so little time. I guess I have some time till February when some of the shows come back on again.
I really, really enjoyed Birdman, too (for many of the same reasons – I LOVED the editing). My husband and I usually try to see as many Oscar contenders as possible and I think this is his favorite of the year so far.
I’m pretty sure I’m the only person who really dislikes The Walking Dead (though I did enjoy the first few seasons)…I just can’t get past the terrible acting and circular storyline. Twitter tells me the rest of the world can 😉
I dont blame you Shannon. I can see where the Walking Dead is not for everyone. It’s very violent and sometimes I wonder why we still watch it. After awhile, it just seems more of the same on the show, right?
I recently watched an old(ish) movie called Keeping the Faith with Edward Norton. Norton was so good in it that I had to look him up. He seems to be a person with (gulp!) integrity. I’d love to see another movie with him in it.
(And, yes, I thought the Ng book was good. Quite good, but not over-the-top good. Curious to see what you think.)
Yeah Deb, I was impressed with Norton in Fight Club but then sort of forgot about him for awhile, but in this movie he’s really good Again. Check it out.
I’m intrigued by Birdman but might wait until it’s a rental.
See what you think of it Kathy.
I have to admit that I had NO idea what the premise of Birdman was until reading this. I kept reading news outlets announcing how brilliant it is, but it seems to me that there has been very little discussion of the actual story. You have definitely made me want to go see this now. I know what I might be doing this weekend!
Great Michelle. I think you might like it. Birman is quirky for sure, but also creative and fun too.