Review: BIRDMAN Is a Remarkable Fever Dream Worthy of Both Stage and Screen

Full disclosure, I like most everything that I see; be it on stage, on TV, or on film. I tend to appreciate the vision required to complete such a complicated project, the artistry to craft a new work, and the creativity to bring it to life. However, while I like the majority of shows and movies that I watch, I love very few. I wanted to preface this review with that because, simply put, I loved BIRDMAN. The experience of seeing this dark comedy is as close to the rush of seeing a Broadway show as any film that I can ever remember seeing, including those actually based on Broadway shows. BIRDMAN is an acting, directing, and cinematographing triumph that is sure to be rewarded throughout the upcoming awards season.

In BIRDMAN, which is sub-titled THE UNEXPECTED VIRTUE OF IGNORANCE, Riggan Thomson (played by Michael Keaton) is an actor who is trying to resurrect his career after falling into obscurity after turning down the third installment of his superhero franchise. After decades of never escaping the character's shadow, Thomson is now mounting a Broadway adaptation of Raymond Carver's short story "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love." For the production, Thomson serves as writer, director, and star. This self-aggrandizing approach is a thinly veiled attempt for an insecure man to regain just a bit of his cultural relevancy, and more importantly to reestablish his personal identity, and as all theatre fans know, the success of any Broadway show is tied to its review in the New York Times.

This central storyline is especially interesting because of how closely it parallels Keaton's own run as the original feature film Batman. After the first two movies, he declined a reported $17 million for BATMAN FOREVER, and, despite a number of other films along the way, has never achieved the success he seemed destined for 25 years ago.

Whether through the stress of a divorce, financial troubles, or a drug-addict daughter (played marvelously by Emma Stone, who makes her Broadway debut in CABARET next month), from the beginning, Keaton's character seems one final straw away from snapping. In private moments, he is haunted by his superhero alter-ego, but Alejandro González Iñárritu's brilliant directing leaves us unsure as to whether this disembodied voice is a result of a psychotic break, a desperate man's coping device, or the actual words of Thomson's true caped crusader identity.

Though the film is distinctly Keaton's, he is surrounded by an incredible ensemble of talented actors, all of whom seem to be delving into different types of characters than they are most known for playing. The aforementioned Stone plays the self-destructive daughter Sam, who, despite all evidence to the contrary, still somehow believes in her father. Edward Norton plays Mike Shiner, an obnoxiously self-assured stage legend who steps in as a last minute replacement after the previous co-star was mysteriously injured by a falling stage light. Zach Galifianakis plays Thomson's slightly neurotic best friend and producer. Andrea Riseborough and Naomi Watts round out the main ensemble of the movie, and its fictional play, and serve as the love interests of Thomson and Shiner, and perhaps others.

While each actor gives deftly honest and specific performances, the most fascinating aspect of the film is how Iñárritu (21 GRAMS, BABEL) and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, who won an Academy Award for last year's GRAVITY, made this backstage drama feel like it was actually happening on a stage in front of an audience. While the film takes place in multiple locations, the pair took advantage of the incredible opportunity to film on and above the streets of New York and in every hall, nook, and cranny of the historic St. James Theatre. The entire movie, though it spans nearly a week, appears to have been filmed in one long tracking shot, which, coupled with the intelligently acerbic dialogue, makes you feel as though you are watching a play by Tracey Letts, David Mamet, or Yasmina Reza. The intensity and immediacy that this approach brings to the story adds enormous stakes to the already perilous plot.

I found myself leaning in throughout the movie with my heart racing like it does when I see a truly masterful work on stage. The only downside is that now I am aching to see Keaton, Norton, Watts, Stone, et al. on an actual Broadway stage.

Though there is one glaring theatrical inaccuracy that plays a large role in the plot, the fact that this film was mostly a love letter to the pain-staking, but uniquely gratifying, art of theatre-making made me more than happy to suspend my disbelief in that regard. The meta, fever dream feel of BIRDMAN was far different than Iñárritu's previous works, and felt like a slightly darker than normal movie from Spike Jonze, which is an extremely high complement in my book.

This is the type of movie that will excite film aficionados, but will absolutely thrill those with a passion for the stage; I even think Ben Brantley will like it.

Check out the trailer below:

BIRDMAN, OR (THE UNEXPECTED VIRTUE OF IGNORANCE starring Michael Keaton, Zach Galifianakis, Edward Norton, Emma Stone, and Naomi Watts is Rated R (for language throughout, some sexual content and brief violence). Already open in two theatres in both New York and Los Angeles, BIRDMAN expands to theatres nationwide today.

Did you get opening night tickets to see BIRDMAN, OR (THE UNEXPECTED VIRTUE OF IGNORANCE)? Did you agree with me that it was one of the best films of the year thus far? Are you ready for the entire cast to do an actual Broadway show together?

Let me know what you think in the comments below or on Twitter @BWWMatt. Also, make sure to follow @BWWMovieWorld for all of the biggest news from the world of movies.

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Photo Credit: Fox Searchlight

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