Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014)
Cast includes: Michael Keaton (Batman), Zach Galifianakis (Due Date), Edward Norton (The Illusionist), Emma Stone (The Help), Naomi Watts (The Impossible)
Writer/Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu (Babel, Biutiful)
Genre: Drama | Comedy (119 minutes)
“How did we end up here?” the voice asks. Riggan is in a Zen pose, except that he’s floating a couple feet off the ground. It’s a seedy dressing room in the St. James Theater. “We don’t belong in this shithole,” says the voice. At that moment, Sam’s face appears on the computer screen… “Dad, what kind of flowers do you want?” (Anything that will make the shithole smell better.) Jake interrupts… Riggan is needed on stage. As the two of them go down the hall, down the stairs, through the backstage area and Riggan goes on to the set, the camera follow in one continuous shot. In fact, the camera never cuts away. The play in rehearsals is Riggan’s first play on Broadway. Yes, it’s the same Riggan Thompson who played Birdman in three wildly successful movies. This play is his comeback… he wrote it; he directs it; he stars in it… and the other leading man stinks. “Too much? I was just trying to give you a range.” But let’s face it, “it was fucking terrible.” A lucky accident gives Riggan a chance to replace the hopeless actor. Riggan considers some obvious a-list actors... “Those clowns don’t have half your talent,” says the voice within. With that... Riggan teleports the vase of roses right off the table, crashing to the floor. “Look at that, these people don’t know what you’re capable of.”
Enter leading man Mike. They were lucky to get him on such short notice. But Mike has some ideas about rewriting the play… “Stay with me,” Mike says to Riggan. Damn, he’s good. Damn, he’s hard to stomach! “Do me a favor and don’t fuck it up,” says Riggan… everything’s riding on the success of this play. Mike is unimpressed… “People don’t even know who you are.” Ouch! But just then… “You’re Riggan Thompson,” says a fan. “You used to be Birdman.” Is the world is playing tug-of-war with Riggan’s brain? He doesn’t know whether to be happy about his Birdman legacy or troubled that his glory days seem to be in the past. His daughter sees it this way… “Who the fuck are you? You don’t even have a Facebook page!”
As Riggan pushes back against just about everyone and everything… his past fame, self-important Mike, the various women in his life, his pushy producer, the voice in his head, even the theater critic who’s going to ruin his career… the camera follows the action… no (obvious) cuts or edits, just a flow of well choreographed long shots. It’s a very unusual way to shoot a movie, but that’s not the only unusual aspect of Birdman. Writer/Director Alejandro González Iñárritu has a reputation for making art house films that win high praise from critics, but Birdman seems to be breaking through with mainstream moviegoers… albeit, audiences who are open to experimental films. For serious movie lovers who complain that there aren’t enough excellent films being made today, Birdman might restore your faith. It’s unusual and original yet accessible and relatable… excellent story, acting, cinematography, production and direction… as Riggan says, “the real deal.”
4 popped kernels
The actor who played the iconic Birdman needs one more success to ensure his legacy
Popcorn Profile
Rated: R (Language)
Audience: Grown-ups
Gender Style: Neutral
Distribution: Mainstream Limited Release
Mood: Sober
Tempo: Cruises Comfortably
Visual Style: Nicely Varnished Realism
Nutshell: Reviving fame
Language: True to life
Social Significance: Thought Provoking
