Birdman is a very unexpected movie (as the title would suggest) in this year's catalog of half-assery in the box office. I've been very unimpressed in this year as a whole when it comes to film. There have been some decent films and some surprise gems, but overall there are only a handful of movies that are going to hang around and stand the test of time. I truly believe Birdman will be one of those films.
We begin with Riggan hovering a foot or so in the air meditating while his darker, deeper-voiced altar ego narrates his dissatisfaction of the current situation he's in. Soon, Riggan stands and begins his play rehearsal as the camera follows him around without a single cut. He joins fellow actors on the stage and a hanging stage light falls hitting his co-star in the head and knocking him out cold. Riggan believes he caused this with his mind, but that may or may not be the case. It's only a few days until the curtain opens on his new play that he adapted, directed and is starring in based off a short story by Raymond Carver. This is to be Riggan's comeback into the acting world. He's a has-been. The washed up remains of a late 80s star of the superhero flick "Birdman" and its sequels. This is not unlike Keaton's own story of being a big star in the 80s and 90s, starring in Batman, and then fading into obscurity for a decade or so. This play is to be Riggan's comeback. This movie is to be Keaton's.
Riggan, in desperate need of an acting replacement and someone who will put asses into seats, hires Mike (Edward Norton), a theater veteran with a serious temper and control problem. He wreaks havoc on the set with his attitude, yet still manages to be the best part of the entire play. Riggan struggles with his daughter (Emma Stone), recently released from rehab, his ex-wife (Amy Ryan), his fellow actors (Naomi Watts) and his lawyer (Zach Galifinakis) all the while trying to piece together and perfect his comeback performance. The problem with Riggan is that he's very unsure about his place in the world. He used to be a big star and the only part of his past that is left is the voice in his head... himself as Birdman.
What's great about the film is that it's not about an actor trying to find his place in the arts again, but it's about the integrity of art as a whole. Riggan and Mike clash because Mike doesn't have respect for Riggan as an actor, since he comes from film. Mike is a prima donna and a control freak who Riggan clashes with because he feels he's trying to take away the righteousness of the play. There's even a Broadway renowned critic who decides she's going to write a scathing review of the play before she's even seen it in order to keep Hollywood actors from corrupting the beauty that is the stage. What everyone except Riggan fail to realize is that he's put just as much heart and soul into his play as anyone possibly could. He's ostracized his family, gone completely broke, and almost corrupts his sanity in order to put on a play that he is most passionate about; an homage to the person that inspired him to be an actor in the first place.
What the film is explaining (in most bizarre and hilarious ways) is that it doesn't matter who the artist is or where the art comes from-- it's still art and there's no reason to belittle it based on a past history. The film has many bizarre moments with Riggan thinking he is able to superhuman stuff and it maintains the "single shot" gimmick throughout its entirety. However, unlike he last movie to pull it off, Silent House, the whole movie being a single shot isn't just a gimmick here. It isn't distracting. You don't find yourself trying to figure out where the director could've possibly faked a continuous shot, but had to cut instead. It fits in with the theme of the film. Not only does it represent everything that a stage play is-- one continuous take with no do-overs-- but it's also another form of filmmaking art.
Keaton is amazing in this movie. If there was ever a movie made for a return to the big time it's this (think also John Travolta in Pulp Fiction or Robert Downey Jr. in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang). He plays Riggan with a weird sense of honesty. He knows that everything going on in his mind is false and doesn't play up that he's anything other than a desperate washed up actor doing whatever he can to make it back. Had gay little Gyllenhaal in Nightcrawler not turned in such a phenomenal performance, the gold would be Keaton's in a second. Not unlike Keaton's previous superhero franchises, the man can truly play two-faced. And we appreciate both of them.
I loved this movie.
A
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