I walked into this film thinking it may have just been a somewhat happy go lucky parody of a man who once played a superhero in blockbuster films, but walked out recognizing this was a very dark tale about an actor hell bent on remaining relevant to society at large. Add to it, Michael Keaton’s main character of Riggan Thomson, the former blockbuster comic book film actor who now is trying to have one last comeback of success on the stage, is the synthesis of what drives this movie’s core.
Now, on one hand you have top notch acting by Keaton (top of his game here), Edward Norton, Zach Galifianakis, Emma Stone, Naomi Watts, and others, along with well written, punchy dialogue, coupled with amazing cinematography, sound, and some surprisingly great flying effects to boot. On the other hand I felt that the majority of these characters were not likable in the least. Walking out of the theater was troublesome because even though I felt I witnessed a well made movie for many of the reasons I listed, something was missing. And that something was indeed the likability factor that other movies with dark characters tend to show the audience something they can root for in the tragic character(s) being depicted.
However, one facet this film hit a home run with was the message that humans really aren’t that “relevant” as they’d like to think they are. Case in point, somewhat earlier in the film, Emma Stone’s character, Sam, is venting to her dad about the fact humans have only been on the planet for 150,000 years as compared to the earth as a whole being around for 500,000 plus. If only for a second, it made Riggan stop dead in his tracks with a facial expression that exuded some level of humility.
Later on, as Riggan keeps pushing towards being important in the eyes of audiences again, it’s easy to view his character arc as a sad depiction of what many people who want to be famous, and continue lusting for fame go through. Dare I say this film takes an indirect sucker punch to actors in general, and some of the dark lives they lead behind the scenes? Whether it was the story’s intention to convey that or not, it succeeded on many levels throughout the film with several of its lead characters.
It should also be mentioned this film seems to draw a little bit from the style and flare of some P.T. Anderson films from the late 90s/early 2000s like Boogie Nights, Magnolia, and Punch Drunk Love. The soundtrack of Birdman, coupled with the pacing of interaction between its characters made me think director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu felt some bit of inspiration from those past works.
In the end, this isn’t a great film, nor a bad one. It will certainly make you think, and keep your brain churning as you walk out of the theater, but the main caveat is don’t expect to want to revisit this film or characters a second or third time. Whereas a film like Goodfellas or Boogie Nights had many of their main characters committing despicable acts, films like that still have replay value to this day, and yet Birdman: The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance, has none of that Mojo going for it.
Regardless of the film’s shortcomings, it’s great to see Michael Keaton in a film that truly allows him to flex his acting muscle that’s been dormant since the 80s and 90s. Nuff said!
3/5 stars
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