by Trevor Kirkendall
★★★★
“Birdman” is a true original. It’s a rambunctious dark
comedy that plays more like the lucid dream of a schizophrenic rather than a
straightforward story. And I loved everything about it.
★★★★
Michael Keaton stars as Riggan Thompson, a washed up
Hollywood movie star whose most famous days are behind him. He’s most famous
for playing a superhero named Birdman in a highly successful franchise. He’s
trying to reinvent his career by adapting, directing and starring in his own
play on Broadway. As the story begins, Riggan is having difficulties with one
of his supporting actors. An accident gives Riggan the chance to replace him.
Thanks to help from his costar Lesley (Naomi Watts) and his agent/best friend
Jake (Zach Galifianakis) Riggan is able to get Broadway superstar Mike Shiner
(Edward Norton) in his play.
Shiner’s presence initially invigorates Riggan, but
subsequently starts driving him insane. Shiner is here to steal the show away
because he’s the top Broadway star and despises actors from Hollywood. Shiner
also complicates matters when he shows an interest in Riggan’s daughter Sam
(Emma Stone), who is trying to restart her own life following a bit of a rough
patch.
Talk about a film that just bursting with originality. "Birdman" is an
exhilarating film to watch thanks to the wonderful and very original vision of
filmmaker Alejandro González Iñárritu. Originality is nothing new for Iñárritu.
He’s directed some films that were very innovative at the time of their
release, such as the fantastic “Amores Perros” and the shuffled up narrative
“21 Grams.” This is yet another masterpiece to be added to his very successful
career. His script is brilliantly crafted alongside his recent writing partners
Nicolás Giacobone and Armando Bo, and new writer Alexander Dinelaris. There
isn’t one second of uninteresting dialogue or unnecessary filler.
One of the most original ideas about “Birdman” is the
decision to make the film appear as though it’s been captured in one seamless
take. Emmanuel Lubezki is the cinematographer tasked to make this happen, and
he’s pulled it off beautifully. Lubezki is the cinematographer who captured all
the breathtaking shots from last year’s “Gravity,” and I believe he has outdone
himself here. Both are certainly challenging films to make, but “Birdman”
doesn’t have the same reliance on CGI as “Gravity.” With the exception of a
couple cuts right at the beginning and the end, the entire bulk of the
narrative shows no visible cuts. The camera is in a constant state of motion.
The seamlessness of the film’s camera movements can also be
attributed to film editors Douglas Crise and Stephen Mirrione, both who have
worked with Iñárritu before, most notably on “Babel.” These editors have hidden
all the cuts to make the film come across as one free flowing image. Sure,
there are films that have been made where everything was captured in just one
take, but this type of narrative wouldn’t have worked like that. “Birdman” is
eye candy for anyone who loves a well-photographed film.
Keaton has never been better. He’s had some memorable roles
throughout his career, but “Birdman” will go down as his greatest performance.
He’s a tormented man who just wants to be remembered for something great. We
can all relate to that, right? But I’m not sure from where Keaton was able to
pull such a tortured performance. Maybe he really feels this way after playing
such characters as Batman and Beetlejuice? It’s probably difficult for casting
directors to look at him and think audiences won’t be able take him seriously.
It’s not like Keaton is in multiple movies each year. It might be very
difficult for him. If that’s where this darkness is coming from, then this is
the perfect role for him to tackle. He’s mesmerizing to watch.
The rest of the cast turn in equally fantastic performances
that help make this one of the best ensembles assembled this year. Stone turns
in a career-best performance as Keaton’s equally tormented daughter. She’ll
have a lot to live up to moving forward in her career. Norton is turns in a
memorable performance for the first time in a long time. It’s hard to identify
a primary antagonist in the story, but Norton makes a good case and he excels
at it. The scenes with him and Keaton are among the film’s most memorable. Even
Galifianakis leaves behind his usual comedic shtick and actually plays the
role. While his appearance isn’t altered in any way, he’s unrecognizable in his
role thanks to such a solid performance.
“Birdman” is such an exhilarating ride and one of the year’s
best films. This film could have easily been made just as straightforward as
any other film, but it's Iñárritu’s artistic vision that makes this film so much more enjoyable.
There’s a distinct amount of electricity running through this movie that’s
missing in so many others. Cinema is supposed to be an emotionally moving
visual art form, and so many filmmakers have forgotten this. But not Iñárritu.
He continues to outdo himself time and time again. “Birdman” is his best work. And it's Keaton's best work. And it's one of the best films of 2014.
