Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014)
I've read that Birdman is a movie that pulls back the curtain to reveal (surprise!) that show-biz is really just a hell of egomaniacs on adrenalin highs. Rumors are true. It does.
I’ve read that Birdman is a movie that pulls back the curtain to reveal (surprise!) that show-biz is really just a hell of egomaniacs on adrenalin highs, using and abusing one another for stardom, and taking the name of “art” in vain. The rumors are true. It does.
In case you’ve missed the rush of reviews so far: Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) — that’s the full, official title, unfortunately — stars Michael Keaton (this performance almost requires me to type his name in ALL CAPS) as Riggan Thomson, a very Michael Keaton-like star who once blockbusted the box office as a gruff superhero (one who seems more Iron Man-ish than Batman-ish), but who now despises the banality of the whole comic-book movie genre. In reaction against his cultural entanglement with sophomoric cinema, he’s trying to reinvent himself on Broadway to gain a reputation of relevance and dignity by writing, directing, and starring in a Raymond Carver adaptation, in the company of a legendary stage actor and up-and-coming talents (played by a supremely confident Edward Norton; a sensually spectacular Andrea Riseborough; and Naomi Watts, nervy and neurotic).
But Riggan has bigger challenges than his slow disappearance from movie theater marquees:
- his daughter (Emma Stone, rather terrifying in her confidence here) resents him for being absent from her life;
- his ex-wife (an angelic Amy Ryan), who still cares about him, divorced him over an extramarital affair;
- one of his actresses just might be, um, expecting something more than a big break;
- and he’s broke.
His crisis of ego, identity, and confidence is just the latest manifestation of one of Hollywood’s favorite characters: the artist who puts his soul at risk for the sake of success. If it weren’t for the coaching of his devoted stage manager (Zack Galifianakis, surprisingly strong as Riggan’s manager and voice of reason), he might just fall to pieces.
In spite of a wave of rave reviews for Birdman, I bought a ticket with some reluctance.