Birdman Movie Review

Birdman has undoubtedly taken both Hollywood and the movie-going audience by storm over the last couple of months. With a cast full of familiar faces such as Michael Keaton, Zach Galifanakis, Edward Norton, and Emma Stone people were very curious to see what all the hype was about. As a fair warning I feel like Birdman is the type of film that if you don't like within the first ten minutes, odds are you won't like it by the end. It is consistent in what it does and what it does is very good. The film is co-written, produced and directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu who has gotten much critical acclaim for his direction of Birdman.

This story revolves around Riggan Thomson (Keaton) an old, washed-up actor who in his prime played an iconic superhero called Birdman. He made two sequels playing the same character and was world famous. Fast forward a couple of decades and Riggan is desperately struggling to reclaim his spotlight. Accompanied by his friend and lawyer Jake (Galifanakis) and his recovering drug addict daughter-turned assistant Sam, (Stone) he intends on making a Broadway play that will put him back on the map. After a bumpy start, he recasts one of his lead roles and hires Mike (Norton) to fill the void. Mike is an over-the-top, arrogant, and disrespectful guy but nonetheless is a fantastic method actor. He works alongside Leslie (Naomi Watts) to put together a Raymond Carver play that is over 60 years old. Little did Riggan know that gaining his stardom back would be a lot easier said than done.

It's very rare that a movie can tackle some dark and serious themes while still managing to be so funny. You often times feel bad for Riggan and the people he affects along the way but you also can't help but laugh at the ridiculous situations these characters find themselves in. As funny as Keaton is, there is no denying that Norton really brought the comedy to the table with his obnoxious character. His dialogue with the rest of the cast was hilarious but Iñárritu definitely didn't make him a one-sided character. He gave everyone depth and meaning to progress the story. In particular I enjoyed Sam's story. Her relationship with her dad is clearly a strained one but there is still much love between them. She's damaged but not beyond repair and I thought Emma Stone did a wonderful job portraying Sam. The other scenes that really stood out to me too were the ones with Riggan and his subconscious which took the form of Birdman. It was pretty much him talking to his younger self, who was a huge asshole. It was like the devil and the angel on each shoulder, but without the angel, and the devil was dressed as a bird. It was such an effective and funny way to show Riggan's internal struggle and genuinely portray how part of himself was still stuck in that suit.

There were lots of things that came together to make this movie so good though. For one the soundtrack was great. It was deliberately loud and at times was a character of its own. The cinematography was interesting and the film often times felt like it was just one long take, keeping you invested in the story and the development of it's characters. The cast was also a strong cornerstone. They all had their roles, just like the play they were putting together, and put on stellar performances. Bravo to everyone that made this film possible, as it is always nice to see something different in film considering the over-saturation of the business. I give Birdman an 8 out of 10.