Review 337: Birdman

Birdman is a riverting, engrossing, riotously funny black comedy and an unprecedented achievement from director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu.

Former cinema superhero Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton) is mounting an ambitious Broadway production that he hopes will breathe new life into his stagnant career. It's risky, but he hopes that his creative gamble will prove that he's a real artist and not just a washed-up movie star. As opening night approaches, a castmate is injured, forcing Riggan to hire an actor Mike Shiner (Edward Norton) who is guaranteed to shake things up. Meanwhile, Riggan must deal with his girlfriend, Laura (Andrea Riseborough), his daughter and assistant, Sam (Emma Stone) and ex-wife, Sylvia (Amy Ryan).

The plot is...   amazing, it actually goes, beyond belief, it is so interpretative, it has so many levels and then those levels have levels-don't think about that too much, you head will explode.
It's funny, it's dark, it's twisted, then it's funny again, it just never stops!

At the core of the film is a story about connecting with what really matters. Riggan Thomson is this washed up actor trying to get his career back on track and who is really not seeing the big picture and giving the time of day to the people in his life. Haveing a great job is one thing but it's the people in our lives that bring us together and make life worthwile, support you in troubling times and whom you confide you worries in.

Another great thing about this film is that every character is going through their own dysfunction and it's all about to fall apart.
For Riggan Thomson, Birdman reprents his feelings of regret and resentment to what his life was and could have been. At the beginning he tries to suppress it because he doesn't want to look back at his failures but eventualy he starts to embrace it.
All of us have a Birdman no matter how big or small, they can be representitive of things that are happening in our livies things not going to plan, opinions clashing, pressure from work and they affect our daily lives but when we start to embrace and acknowledge them and to stop fighting them we can feel as right as rain. Riggan Thomson


Director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu has emphasised and defended the various ambiguities that are intentionally included in the film: "At the end of the film, it can be interpreted as many ways as there are seats in the theatre.
Many aspects of film theory have been debated concerning the film by critical reviews which included, among other subjects, (a) film genre (b) intended and unresolved ambiguities   of the plot and (c) the complex interaction of Riggan's personal life with his professional life as an actor.
A short list of the diverse forms of film genre associated with the film has included it being referred to alternatively as a black-comedy film, a mental health film, a realism/surrealism/magical realism, a dark humour parody, a film about psychological realism, a failed domestic reconciliation drama or a film concerning theatrical realism or naturalism.

The father/daughter relationship between Riggan and his daughter Sam is also brought to the forefront of this film.

Birdman can also be seen as a satirical critique of contemporary theatrical realism: As film critic Matthew Pejkovici stated "Birdman is a very intimate film about an artist's malaise, yet is epic, innovative and ambitious in approach. Inarritu captures the artist's battle between ambition, admiration and celebrity with stunning scope and skill in the form of a one take format 

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's direction is sensational (the whole movie is one long take with vitually no edits), the cinematography is gorgeous and captures the surialist feel of the film. The production design is terrificaly grand and atmospheric, the score by Antonio Sanchez is evocative with the usage of drums to signal a rise in tension, the costumes are mystical, the New York setting is marvelous, the special effects for the Thomson's imaginary scenes are stupendous and the ending is breathtaking.

The acting is tremendous, Michael Keaton litterally stole the show, he beautifully conveys the inner deamons and the ambition of this failing actor who at the same time goes on a journey of self discovery. A true career triumph. We experience the film through his eyes. He's trying to remove himself from the image of Birdman and hopefully stage a comeback via theatre by directing and staring in a play and be someone who's got chops. He's desperate to reclaim a life that he can be proud of. 

Emma Stone is also equally powerful as Sam, Riggan's wife, she is frustrated that he's not seeing the big picture about life. But she's also has her own inner demons being a recovering addict and is under a lot of pressure from being his manager and she's fresh out of rehab.

Another actor who I thought was very good in this film was Zack Galifanakis as Jake, Riggan's best friend and lawyer. They are partners, they've been working together for a while which you can tell in the interactions between the two, they'e had some good times together when Riggan was a major star and he's basically along for the ride. Now they are trying to figure out the next move, which is to revive Riggan's career.

Naomi Watts is also very strong as Lesley, she is an aspiring actress who is desperate for her big break. It's her childhood dream to get to Broadway, she's so focused and she'll let nothing get in the way of it. When one of the actors has to leave the play due to onset injuries, she gets worried that it's all gonna fall apart and at the risk of herself she puts her boyfriend forward who she knows is going to come with trouble but it shows how desperate she is for her broadway debut.

Andrea Riseborough is very good as Laura, Riggan's girlfriend, when he first met her, he didn't think there was a lot going on between the two of them, but eventually they they really like each other and enjoy each others company as well as communicate on the same level. She also really loves him and she feels rejected by him daily, she feels inadequate, not sexy and she constantly has to reinsert herself and reinsert her sexuality and thats part of who she is as a character.

Edward Norton is also very strong as Mike Shiner, he's almost what Riggan had at the beginning of his career, he's successful, a bankable star, he's high in demand, a looker, smiling, all the cool stuff and that makes Riggan jealous.

Also very good in the film are Amy Ryan as Sylvia, Riggan's wife and Lindsey Duncan as Tabitha Dickinson a theatre critic who is critical of Riggan's theatre production.  

Birdman is a riotously funny black comedy that's unlike anything that's been put on film, 5/5.

The Anonymous Critic.