In Birdman, or cleverly subtitled (The Unexpected Virtue Of Ignorance) – trust me..it makes sense when you see the movie. The film stars Michael Keaton as a has-been blockbuster repugnant actor, Riggan Thomson, trying to gauge his loins on Broadway. Thomson best known.. for playing Birdman 20 years ago, now divorced from his wife (Amy Ryan) and estranged from his troubled daughter (Emma Stone). Thomson sets out to establish himself in the glamorous world of live theatre. He does this by opting to write, direct and star in his own show based on the cleverly amped Raymond Carver story “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love.”

As fate would seem to have it (give or take) when Thomson is eagerly displeased with his co-star (Jeremy Shamos), he makes a last second split decision to cast the inexplicably talented – critically acclaimed stage performer, Mike Shriner (Edward Norton) who must adhere to the challenge of jumping into the process 24 hours before their first performance. However, Shriner makes a huge scene during their first public performance (pr. This spirals Thomson into a sea of obligatory doubt and self worth – second-guessing his own talent, personal relationships, career choices and the ever sought after…”Will people ever love me again?”

Written and directed by Mexican filmmaker Alejandro González Iñárritu..best known to American audiences for 21 Grams, or Babel. While the film itself seemingly feels like a dark drama around the edges, deep within it is really just a nice black comedy..riding on riffs and satirical set pieces based on the whole process of performing, and it does so quite well. An art house exploration that rides on nice allusions towards actors working in the industry, “Get Michael Fassbender” .. “I can’t he is doing the prequel of the prequel, to the X-Men movie”. Or even self referential humor towards Michael Keaton in his old Batman glory days, there was also discussion of injecting of pig semen into your veins..what?

Nevertheless, Birdman is a roaring, and resounding success on all efforts, physically and metaphorically. The story itself may look like a nice parody of the Marvel cinematic universe, and Fox Searchlight has done a great job positioning it that way. The film does though distinctly fill itself with rudimentary characters that are..dare I say, simplistic, and real.

There are truly a slew of memorable performances to go around, I mean where to begin. The film had a unique style of filmmaking that, much like the crew in the film, took many risks and went with it. The cinematography is just tremendous, edited to the point of making the film look like one continuous shot after another, which includes restraining the actors to performing 15 pages of dialogue in one take. There was one instance, where I sat there pondering how such an achievement could be done. The team made very ambitious choices – like deciding to actually shoot most of the film inside the actual broadway theater, which gave the impression we were watching Birdman in actual time. It doesn’t hurt that Inarritu invested in Academy Award winning cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki (Gravity) – look for him to take home another Oscar two years in a row, this is scene work that will be dissected for many years to come.

Still, this is a nice gimmick to get audiences easily invested into his characters. Five minutes into the film I was already snickering advertently at a more serious (yet still hilarious) Zach Galifianakis – who steals most of his scenes as the attorney at hand, hired to aid in all things union (like a sudden 200 pound light fixture falling from three stories onto your head..ouch). And each cast member is highly supported. Keaton leads the hefty brigade with a performance that, without question, is Oscar worthy. Though, the self awareness of his literal career in the film only adds more blatant subtext. It’s Keaton’s sincerity and outright off the wall foolishness that in turn make for a terrific turn as Thomson. This being Keaton’s first leading role in over six years, and while his list of films are long..Birdman offers a more righteously toned set.

Similarly, Emma Stone and Edwards Norton (no strangers to superhero fare, I’m afraid) are even more in tune with themselves. Stone in particular as the diverted daughter, just released from rehab. Believe me, when I say there was a certain scene, (done in one shot) where Stone rages against her father for all his helplessness and denial. All I can say is…chills. Every inch of my body wanted to stand up and applaud (I then felt  that would look sketchy in a semi packed movie theater). I digress, the character is not that much of stretch for Stone, but she truly stands her ground against hefty Hollywood A-listers.

Even more so, Edward Norton as the pretentious and ruthless Mike Shriner is easily Norton’s most memorable part in the last five years. Ironically, this is the character I felt reminded me the most of a fellow Fight Club co-star, Tyler Durden (a.k.a Brad Pitt). Norton is given many opportunities to shine his brightest (and he does..unequivocally). Being a theatre major, myself, I find his slicht and appeal to be most realistic, we have all dealt with that person – everyone loves them – but nobody wants to work with them. I loved the way the crew decided to approach Shriner’s character. A fractured being – or an accomplished stage actor who can embody other characters, but cannot embody himself. Dealing with strains of self regret, it’s a fun departure for Norton, who really never plays roles outside of himself (like he does here).

The first two acts of the film stand as a good segway to focus on the outer depths of it’s phenomenal character development. Alas, towards the third act it shifts gears quite a lot and focuses more on Keaton and his downward spiral into oblivion. Thomson, rightfully steps into the spotlight. Including a tundra of a climax – that is very open ended and ambiguous – but yet still deeply satisfying.

There has been a film produced here that actually offers audiences something they have never seen before. Originality. In spite of that, Birdman is not for everyone – the random zany and wacky black comedy will likely turn off most mainstream moviegoers. In fact, audiences may rather be turned off by Inarritu’s ode to the comic book movie world ..or even surprised. Much like “Boyhood” earlier this year..the experimental style of filmmaking has indeed paid off in droves. Pay close attention to the rigor and detail. And you may just walk away from this film, with a deeper intuitive sense of what we talk about when we talk about love, or the unexpected virtue of ignorance, whichever you prefer.

A+

Directed By Alejandro González Iñárritu

Rated: R

Runtime: 119 mins

Release Date: October 17th (limited) October 31st (wide)

Studio: Fox Searchlight

Thanks for Stopping Buy ®