I finally got around to seeing Birdman tonight. What an enjoyable film! Ive liked the films director, Alejandro González Iñárritu, for a long time; his first film, Amores Perros, is one of my all-time favorites. Hes also the guy responsible for 21 Grams, Babel, and 2010s Biutiful. Birdman also features an amazing cast and a delightfully weird meta-heavy story about a washed-up Hollywood actor seeking to redeem himself artistically on Broadway. This actors name is Riggan Thompson. Twenty years ago, he rose to international notoriety playing a costumed superhero known as Birdman in three blockbuster action films. After Birdman 3, he quit the industry in an attempt to recover his artistic soul. Now, hes desparately trying to see his labor of love -- a play which he adapted from a Raymond Chandler story, and which he also directs and stars in -- into its opening weekend on Broadway. This production has drained his savings and strained his personal relationships. If it isnt successful, he may well find himself on the street -- but even worse (in his mind) is the fact that hell never get another chance to redeem himself as an artist. That the part of Riggan is played by Michael Keaton -- who himself played a famous caped hero some 20-some-odd years ago -- is kind of the films hook. Its meta, yes. But to the films credit, this metafictional stuff doesnt overwhelm the story. The similarities between Riggan and Keaton are there to be found, and its a hoot to see Keaton in full Birdman makeup late in the film -- but Keaton is smart enough, as an actor, to simply invest himself in the character of Riggan, and to let whatever similarities people find just speak for themselves. The rambling, quixotic story takes place mostly in and around the small Broadway theatre where Riggans play is entering its final days of rehearsal. A major cast-member is maimed by a falling stage-light, and must be replaced. Riggans producer, Jake (Zach Galifianakis in a dramatic role!) despairs about the chances of finding another good actor so late into rehearsals. And then, miraculously, one turns up! Mike Shiner, the critical darling of Broadway, is fired from a different production. Suddenly, hes available, and interested. It quickly becomes obvious that Mike is more than a handful. The casting of Edward Norton in the role of Mike is almost as much fun as the casting of Michael Keaton in the role of Riggan. While Keaton seems to be playing a funhouse-distorted, worst-case-scenario version of his own persona, Nortons Mike is the kind of obnoxiously self-absorbed method actor that Norton himself has occasionally been rumored to be. Mike says things like, I may not be a very honest person. But when Im onstage, what I do there -- thats 100% honesty, all the time. He disrespects Riggan at every opportunity, slighting his popularity: Popularity is like the slutty little cousin of prestige. Moments before a major onstage love-scene, he announces to his co-star (played by Naomi Watts): I have an erection! Lets actually do it! In front of all these people! Lets give them the real thing! She recoils in horror, which he notes as a form of unprofessionalism. Mikes titanic ego is matched by and contrasted to Riggans titanic ego -- and the conflict between these two men forms a kind of backbone throughout the film. Riggan seeks redemption, both artistically and personally, even as he continues hurt people around him. Mike has been praised as a genius so often that he claims to no longer care whether or not people actually like him. These two men really cant stand each other. And yet, they kind of need each other. The filmmaking on display here is top-notch, with Iñárritu deploying some technical wizardry to make most of the film appear as if it is one long, unbroken take. Such a gimmick could get old fast -- but here, it fits the material well, and I didnt often find myself distracted by the gee-whiz factor of it all. There are a few moments when the technique calls attention to itself -- such as when Keaton enters his dressing room to prepare for an interview, and then the camera pans around to the other side of the room and reveals the reporter sitting there, and we realize that an hour or more must have elapsed during the panning of the camera. But frankly, I like flourishes like these when theyre well-executed. Birdman has a handful of such moments, and I enjoyed each one. Theres another thread here, which some people might find a little goofy: Birdman has an element of magical-realism kind of sprinkled throughout. Its there in the movies opening sequence, when we find Riggan meditating in his tighty-whities, floating -- literally floating -- in the middle of his dressing-room. Throughout the film, theres the suggestion that Riggan has some kind of telekinetic ability. Hes also haunted by a critical inner-voice, which cajoles him for his artistic aspirations in a kind of running commentary. Of course, the film strongly implies that Riggans telekinetic abilities are a figment of his imagination -- a manifestation, perhaps, of his desparate desire to feel special. And the critical inner-voice is depicted as something which may be a form of mental-illness. Together, these elements are like the creative gears whirring away in his head, bouncing just a little out of control, putting magic and craziness into his life, in equal measure. At their best, Iñárritus films explore the fine line between comedy and drama, between life and death, between fate and coincidence. His best work finds a surreal kind of magic in the absurdity of life. Birdman is very much cut from this template -- and yet, it also feels like a bit of a departure for Iñárritu -- or, perhaps, even a bit of an evolution. Because, here, finally, Iñárritu gives us a story that isnt consumed with the workings of the illegal drug-trade, or the lives of retired hitmen, or of Mexican dog-fighting rings. Instead, Birdman plays like a drunken comedy, dealing with matters more trivial than organized crime -- and yet, finding the same kind of humor, pathos, and absurdity that has defined the best of his work.
Posted on: Sat, 03 Jan 2015 06:40:42 +0000
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