Review of Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014) by Jeff N — 21 Nov 2016

A well-written movie, with superb acting and phenomenal directing will usually get 4 and a half stars from me. To get 5, it needs to be that one element more special than just a fantastic movie. It has to be unique or a different perspective on a previously tackled subject.

"Birdman" (or "The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance") fits that description and gets 5 stars only because it cannot get more. Every movie starts with a story. The story portrayed here is flawless.

It is a brilliant story written in such a dark, nonsensical way, yet anchored with so much dialogue that 2 hours zooms by as the viewer tries hard to absorb it. It's the kind of story that leaves you talking about it, reading more about it and wanting to watch it again just to be sure you got it all.

In that sense, it was perfect. To execute all of that dialogue, the casting and acting had to be perfect, and I see no way it could have been done more perfectly. The attraction to the initial construct of the story centers around a seemingly washed-up actor who, 20 years removed from his heyday, is seeking to be both respected as an actor and appreciated by the fans who left him long ago.

However, as all good stories will include, the irony is, the meat of the story is not truly about that at all. Sure, it is peripherally, but the point of the film is about so much more than that. So, on the surface, getting Michael Keaton to play a role that is meant to lure audiences in thinking that the comparison to Michael's character, Riggin, and Michael himself is what the movie is about, but instead the audiences will be fed so much more.

And to do that not only takes excellent writing, but also solid casting and acting. "Birdman" also perfectly does this. Since the majority of the film is about the pretension of acting as a whole, both in celebrity-driven Hollywood as well as the self-importance of the Broadway theater scene, it was vital to cast actors who have done both and can seriously, yet ironically, play those kinds of characters.

Emma Stone and the brilliant Edward Norton solidify the execution of this story in a way that makes it so fun to absorb the deluge of dialogue in this 2-hour film. That brings us to directing. The gasoline in this machine, which relies heavily on how the acting carries out the dialogue and story, is rooted strongly in how the camera and direction guide the audience cinematically through it.

The dizzying, sometimes frantic, pace of the camera work and the perception of a 2-hour single-shot film, is the main reason the acting and script is able to be absorbed by the audience. The chemistry of all of these elements are done so perfectly, that 4.

5 stars was an easy award. What put "Birdman" over the top, however, is the sheer absurdity of its subject matter. The film is so schizophrenic, yet has to be in order to be coherent. It's a dark comedy.

It's a drama. It's an exquisite study into the minds of the type of people who become actors, why they get sucked into the field, what tortures them throughout their careers and, in the end, how they wrestle with the drama that has to be created in their own lives to even continue on such a seemingly-futile balance of integrity and popularity.

The definition of success as an actor is almost completely blurred. Then to attempt to blend any success in that craft with success in real life is just impossible. "Birdman" is such a farce, yet brilliantly constructed as an almost educational analysis of the industry that one walks out of the film simply amazed and nearly breathless trying to comprehend what had just been witnessed.

"Birdman" is what filmmaking is all about and what is so rarely seen. It will be taught in universities for years. It deserves Oscar recognition for directing, best acting, best supporting acting and screenplay.

It's just that good.