So I finally got to see Birdman
SPOILER FREE
I think I can speak for many people out there that this is going to end up being Michael Keaton's big hollywood comeback. I truly do hope so because he is a genuine talent that's been gone from the screen far too long and is missed by many. In my humble opinion, he was the best Batman to this day. No disrespect to Christian Bale who was also really good but he was a better Bruce Wayne than acting as Batman in the suit. Not many people truly like that whole bat growl and make fun of it consistently. With Keaton, he didn't need to put on a voice, he WAS Batman. The little suttle things he did when playing the part such as eating at the far ends of a dinner table with Vicky Vale and hanging upside down when sleeping really added so much to his character going off the 1989 film. He was simply brilliant as a man whose on the edge after witnessing his parents gunned down as a child. The consensus is when Keaton left being Batman, his career faded after that. All he's been doing since then is voice animation and side parts in films, nothing in a long time that's truly shows off his full potential as an actor. Not until Birdman.
Birdman is hands down the best Michael Keaton performance in a very long time, perhaps ever. Where he gave truly awesome performances in Beetlejuice, Clean and Sober, Batman, Batman Returns, Pacific Heights, and My Life, this film really shows us his full range and man has he been truly missed. This movie 's success lies almost completely on his performance alone, as he is the star of the film and it's his journey. In Birdman, Keaton plays a washed up actor who was once an iconic superhero, finds himself battling his ego and trying to recover his family, his career, and himself in the days leading up to the opening of a Broadway play. The movie is expertly directed in one long continuous take by Amores Perro's, 21 Grams, and Babel filmmaker Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. In terms of getting top notch performances out of his actors, this filmmaker is one of the best whether you agree with his stylistic approach to filmmaking or not. Other great performances in this film come from method actor Edward Norton playing another method actor giving the second best performance behind Keaton, Emma Stone, and Naomi Watts who all truly shine in this film. However this is always first and foremost Keaton's movie and will be looked upon as such by many viewers. His performance is a lot of fun and just downright terrific to watch. One whose a real fan of this guy will get a certain ounce of excitement and thrill watching this film because it shows everyone exactly why he deserves the Oscar. He is phenomenal in this film and one gets the feeling that it's really him in this part and he is connecting so well with this character. Maybe deep down he was feeling like this prior to accepting the part and jumped at the first chance to take it because this really does feel like it was made for him in mind for the lead role. He is the essential key figure in what makes this film work so well. Everyone else backs him up with stellar performances and the film is thought provoking and very creative. Creativity is this films next great strength. It's an original storyline that's down to earth and gives insight into theater performers lifestyles or what it could be like. Not saying anyone is secretly a superhero on Broadway but this movie encourages the thought to pass through the brain. Keaton's acting in the final 10 minutes along with Emma Stones are phenomenal.
Birdman is a film that should be seen by every Michael Keaton fan out there and every lover of good films or likes artsy stuff. One is reminded of other great movies where the actors take their job professions very seriously like Mickey Rourke in Wrestler and Natalie Portman in Black Swan. The whole message of Birdman is it is challenging the viewer to think of the question of love vs. admiration. Which one would you rather have? That is the constant struggle that Michael Keaton endures in this film and one which he pulls off so well. I sincerely hope that come Oscar night, he walks away with the award and begins a new prosperous career as one of the most serious actors working today. This really does feel like his comeback.
9/10
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