Birdman (2014)
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Critics Consensus: A thrilling leap forward for director Alejandro González Iñárritu, Birdman is an ambitious technical showcase powered by a layered story and outstanding performances from Michael Keaton and Edward Norton.
Critics Consensus: A thrilling leap forward for director Alejandro González Iñárritu, Birdman is an ambitious technical showcase powered by a layered story and outstanding performances from Michael Keaton and Edward Norton.
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Movie Info
BIRDMAN or The Unexpected Virtue Of Ignorance is a black comedy that tells the story of an actor (Michael Keaton) - famous for portraying an iconic superhero - as he struggles to mount a Broadway play. In the days leading up to opening night, he battles his ego and attempts to recover his family, his career, and himself. (c) Fox Searchlight
- Rating:
- R (for language throughout, some sexual content and brief violence)
- Genre:
- Comedy
- Directed By:
- Alejandro González Iñárritu
- Written By:
- Alejandro González Iñárritu , Armando Bo , Nicolás Giacobone , Alexander Dinelaris, Jr.
- In Theaters:
- Oct 17, 2014 Wide
- On DVD:
- Mar 16, 2015
- Box Office:
- $26.3M
- Runtime:
Cast
-
Michael Keaton
as Riggan -
Lindsay Duncan
as Tabitha -
Zach Galifianakis
as Jake -
Edward Norton
as Mike -
Andrea Riseborough
as Laura -
Amy Ryan
as Sylvia
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LoginCritic Reviews for Birdman
All Critics (246) | Top Critics (49) | Fresh (227) | Rotten (19)
Birdman, more than most, seems a film that deserves a second viewing, not only to admire the work of Keaton and his co-stars, but to delve into its many layers.
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20150114133332im_/http://d3biamo577v4eu.cloudfront.net/static/images/redesign/user.none.tmb.jpg)
It's a quasi-religious fable about a man haunted by the past and facing a profound moral and existential crisis in the present, and it's a dazzling display of virtuoso cinematic technique and showboat performances.
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20150114133332im_/http://content6.flixster.com/critic/22/2236_tmb.jpg)
This is a strange and beautiful and unique film, one of the best movies of the year.
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20150114133332im_/http://content8.flixster.com/critic/22/2266_tmb.png)
Birdman takes advantage of every facet of Keaton's talent, from his knack for absurdist comedy to his seemingly effortless ability to tap into graceful profundity without making a big show of it.
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20150114133332im_/http://content9.flixster.com/critic/16/1699_tmb.jpg)
Whether or not Riggan is in fact possessed of divine abilities-Iñárritu offers contradictory clues along the way-Birdman puts on clear display the indisputable superpowers of its cinematographer, Emmanuel Lubezki.
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20150114133332im_/http://content9.flixster.com/critic/23/2315_tmb.gif)
It's a white elephant of a movie that conceals a mouse of timid wisdom, a mighty and churning machine of virtuosity that delivers a work of utterly familiar and unoriginal drama.
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20150114133332im_/http://d3biamo577v4eu.cloudfront.net/static/images/redesign/user.none.tmb.jpg)
Hugely ambitious, rambunctious, loud and thrilling; it takes risks at every step, and while not all pay off, most do in spades. It's not always funny but when it is, it's hilarious. It is also highly original - and that always deserves credit.
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20150114133332im_/http://content7.flixster.com/critic/23/2373_tmb.jpg)
A journey of crisis and transformation as an ageing actor (Michael Keaton) battles colleagues, family and friends, but mostly his own powerful inner demons.
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20150114133332im_/http://content9.flixster.com/critic/18/1819_tmb.gif)
A superb examination of the pursuit of validation
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20150114133332im_/http://content9.flixster.com/critic/23/2327_tmb.jpg)
Filmed like a play but choreographed like a dance, Birdman is cinematic ballet.
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20150114133332im_/http://content9.flixster.com/critic/25/2507_tmb.gif)
Surprising us most just when we think we know exactly what's coming, combining humour, pathos, drama, magic realism and a potential bag of Oscars, Birdman is virtuoso filmmaking
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20150114133332im_/http://content9.flixster.com/critic/14/1499_tmb.gif)
AN incongruous, edgy and brilliant film from Alejandro Inarritu, whose dark comic tones agitate the unfathomable world of the creative actor. It's a mind-blowing affair
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20150114133332im_/http://content8.flixster.com/critic/15/1502_tmb.gif)
Propelled by a jittery jazz drum score by Antonio Sanchez, Birdman hurtles at breakneck pace between farcical backstage comedy and neurotic fantasy.
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20150114133332im_/http://content7.flixster.com/critic/22/2257_tmb.jpg)
Laments the current state of the film industry through a fantastic, intimate and trippy journey into the artist's mind, where the battle between integrity and celebrity takes no quarter during an era of blockbuster movie dominance.
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20150114133332im_/http://content8.flixster.com/critic/23/2306_tmb.jpg)
Make no mistake, there is magic here, and Birdman is definitely a must-see film.
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20150114133332im_/http://d3biamo577v4eu.cloudfront.net/static/images/redesign/user.none.tmb.jpg)
Birdman is an overwhelming experience, a satirical assault on the senses that's hard to believe even as it's seen.
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20150114133332im_/http://content8.flixster.com/critic/25/2502_tmb.gif)
Despite its pretensions to be something more, the picture is most entertaining as a backstage farce.
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20150114133332im_/http://d3biamo577v4eu.cloudfront.net/static/images/redesign/user.none.tmb.jpg)
Just as modern cinema seems resigned to cape-fluttering repetition, along comes something truly original. How often can you say that now?
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20150114133332im_/http://d3biamo577v4eu.cloudfront.net/static/images/redesign/user.none.tmb.jpg)
Iñárritu's film isn't half as clever as it thinks it is.
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20150114133332im_/http://d3biamo577v4eu.cloudfront.net/static/images/redesign/user.none.tmb.jpg)
What Keaton is up to here definitely issues some harsh demands. However, the pay-off is well worth sticking around for.
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20150114133332im_/http://d3biamo577v4eu.cloudfront.net/static/images/redesign/user.none.tmb.jpg)
Birdman works best and lives longest in the memory, not as a formal experiment, but as an excellent trawl though the psyche of insecure actors.
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20150114133332im_/http://content8.flixster.com/critic/23/2318_tmb.jpg)
It's a film no one expected but one for which we're utterly grateful.
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20150114133332im_/http://d3biamo577v4eu.cloudfront.net/static/images/redesign/user.none.tmb.jpg)
Michael Keaton's performance as ex-leading man Riggan Thomson sees this former star reborn.
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20150114133332im_/http://d3biamo577v4eu.cloudfront.net/static/images/redesign/user.none.tmb.jpg)
Birdman has wings, for certain, even if you find the feathers sticking in your throat now and then.
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20150114133332im_/http://d3biamo577v4eu.cloudfront.net/static/images/redesign/user.none.tmb.jpg)
Iñárritu serves up a truly fanciful production that is long on characterization but woefully short in the realities of the theatre.
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20150114133332im_/http://content9.flixster.com/critic/17/1775_tmb.gif)
Birdman is a tour de force, a heady mix of dark comedy and psychic meltdown with energy vibrating from every frame.
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20150114133332im_/http://content8.flixster.com/critic/16/1606_tmb.gif)
Audience Reviews for Birdman
A vibrant, surreal, freeform, jazzy, stream-of-conciousness existential fable with emotional and witty performances. Probably Gonzalez Iñarritu's best work since his debut and Michael Keaton's deserved comeback into the cinematic myths he walked away from.
MoreSuper Reviewer
''I love it when a plan comes together!''
So do I, Hannibal, so do I, because when it does, it's glorious. And Birdman is truly glorious.
Super Reviewer
A former action film star attempts to make a come back with a Broadway production.
There is no doubt that this film features some of the finest work in Michael Keaton's and Edward Norton's careers, and the almost constant cinematography directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu is captivating and frenetic eye candy. However, the story is a hodgepodge of dangling the plot threads and missed opportunities. While it is true that Keaton's protagonist carries the film, The subplots with his daughter, the lesbian affair, and the failing marriage never tie into Riggin's journey, and these sections of the film leave me with more questions than answers. Also, the last shot of the film seems to change the rules established by the first hour and fifty-eight minutes.
Overall, while the films performances are a joy to watch, the story fails to have any cohesion.
![hunterjt13](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20150114133332im_/http://static6.flixster.com/static/locker/images/actor.default.tmb.gif)
Super Reviewer
Birdman is funny, smart, and raw filmmaking with enough creative twists and turns to keep the audience enthralled with its intimate look at an actor's life. The script is impeccable and Keaton, Norton, and Stone give outstanding performances. You won't forget this one. A must-see.
MoreSuper Reviewer
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