If you think there are just too many superhero franchises taking over movie theaters these days, Birdman might be the movie for you.
Based on his script, director Alejandro González Iñárritu certainly seems to feel this way. The entire movie isn’t about this. But it does form part of the foundation for his lead character, Riggan Thomson (played by Michael Keaton). Thomson became an international superstar by playing costumed superhero Birdman in three films, and shocked the movie industry when he turned down Birdman 4. From there, he found that Hollywood didn’t take an actor who dressed up in a mask, tights and wings too seriously, and has been trying to get back some artistic relevance ever since.
Obviously, there are parallels between Thomson’s story and Keaton’s career, which is one reason why Birdman has received so much advance buzz as it slowly rolls out throughout the country. As you surely know, Keaton essentially ignited the acceptance of superhero movies as a viable blockbuster property in 1989’s Batman. He and director Tim Burton continued their portrayal of Bruce Wayne’s masked crusader in 1992’s Batman Returns.
But playing Batman twice was enough for Keaton. He was smart enough to see that Warner Brothers had a far different direction in mind for future Bat-movies, opting for Joel Schumacher’s brighter, campier take for the character and walked away from the role (along with a reported truckload of money).
However, whether by choice or perception, Keaton didn’t exactly continue to take big roles in action movies and blockbusters. He had leading parts in The Paper (1994) and Multiplicity (1996), both of which were well-regarded. But after that, Keaton began to slide into obscurity, taking supporting roles in Jackie Brown or Herbie Fully Loaded (?). There was White Noise in 2005, but that was hardly the showcase you might have expected from him in the 1980s or early ’90s.
I should say that I grew up as a huge fan of Keaton — yes, even before he played Batman. His performance in Night Shift was one of my favorites, and I never understood why my friends didn’t love it as much as I did. Mr. Mom made him a star. (Why hasn’t that movie been remade?) I even liked Gung Ho, and if I had the chance to watch it now, I might avoid it because I’d be afraid it hasn’t held up since 1986. And Beetlejuice was iconic. If Keaton was in a movie, I would see it. My head exploded when he was cast as Batman (even though that sounded like a disaster).
So I’ve been gobbling up the narrative that’s developed regarding Birdman as Keaton’s comeback vehicle. Here was his chance to remind people that he was a really good actor, working for an acclaimed director. The story also provides a chance for him to poke fun at his career and tweak the industry that has come to value big franchises and superhero properties to the point where there doesn’t seem to be a lot of room for filmmakers and actors to make smaller, perhaps more realistic sorts of movies.
Iñárritu also has some interesting things to say about the role of criticism. Obviously, part of a critic’s job is to hold art up to a standard. This movie is a masterpiece. This one is absolute dreck. But does that role entitle them to hold the fate of someone’s career in their hands? Is it the height of arrogance for critics to act as if they’re gatekeepers for a particular medium, to keep something supposedly pure? TV actors shouldn’t do film. Movie actors shouldn’t do theater.
Perhaps Iñárritu is particularly sensitive to this, having previously made deadly serious films like Amores Perros, 21 Grams and Babel, but now looking to make something a little bit lighter, if no less substantial. Could he make something funny? Or would making fun of the current Hollywood industry come off as bitter? Even within his close circle, does Iñárritu find himself increasingly marginalized while friends and peers Alfonso Cuarón and Guillermo del Toro thrive in a market that’s insatiable for blockbusters?
Yet Birdman isn’t just a parody or commentary, as the movie’s subtitle “The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance” indicates. Everyone in this movie is aware of how little their life and achievements seem to mean, realizing that they didn’t find the happiness that seemingly comes with success. For Thomson, those self-doubts are a voice in his head, telling him that he used to be a star and can be one again. Put on that Birdman costume (which is hilariously ridiculous, by the way), give the people what they want and forget all this anxiety about being taken seriously as an actor. And if you feel unloved, wait until you become a star again. The love will come.
Or are we all just destined to be unhappy if our lives don’t have a true purpose? Perhaps the true happiness comes from realizing that meaning can be small — or at least smaller than the grand ambitions so many of us hold for ourselves. Maybe just being good at your job is enough. Or bringing people happiness with the art you create. Perhaps it’s just being a good husband and father.
That still sounds as if Iñárritu is keeping a dark outlook in his films. Maybe he just can’t help himself. But taking a step outside reality — whether it’s with Thomson’s delusions about his power over objects in the room, the surreal feeling created by the long takes through the backstage corridors of the theater, or the sharp, percussive nature of Antonio Sanchez’s largely drum-fueled score — has allowed Iñárritu to say everything he wanted to say with this movie. And it has a whole hell of a lot to say.
Birdman isn’t about any one thing — unless, of course, you choose to see one thing as a viewer. But it works on so many different levels. That’s what makes it such a rich film, one which pulls you into its world and keeps you completely engaged by the people in it. The writing is thoughtful, the direction is clever and the acting performances are as good as you’d hope for with a cast including Edward Norton, Emma Stone, Amy Ryan and Zach Galifianakis.
It’s not a surprise that many are calling this one of the best films of the year, nor is it an overreaction. I’m presuming that Birdman is a bit too weird to win a Best Picture Oscar, but anyone who gets caught up in that missed the entire point of this movie, regardless of what you may think it’s about.
