Birdman: or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

My Grade:  A

Birdman: or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) took home all the big awards at the Oscars this year - Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, and Best Picture of the Year. I don’t always enjoy the Best Picture winners (The English Patient made my list of worst movies I’ve ever reviewed), but I thoroughly enjoyed Birdman.

The film follows a former superhero film star that tries to salvage his career and feel like a real artist by writing, directing, producing, and starring in a Broadway play. It’s not really about the play, though. It’s about this broken man who just wants to be loved. Being recognized from his superhero days isn’t the same as being loved. Having fans doesn’t matter to him when he doesn’t have a good relationship with his daughter or his ex-wife. So, just like the play in the film, it’s a film about what it means to be loved.

The first thing everyone talks about in Birdman is the acting. This is no surprise because it features a stellar cast at the top of their game. Michael Keaton goes all out for this role and delivers the best performance he will probably ever deliver. Then there’s Edward Norton whom I haven’t enjoyed watching this much since American History X. He is equal parts cocky and vulnerable which seems like it would be tough to pull off. Those two were nominated for Oscars along with the stunning Emma Stone who has never been better (except maybe in The Help). She is aided (as are the others) by being given a very complex character to play. The other standout, though, is funny man Zach Galifianakis. Seeing him in a film like this playing a rather serious, dramatic role doesn’t seem right; but he holds his own in a film chock full of extraordinary performances. I’d even like to see him in some more dramatic roles because it was nice to see him expand his range.

The other thing everyone talks about in this film is that it was done in ONE SHOT! It’s something you may not notice unless you are a film buff or been involved in film production, but it makes the film have a unique feel and is very impressive as longer shots are more challenging to pull off. There is one part near the end with some cuts which is used beautifully as a contrast to the rest of the film to really nail the frantic feeling the director was going for.

My only dislike in Birdman is the drum score played by Antonio Sanchez. If you haven’t seen the film, then you may not understand what I mean by “drum score.” Essentially, the entire film’s music is all drums and cymbals. There are some other kinds of music in there, but the majority is all played on a drum set. As a drummer, I can respect the challenge of scoring a film with only a drum set and the drumming is spectacular. It’s also a unique way to score this very unique film. I just didn’t care for it. It’s simply personal taste, but it’s the only reason I didn’t give this film an A+. I found it distracting at times.

Overall, Birdman is an amazing and unique film which deserves every bit of the critical acclaim it has received. It’s also nice to see a film like this succeed because it is an entirely original film in a Hollywood space crowded with sequels, remakes, and adaptations. See, there is still creativity in Hollywood!