OVP: Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014)

Film: Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Stars: Michael Keaton, Edward Norton, Emma Stone, Naomi Watts, Zach Galifanakis, Amy Ryan, Andrea Riseborough, Merritt Wever
Director: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu
Oscar History: 9 nominations/4 wins (Best Picture*, Director*, Actor-Michael Keaton, Supporting Actor-Edward Norton, Supporting Actress-Emma Stone, Cinematography*, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, Original Screenplay*)
Snap Judgment Ranking: 4/5 stars (I just couldn't go to five stars, and you'll see why in the review, but if I had halves this would be 4.5 and you should definitely see it-this is one of those films that could get to 5 stars in a month or so once I've processed it a bit and see how it ages)

I don't like the films of Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu.  I have not seen all of them, but of what I have seen (Babel and Biutiful) they are boring, constantly dry, and without personality, constantly throwing death in your face as you endure great actors who are almost always sucked of all of their charisma.  He's also on an incredible streak right now: every single one of his films have become part of the OVP in some way, blessed with that "Oscar-nominated" tag, and as a result I have to see all of his films for the project.  That being said, I was genuinely excited about the directions this movie was going in-I had heard rumblings from critics who dislike Gonzalez Inarritu as a rule, but thoroughly enjoyed this film, and the casting alone was so much genius that I had to catch it for myself.  Thankfully, I was rewarded with a flick that, while occasionally stretching into territory that seemed arbitrary or ancillary, as a general rule rewarded its viewer with a dazzling series of beautiful images, challenging and inventive editing, and a rough, nail-biting look at modern celebrity and Hollywood.

(Spoilers Ahead) The film is about a washed-up actor named Riggan Thompon (Keaton) who is trying to reinvent himself.  Twenty years ago he was one of the biggest names in Hollywood, a giant movie star principally known for his role as Birdman in a trio of major action pictures.  Now he is trying to gain legitimacy with an attempt to show the world that he can act in an adaptation of a Raymond Carver play on Broadway, but consistently finds that his mental state has deteriorated to the point that he is constantly communicating with the character of the Birdman, and occasionally thinks that he has actually become his most famous role.

The film doesn't mince words when it comes to the clear meta-triumph of casting.  Michael Keaton, like Riggan Thomson, is of course a washed-up former movie star, principally known for his role as a superhero, and like Thomson, he left that role at the height of his fame when he could have made a fortune by continuing to play the character.  Keaton has never been thought of as a particularly strong actor, and the fact is that Birdman serves in many ways as his Carver play-can this man pull a performance in the way that Mickey Rourke did a few years back in The Wrestler, essentially playing himself onscreen, while still creating a compelling character?

The thankful answer to that question is that Keaton can, and this is a truly terrific look at what Hollywood can do with one of their former stars when they get a bit out-of-their-head (I wish just once that they would do this with a woman in the lead role-getting someone like Ellen Barkin or Demi Moore into the front of a picture like this and seeing what happened-I mean, we all remember Darryl Hannah in Kill Bill and how marvelously that worked out for her?).  Keaton owns this movie, frequently finding avenues to skewer the way that Hollywood both worships and spits out its own (the film in many ways is Sunset Boulevard for the modern era), and I loved the delusions that drive Thomson's ego (the scene with the $1 billion "comeback" reads as if it was a pitch from an agent, and at this point Thomson probably only believes his lawyer (Galifanakis) over anyone else in his life).  The film could fall into an "isn't-this-awesome" style trap, but the writing of Thomson's scenes and Keaton's faded movie star glory keep the adrenaline at top-speed, being a high wire that never loses its potency.

The remainder of the film falls into the shadow of Keaton's showy lead work, but that doesn't mean it isn't compelling in its own right.  Edward Norton is an actor that I don't always fall for (too hammy, too methodical), but that doesn't mean that he doesn't get big laughs occasionally playing himself, though a Broadway version of it-a man who clearly isn't meant for stardom in the proper sense like Keaton has endured, but instead must settle for the glittery lights of critical prestige and enduring, constant praise.  Norton's relentless, occasional method acting is great, even if I think that the "I'm playing someone overacting" trope occasionally results in him actually overacting, particularly in the initial table-read scene.  His relationship with Naomi Watts, though, is wonderful.  He's the star in that relationship, and she's the long-struggling actor, now in her 40's and totally insecure because she never became a big name proper, finally landing a role that could at least get her a resume worthy of her dreams.  Watts, in my opinion, is the unsung hero of this movie, acting-wise; while Keaton, Norton, and Stone all look destined to score accolades up the wazoo, Watts, the two-time Oscar nominee, is left in the dark when she shouldn't be: her still-aspiring actress is wonderful, and a damning commentary on Hollywood's obsession with women as sex objects.

I am not entirely sure how I feel about Emma Stone's Sam, but it's generally on the positive side.  The editing helps her tremendously, giving her long sequences of dialogue even if her character seems to be unimportant in the larger context of the film (quite frankly, the biggest flaw in the screenplay is that I genuinely don't think that Thomson gives a damn about whether he was a good husband or father, but just whether or not that was another performance where he didn't meet expectations).  She's very green in her dramatic work (this is her first serious attempt at drama), but the scenes on the rooftop are sublime, as she both plays with her meta-aspects in the film (we all want to see her, the young new movie star, and not necessarily the tired aging stars that litter the rest of the film) and with the self-obsession that hampers modern youth.  While I will admit that I think Stone occasionally gets held back by clearly not agreeing with Sam in real life (obscuring the authenticity of what she's doing onscreen), when she's on its marvelous (the way that she clearly knows that everyone in the movie is dying to get her approval, and the giddy joy she takes in occasionally bestowing it).  I also think that this slight lack of authenticity hurts the ending, and I also think that the meta/reality takes a bit of a hit with that final glance skyward, as it makes Sam's reality warped when she's the only character who has, throughout much of the picture, remained inside the audience's version of the truth.

Overall though, this is a glorious triumph from a director that I truly couldn't stand going into this picture, and now want to know where this sharp lens and terrific screenplay came from.  The movie is a wonderful reminder that you can make something tough and bitter, yet spectacularly watchable and entertaining.  I cannot wait to see what Gonzalez Inarritu does next, and am so glad that Michael Keaton was willing to lend himself to this particular vision.