When we first see Michael Keaton in “Birdman,” Alejandro G. Inarritu’s bracingly inventive and accomplished new film about fame, relevance, self-worth and lots of other intense themes, he’s sitting in his white undies, in the middle of a dressing room.
No, really—in the middle. Like, in the air. He’s levitating!
Of course, you think, “How’d he do that?” It turns out that’s an apt metaphor, intentional or not, for Inarritu’s entire achievement here. Fast forward to film’s end, and we’ll bet the very same words will be on your lips: “How’d they do that?”
Michael Keaton
Still, it’s best not to spend too much time thinking about the technical virtuosity of “Birdman” and most importantly, how it creates the impression, thanks to master cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, that it’s all one continuous shot.
Remember Lubezki’s 13-minute opening in “Gravity”? Merely an appetizer, it turns out. But, the best thing about his work here is that it serves the narrative so well that you hardly notice.
Keaton, in a wonderfully raw, dark and vulnerable performance, plays aging actor Riggan Thomson, who earned fame and wealth decades ago playing a superhero, Birdman. His fans want more, but he’s moved on. (Any parallels here with Keaton, star of two “Batman” films a quarter-century ago, are purely intentional.)
Superhero
In a bid to restore his sense of self-worth, and perhaps to exorcise the demon of Birdman—a tall order, since, uh, the superhero still regularly speaks to him in his head—Riggan’s putting on a show.
It’s a Broadway adaptation of a Raymond Carver tale, which Riggan himself has written, is starring in and directing. Your basic movie-star vanity project, only you get the sense that Riggan’s life depends on it.
The fodder for industry jokes is endless. When a key actor is suddenly incapacitated, Riggan ponders possible replacements with his friend and attorney, Jake (Zach Galifianakis, exercising admirable comic restraint). Woody Harrelson? He’s doing the next “Hunger Games.” Robert Downey Jr.? Nah, “Avengers.” That other guy? He’s doing the prequel to the prequel.
Luck strikes like a thunderbolt when Mike Shiner (Edward Norton, who’s superb) shows up to read for the part. Mike may be an entitled jerk, but he’s a bankable star.
The scenes between Keaton and Norton as they rehearse, compete and occasionally brawl like testosterone-fueled youngsters are simply dynamite, two actors firing on all cylinders.
Unstable character
Then, there’s Sam, Riggan’s daughter, fresh from rehab and working as Dad’s assistant. It’s fun to see Emma Stone play a more troubled, unstable character here; her eyeliner-rimmed eyes seem to contain both love and loathing for her father.
Making things even more precarious, Sam’s embarking on a dangerous flirtation with Mike, who’s ostensibly the boyfriend of costar Lesley (an excellent Naomi Watts).
The movie was filmed almost entirely inside Broadway’s St. James Theater, giving these relationships an extremely claustrophobic feel, as it is in real life with a theater company. We also get a fascinating inside view of how a Broadway show operates.
Looming over everything is opening night, when one particular theater critic will, with the strike of a pen, make or break the show.
“Birdman” seems like a film that deserves a second viewing, not only to admire the work of Keaton and his costars, but to delve into its many layers—and, perhaps, to pursue an answer to that question: “How’d they do that?” AP