Directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu
Produced by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, John Lesher Arnon Milchan, James W. Skotchdopole
Written by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr., Armando Bo
Starring: Michael Keaton, Zach Galifianakis, Edward Norton, Andrea Riseborough, Amy Ryan, Emma Stone, Naomi Watts
Music by Antonio Sánchez
Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki
Edited by Douglas Crise, Stephen Mirrione
Production сompany: Regency Enterprises, New Regency Pictures, M Productions, Le Grisbi Productions, TSG Entertainment, Worldview Entertainment
Distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures
Release date: 13 November 2014 (Mexico)
Running time: 119 minutes
Country: United States
Budget: $18 million
Box office: $51.3 million
"Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)" is a comedy–drama film co-written, produced, and directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu. The story is about Riggan Thomson, a washed-up Hollywood actor famous for playing the superhero Birdman in blockbuster movies decades earlier. He hopes to reinvent his career by writing, directing, and starring in a Broadway adaptation of Raymond Carver's short story "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love". However, is it what Riggan wants to do? And what he wants to be?
Cast- Michael Keaton as Riggan Thomson / Birdman
- Edward Norton as Mike Shiner, an acclaimed Broadway actor
- Emma Stone as Sam Thomson, Riggan's daughter and assistant
- Naomi Watts as Lesley, an actress and Mike's former girlfriend
- Zach Galifianakis as Jake, Riggan's lawyer and friend
- Andrea Riseborough as Laura, an actress and Riggan's girlfriend
- Amy Ryan as Sylvia Thomson, Riggan's ex-wife, Sam's mother
- Lindsay Duncan as Tabitha Dickinson, a top theatre critic
- Merritt Wever as Annie, the stage manager
- Jeremy Shamos as Ralph
- Frank Ridley as Mr. Roth
- Katherine O'Sullivan as Costume Assistant
- Damian Young as Gabriel
Alejandro González Iñárritu is the director of the film. I hadn't known about him before watching "Birdman". I can't say that it's really wonderful but there exists several topics to think of. If Alejandro González Iñárritu isn't a the reason to watch the film, probably the cast may make you change your mind.
Michael Keaton, who, for example, played Beetlejuice in "Beetlejuice" (1988) and Bruce Wayne/Batman in Tim Burton's Batman (1989) and Batman Returns, coped with his role one hundred per cent: a man with the past and without the present. Edward Norton ("Fight Club" (1999)) is one of my favourite actors, this way I'm not able to judge his work without bias. His Mike Shiner is a talented actor and a selfish person. But the last one is just the front side. And Norton showed it excellently. Emma Stone. In my opinion "Birdman" let us see her talent more clearly than "Magic in the Moonlight" (2014). Her character is deep: her nonchalant face hides the mind of great capacity. Naomi Watts' performance also deserved to be reputable, although her role is pretty small. And, of course, Zach Galifianakis. His Jake absolutely differs from Alan Garner ("The Hangover" trilogy).
"Strangenesses"
Michael Keaton, who, for example, played Beetlejuice in "Beetlejuice" (1988) and Bruce Wayne/Batman in Tim Burton's Batman (1989) and Batman Returns, coped with his role one hundred per cent: a man with the past and without the present. Edward Norton ("Fight Club" (1999)) is one of my favourite actors, this way I'm not able to judge his work without bias. His Mike Shiner is a talented actor and a selfish person. But the last one is just the front side. And Norton showed it excellently. Emma Stone. In my opinion "Birdman" let us see her talent more clearly than "Magic in the Moonlight" (2014). Her character is deep: her nonchalant face hides the mind of great capacity. Naomi Watts' performance also deserved to be reputable, although her role is pretty small. And, of course, Zach Galifianakis. His Jake absolutely differs from Alan Garner ("The Hangover" trilogy).
Advantages
- Michael Keaton as Riggan Thomson / Birdman
- Edward Norton as Mike Shiner, an acclaimed Broadway actor
- Emma Stone as Sam Thomson, Riggan's daughter and assistant
- Naomi Watts as Lesley, an actress and Mike's former girlfriend
- Zach Galifianakis as Jake, Riggan's lawyer and friend
Disadvantages
- Dialogues
"Strangenesses"
- A reputation in eclipse can't be returned
- Talking to himself
Clue Moments
- Birdman
- Presenting of the play
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As I said, the film broaches several topics, the main of which is the problem of being successful. I've met only few people who didn't want to make a go of it. Is it strange?
Firstly, it's necessary to define what success is in fact. What does it give? Money, first of all. Respect. Power. Success makes us feel that we're worth something, that our life isn't idle. We want to an example for imitation? Maybe. But here goes our vanity. However, people can fly even not having actual wings. I mean that yes, success is amazing but close people and simple happiness costs more. And they're easier to get.
The applauding audience. Is it all what a prominent person will have after death? Pieces of gossip, legends, myths. With luck, there can be acknowledgement. Fame and popularity feed vanity, not a soul.
Soundtracks
Quotations
Sam: This is not important.
Riggan: It's important to me! Alright? Maybe not to you, or your cynical friends whose only ambition is to go viral. But to me... To me... this is - God. This is my career, this is my chance to do some work that actually means something.
Sam: Means something to who? You had a career before the third comic book movie, before people began to forget who was inside the bird costume. You're doing a play based on a book that was written 60 years ago, for a thousand rich old white people whose only real concern is gonna be where they go to have their cake and coffee when it's over. And let's face it, Dad, it's not for the sake of art. It's because you want to feel relevant again. Well, there's a whole world out there where people fight to be relevant every day. And you act like it doesn't even exist! Things are happening in a place that you willfully ignore, a place that has already forgotten you. I mean, who are you? You hate bloggers. You make fun of Twitter. You don't even have a Facebook page. You're the one who doesn't exist. You're doing this because you're scared to death, like the rest of us, that you don't matter. And you know what? You're right. You don't. It's not important. You're not important. Get used to it.
Laura: You're an actress.
Sam: She does. Yeah, she can sit, stay, and roll over if you have any treats.
Mike Shiner: True.
Sam: That's boring.
Mike Shiner: True is always more interesting.
- Antonio Sanchez - Almost Human
- Antonio Sanchez - Claustrophobia
- Antonio Sanchez - Dirty Walk
- Antonio Sanchez - Doors and Distance
- Antonio Sanchez - Fire Trail
- Antonio Sanchez - Get Ready
- Antonio Sanchez - Internal War
- Antonio Sanchez - Just Chatting
- Antonio Sanchez - Kinda Messy
- Antonio Sanchez - Night Chatter
- Antonio Sanchez - Schizo
- Antonio Sanchez - Semi Comfortable In 3
- Antonio Sanchez - Strut, Pt. 1
- Antonio Sanchez - Strut, Pt. 2
- Antonio Sanchez - The Anxious Battle for Sanity
- Antonio Sanchez - Waiting For What
- Beaux Arts Trio - Passacaille (Tres Large)
- Kent Nagano, The London Opera Chorus & The Opera De Lyon - Prologue: Chorus of Exiled Palestinians
- Pierre Boulez, Violeta Urmana & Wiener Philharmoniker - Ich Bin Der Welt Abhanden Gekommen
- Stefano Seghedoni - Symphony No. 5 Op. 64 in E Minor: Andante Cantabile
- The Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra - Symphony No. 9 in D - 1st Movement: Andante Comodo
- The Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra - Symphony No. 2 in E Minor, Op. 27 - II Allegro Molto
* * *
Mike Shiner: Popularity is the slutty little cousin of prestige.
* * *
Note on Riggan's dressing room mirror: A thing is a thing, not what is said of that thing.
* * *
Riggan: Listen to me. I'm trying to do something important. Sam: This is not important.
Riggan: It's important to me! Alright? Maybe not to you, or your cynical friends whose only ambition is to go viral. But to me... To me... this is - God. This is my career, this is my chance to do some work that actually means something.
Sam: Means something to who? You had a career before the third comic book movie, before people began to forget who was inside the bird costume. You're doing a play based on a book that was written 60 years ago, for a thousand rich old white people whose only real concern is gonna be where they go to have their cake and coffee when it's over. And let's face it, Dad, it's not for the sake of art. It's because you want to feel relevant again. Well, there's a whole world out there where people fight to be relevant every day. And you act like it doesn't even exist! Things are happening in a place that you willfully ignore, a place that has already forgotten you. I mean, who are you? You hate bloggers. You make fun of Twitter. You don't even have a Facebook page. You're the one who doesn't exist. You're doing this because you're scared to death, like the rest of us, that you don't matter. And you know what? You're right. You don't. It's not important. You're not important. Get used to it.
* * *
Riggan: People, they love blood. They love action. Not this talky, depressing, philosophical bullshit.
* * *
Lesley: I wish I had more self-respect. Laura: You're an actress.
* * *
Mike Shiner: Does she speak? Sam: She does. Yeah, she can sit, stay, and roll over if you have any treats.
* * *
Young Birdman: Sixty is the new thirty.
* * *
Riggan: I'm nothing. I'm not even here.
* * *
Sam: True or dare? Mike Shiner: True.
Sam: That's boring.
Mike Shiner: True is always more interesting.
* * *
Jake: Get that smile off your face, you're freaking me out.
* * *
Lesley: When I dreamed of Broadway, I never pictured the elk antlers.
* * *
Riggan: Look, you're beautiful and you're talented. And I'm lucky to have you.
* * *
You may see the trailer here.
Plot: 7/10
Entertainment: 7/10
Acting: 8/10
Originality: 9/10
Music and Sound: 7/10
8/10
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