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movie review - Birdman (or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

the journal of Michael Werneburg

twenty-seven years and one million words

This is the story of an aging actor who decides on one final big splash. He writes, directs, and stars in his own musical. Stirring up quite a commotion on Broadway with the audacity and the insanity of the project, this show's making is the setting and story for this movie. All manner of characters from the lead's past surface to play some part in the production, from other actors keen to work with the man to bitter critics who feel they've been slighted or that the genre is being debased.

I don't know what part Michael Keaton played in the creation of this movie, but having the man who made "Batman" huge decades ago play this part was ingenious. This movie is a rarity in being complex, smart, fast-paced and free of any pretense or obnoxious presences.

Strongly recommended.