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Birdman (film)

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Birdman or
(The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
File:Birdman poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byAlejandro González Iñárritu
Written by
  • Alejandro González Iñárritu
  • Nicolás Giacobone
  • Alexander Dinelaris, Jr.
  • Armando Bo
Produced by
  • Alejandro González Iñárritu
  • John Lesher
  • Arnon Milchan
  • James W. Skotchdopole
Starring
CinematographyEmmanuel Lubezki
Edited by
Music byAntonio Sánchez
Distributed byFox Searchlight Pictures
Release dates
  • August 27, 2014 (2014-08-27) (Venice)
  • October 17, 2014 (2014-10-17) (United States)
Running time
119 minutes[1][2]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$18 million[3]
Box office$34.4 million[4]

Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) is a 2014 American black comedy film[5] co-written, produced, and directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu. It stars Michael Keaton with Zach Galifianakis, Edward Norton, Andrea Riseborough, Amy Ryan, Emma Stone, and Naomi Watts. Keaton plays a faded Hollywood actor famous for his superhero role struggling to mount a Broadway adaptation of a Raymond Carver story.

Birdman was the opening film of the 71st Venice International Film Festival, where it premiered on August 27, 2014 in competition for the Golden Lion. It received a limited theatrical release in the United States on October 17, 2014 and a wide release on November 14, distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures.

Birdman received critical acclaim, and was named one of the best films of 2014 by organizations including the AFI and the National Board of Review. It was nominated for seven Golden Globe Awards at the 72nd ceremony, including Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, Best Director, Best Score and won for Best Screenplay. Keaton won Best Actor, while Norton and Stone were nominated for Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress respectively at both the Golden Globe Awards and the 21st Screen Actors Guild Awards, where the cast is also nominated for Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture.[6][7] At the 87th Academy Awards, Birdman received nine nominations, the joint most for the ceremony, including Best Picture, Best Director, and acting nominations for Keaton, Norton and Stone.[8]

Plot

Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton) is a washed-up Hollywood actor famous for playing the superhero Birdman in blockbuster movies decades earlier. Riggan is tormented by the voice of Birdman, who criticizes him, and he imagines himself performing feats of levitation and telekinesis.

Riggan hopes to reinvent his failing 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" (but with a radically different ending). The play is produced by Riggan's best friend and lawyer Jake (Zach Galifianakis), and also stars Riggan's girlfriend Laura (Andrea Riseborough) and first-time Broadway actress Lesley (Naomi Watts). Riggan's daughter Sam (Emma Stone), a recovering addict, serves as his assistant.

During rehearsals, a light falls onto an actor Riggan does not like; Riggan tells Jake he caused the light to fall so he could replace him. Riggan casts the brilliant but volatile method actor Mike (Edward Norton). During a preview, Riggan performs the final scene from the play, in which his character laments "not existing" and shoots himself. Afterwards, Mike tells Riggan he needs to find a more realistic prop gun. His girlfriend, Laura, tells him she is pregnant with his child (but later admits that this is false).

Riggan reads early reviews and is incensed that Mike has stolen the attention. When Riggan catches Sam using pot, they get into an argument and she tells him that he does not matter. Backstage during another preview, Riggan discovers that Sam and Mike are attracted to each other and may become lovers. He accidentally locks himself out of the theater and has to walk in his underwear through Times Square to get back inside the theater. Afterwards, he runs into influential critic Tabitha Dickinson, who tells him she hates "Hollywood celebrities who pretend to be actors" and promises to "kill" his play with a negative review. The next day, the hungover Riggan hallucinates a conversation with Birdman, flying through New York City.

On opening night, Riggan uses a real gun for the final scene, and shoots his nose off on stage. He earns a standing ovation from all but Tabitha, who leaves during the applause. In the hospital, Jake tells Riggan that Tabitha gave the play a rave review. After Sam visits Riggan in his room, Riggan climbs onto the window ledge. When Sam returns, he is gone. She looks down at the street, then the sky, and smiles.

Cast

Production

Filming

Principal photography commenced in March 2013 in New York City, with principal shooting of the theatre scenes taking place over 30 days in April and May, 2013.[9][10] Most of the film was shot on location in and around the St. James Theatre on 44th Street, New York City.[10] The sequences inside a nearby bar were filmed at the Rum House on 47th Street; digital trickery was used to create the illusion that it is located around the corner from the St. James.[10]

According to the film's cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, the camerawork and editing of Birdman were manipulated to give the appearance that most of the film is one continuous long take.[11] The screenwriters have said that the long take approach was part of González Iñárritu's initial idea behind the film, in spite of "huge" and "important" people warning them not to write and shoot the film in that manner.[12]

Music

On January 7, 2014, Antonio Sánchez was set to compose the music for the film.[13] The soundtrack album was released on October 14, 2014.[14] It was later disqualified for the Academy Award for Best Original Score, due to the ratio of classical music to original score.[15]

Excerpts from the following classical pieces appear in the soundtrack:

Release

On July 10, 2014, it was announced that Birdman had been selected as the opening film of the 71st Venice International Film Festival.[16] The film got a limited release on October 17, 2014 with a theatre count of 4 in North Amerca,[17][18] and on November 14, 2014 it was released nationwide in 857 theatres.[19]

Reception

Box office

As of January 11, 2015, Birdman has grossed $34,229,000 worldwide including $26,338,000 in North America and $7,891,000 in other territories against a production budget of $18 million.[4]

The film made a total of $424,397 in North America in its limited opening weekend of October 17, 2014, playing in 4 theatres in New York and Los Angeles for a per theater average of $106,099 which ranks 18th all-time (eighth among live-action movies) and ranking #20.[20] In the second weekend of October 24, 2014, Birdman expanded to 50 theaters and earned $1.38 million, that translates to a $27,593 per-theater average.[21] The film expanded nationwide to 857 theaters in the weekend of November 14, 2014, grossing $2,471,471 with a per theatre average of $2,884 and ranking #10. In the same weekend, Birdman grossed $11.6 million.[22]

The film opened in Mexico in November 13, 2014, grossing $628,915 in its opening weekend and it opened in January 2, 2015, in United Kingdom grossing $2,337,407 over the weekend.[23]

Critical response

Birdman received widespread critical acclaim. At Rotten Tomatoes, it has a rating of 92% based on 238 reviews, with an average rating of 8.4/10. The site's critical consensus states: "A thrilling leap forward for director Alejandro González Iñárritu, Birdman is an ambitious technical showcase powered by a layered story and outstanding performances from Michael Keaton and Edward Norton."[24] Metacritic gave the film a score of 88 out of 100, based on reviews from 48 critics, indicating "universal acclaim."[25]

The camera work, which depicts most of the film as one continuous take, was met with extensive acclaim for its execution and usage. The acting was widely praised, particularly Keaton's,[26][27] with Peter Debruge of Variety calling the performance the "comeback of the century."[28] Peter Debruge of Variety described the film as "a self aware showbiz satire" and called it "a triumph on every creative level."[29] Robbie Collin of The Daily Telegraph gave the film 5/5, with particular praise for the use of long takes by Emmanuel Lubezki, director of photography.[30] Richard Roeper gave the film an "A", and wrote that Keaton makes a serious case for an Academy Award for Best Actor nomination.[26]

Noting the thematic pull between Riggan's insanity or actual superpowers, Travis LaCouter of First Things writes that "the importance of these powers—real or imagined—is apparent: They are for Riggan the thing beyond the labels, the kernel of his genius and, because he sees drawing upon them as selling out, the source of his great angst." LaCouter concludes that "the quirky profundity of this film is in how it dares the viewer to consider the everyday magic that we tend to ignore, repress, or resent."[31]

Accolades

Main article: List of accolades received by Birdman (film)

Michael Keaton received his first Golden Globe award, winning for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy at the 72nd Golden Globes.

On January 15, 2015, Birdman tied with The Grand Budapest Hotel for the most nominations at the 87th Academy Awards with 9, including Best Picture, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, Original Screenplay, Cinematography and Best Actor for Michael Keaton. Emma Stone and Edward Norton were nominated in Best Supporting Acting categories. Alejandro González Iñárritu was nominated for Best Director.

References

  1. ^ "BIRDMAN (15)". British Board of Film Classification. September 11, 2014. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
  2. ^ "La Biennale di Venezia - 27 August". Retrieved August 17, 2014.
  3. ^ Steven Zeitchik (August 30, 2014). "Human foibles give 'Birdman' its superhuman wings". Los Angeles Times. p. 2. shot over the course of 30 days and cost about $18 million to produce
  4. ^ a b "Birdman". Box Office Mojo. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  5. ^ http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/black+comedy
  6. ^ "'Birdman' Tops Golden Globe Field With 7 Nominations". Voice of America. December 14, 2014. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  7. ^ "21st SAG Awards:Full List of Nominees". Screen Actors Guild Awards. 2014. Retrieved December 10, 2014.-
  8. ^ Ford, Rebecca (January 15, 2015). "Oscar Nominations 2015: The Complete List". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  9. ^ "Batman's hair... won't return: Michael Keaton reveals his thinning pate on set of new film Birdman". Daily Mail. London. April 2, 2013. Retrieved May 12, 2013.
  10. ^ a b c Ng, David (November 10, 2014). "In 'Birdman,' Broadway's St. James Theatre plays itself". L.A. Times. Retrieved November 22, 2014.
  11. ^ "Is Birdman a one-shot magic trick that could win Emmanuel Lubezki his second Oscar in a row?". June 21, 2014. Retrieved June 27, 2014.
  12. ^ "Birdman: "Completely one shot? Don't even try it"". Creative Screenwriting Magazine.
  13. ^ "Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's 'Birdman' to Feature Music by Antonio Sanchez". filmmusicreporter.com. January 7, 2014. Retrieved October 31, 2014.
  14. ^ "'Birdman' Soundtrack Details". filmmusicreporter.com. September 18, 2014. Retrieved October 31, 2014.
  15. ^ Feinberg, Scott (December 24, 2014). "The Inside Story: Why 'Birdman's' Drum Score Isn't Eligible for an Oscar and Why an Appeal Was Rejected". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  16. ^ "Birdman to hatch on opening night of Venice film festival". Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  17. ^ Fleming Jr, Mike (April 11, 2014). "Fox Searchlight Sets Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's 'Birdman' For October 17 Bow". deadline.com. Retrieved April 12, 2014.
  18. ^ "Upcoming Movies in Theatre". Boxofficemojo.com. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
  19. ^ "Upcoming Movies". boxofficemojo.com. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
  20. ^ "Weekend Report: 'Fury' Topples 'Gone Girl,' 'Birdman' Soars in Limited Release". boxofficemojo.com. Boxofficemojo. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
  21. ^ "Weekend Report: Decent Debuts from 'Ouija,' 'Wick' This Weekend". boxofficemojo.com. Boxofficemojo. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
  22. ^ Subers, Ray. "Weekend Report: 'Dumb' Sequel Takes First Ahead of 'Big Hero 6,' 'Interstellar'". boxofficemojo.com. Boxofficemojo. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
  23. ^ "Birdman International Box Office". boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
  24. ^ "Birdman". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
  25. ^ "Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
  26. ^ a b "Birdman (2014; Rated R)". Richard Roeper & The Movies.
  27. ^ Christy Lemire (October 17, 2014). "Birdman". RogerEbert.com. Zach Galifianakis plays strongly against type
  28. ^ Peter Debruge (August 27, 2014). "Michael Keaton pulls off a startling comeback in Alejandro G. Inarritu's blistering showbiz satire". Michael Keaton returns with the comeback of the century
  29. ^ Peter Debruge (August 27, 2014). "Venice Film Review: 'Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)'". Variety. Archived from the original on August 27, 2014.
  30. ^ Robbie Collin. "Birdman, review: 'spectacular, star-powered'". The Telegraph.
  31. ^ LaCouter, Travis. "Birdman's Sly Metaphysics". www.firstthings.com. First Things. Retrieved December 6, 2014.

External links

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