The first thing that hits you right from the start is the cinematography - it's amazing! At first I just thought I was watching a single take long scene, a set-piece to set the film off, but then it just seamlessly continued, not only giving the film its uniques one-take feel, but also succeeding in doing something very few directors would have even attempted. In the entire two hours of the film, there must have been five transitions, tops.
The plot is very funny as Michael Keaton and Edward Norton clash throughout the film. Norton plays an ego maniac actor who is cast in Keaton's new play, and they can't stand each other. Keaton has to put up with Norton's antics because the play is his last chance to save his career. Emma Stone plays Keaton's troubled daughter who supports him along the way, but is at the same time a little embarrassed by him. You get an authentic feel of a fast paced and hectic backstage theater atmosphere, created by the one-shot filming. Not only that, but the sets are very well designed -- from the brightly colored neon lit stage sets and busy corridors, to the dingy dressing rooms -- everything has a fresh, vibrant, metropolitan feel.
The chaotic atmosphere in which he works matches Keaton's state of mind during most of the film. He's looks like he's on the verge of a nervous breakdown most of the time, and he every so often disappears into one of his little daydreams where he takes on the superpowers of his 'Birdman' character, and goes for a fly around New York. The scene when he is locked out of the theater and ends up walking around New York in his y-fronts, had me in stitches. Not only is Birdman a wacky comedy and a cinematic marvel, but it also has some complex and subtle undertones as well. A lot has also been said about the ending -- which I think was a very clever metaphorical and ambiguous scene -- which will have you asking the question: is he flying or is he dead?
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