Overblown and Pompous

Rating: 5/10 (15 March 2015)

Don't get me wrong. There were some parts of Birdman that I really like. Some of the zingers really landed and the performances were generally entertaining. But overall, Birdman is the sort of movie that wants the audience to think it's smart, when in reality it's pretty dumb. A lot of the satire was too obvious. And the super- pretentious monologues started to grate on me before long. If you're looking for sophisticated comedy in 2014, this isn't quite it. See The Grand Budapest Hotel, Dear White People, or even Gone Girl (technically a psychological thriller, but really funny even so). Even Boyhood, a great drama, has more wit and humor than Birdman.