It's Not A Pretentious Film; It's A Film About Pretense

Rating: 8/10 (1 April 2015)

I can understand why the immediate reaction to a film like Alejandro Innaritu's "Birdman", a comedy-drama about a has-been film actor, Riggan Thompson (Michael Keaton), trying to be taken seriously with his Broadway debut, could be to label it "pretentious." Making the film look like it was shot in one take? All the actory talk about acting, truth, selling out, etc.? So, unsurprisingly, it's turned some moviegoers off while being embraced fully by Hollywood, winning the Best Picture Oscar, among others.
But, in my eyes, it's not a pretentious film. It's a film about the pretenses that can drive the entertainment industry, in one way or another, leading to both the success and the breakdown of its stars.
Riggan is pretentious for thinking going to Broadway is his shot at being a legimitate actor, a claim he's taken to task for by his recovering drug-addict daughter, Sam (Emma Stone), who's now his assistant. For many actors, the theatre is true art, not Hollywood movies. Consider the pretentiousness of Riggan's co-star, Mike Shiner (Edward Norton), a dedicated Broadway actor who is a little too Method for the rest of the cast's sake and spouts off phrases like "Popularity is the slutty little cousin of prestige." Consider the snobbishness of the theatre critic (who is purposely the biggest caricature in the film) who tells Riggan she'll rip his play to pieces in her review, just because he's a movie star, famous for playing the hero Birdman in a comic-book franchise decades ago because, you know, she's such a theatre purist.
Innaritu is not praising actors and kissing their you-know-what through this film. I don't see this as a shrine to the entertainment industry. It's a savage satire, with Innaritu directing his same brutality and fierce honesty toward the genre of comedy. The actors in this film (not the actual actors, but the characters) are full of insecurity, veering from self-regard to self-deprecation in equal measure. I think it would be a mistake to say that Innaritu believes that ALL actors and artists are this way. But, this is the psyche of the archetypal artist: tortured, driven, self-absorbed, desperate for approval. And it's all of this desperation that drives the conflict of the story.
No one embodies that more than Keaton in this film. Riggan is narcissistic, for sure. But, a pathetic narcissist instead of a rude, mean-spirited one. Keaton navigates his way through all of Riggan's humilitation, doubt, fear, and false pride with great skill and fearlessness. In my mind, he should've won the Oscar.
Norton and Stone also received Oscar nominations for their work. Norton is as impressive as Keaton, to a scene-stealing degree, which is appropriate for his character. Mike is much more unpalatable, but often to a hilarious degree, yet Norton also shines in the moments where his guard comes down. Stone effectively drops her usual bouncy, cute-girl charm, turning in a tough, fierce performance, as probably the only grounded character in the film (besides her mother and Riggan's ex-wife, well-played by Amy Ryan). It's a true ensemble, with Zach Galifinafikis, Naomi Watts, and Andrea Riseborough all shining in their roles.
You stop noticing the visual tricks of the film after awhile. You enjoy it on more of a subliminal, subconscious level, especially as the film starts becoming increasingly dream-like and surreal. As the film builds to its climax, it leaves you on edge, questioning what's real and what's not. Riggan loses himself deeply in the process of trying to become great to a disturbing level.
It's certainly not a film for everyone but shouldn't simply be dismissed as pretentious crap, either. I think, if you have experience in the arts, you're much more likely to enjoy it.