Different doesn't necessarily equate to good

Rating: 2/10 (25 April 2015)

Had to wait until this came out on DVD due to my hearing loss which makes it necessary to watch movies with closed captioning. Let me just say "Thank God for my hearing loss", since it only cost me $1.50 to rent.
Anyway, I watched with great anticipation as I am a Michael Keaton and Edward Norton fan. While I know it got all kinds of awards and accolades, it just wasn't for me. It had a whole "Being John Malkovich" meets "Chicago" feel to it. It felt like the director thought the more unconventional the movie was, the better it would be. I guess that works for the artsy-fartsy Academy types, but not for me. And from the beginning, I kept wondering when the annoying drum score was going to stop....and I'm a drummer!
As for Michael Keaton's acting, it was great. Although I felt like he felt trapped in his character. The scene where he flashed a brief smile and then was told to stop smiling felt real since I think he may have actually tried to be himself for a second and had to be reminded to get back into the dark character he played.
I understand this movie employed something called "Magical Realism" or some such nonsense. I enjoy magic and I enjoy realism but apparently not the two mixed together. I kept waiting for something exciting to happen to put it all together and give it that "Oh wow!" factor, but it never did. Instead, I was subjected to several "interpersonal relationships that delved into the human psyche" and try to figure out what the director is trying to "say". It's the same kind of "man's inhumanity to man" mumbo jumbo. So rather than sit here and write how terrible the movie was, I will simply say that it wasn't my cup of tea and I'm guessing that the general public probably feels the same way. But then I could be wrong.
Again, Michael Keaton did an outstanding acting job, I just wish it had been in a movie that I enjoyed watching.