Birdman: Or (The Needlessly Long Title) is a trip of a movie.  It received a lot of buzz just before release but didn’t draw a very big audience. More stunning in it’s presentation than anything else (not to belittle the great actors), Birdman can take a lot of aspiring (and established) filmmakers to school.

In the late 80’s, early 90’s actor Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton) played the title role in three “Birdman” comic book adaptation movies. They were massive movies and despite the fame and fortune it brought him, he declined to make a fourth movie. His career subsequently hits the dirt after making that decision. Having lived in the shadow of Birdman for so long, Riggan tries to reinvent his career and public image by writing, producing, directing and starring in the Broadway show, Raymond Carver’s “What  We Talk About When We Talk About Love.”

The pressure to make a successful show squeezes Riggan as he fights back mounting problems during the three preview shows leading up to opening night. He needs to find a replacement for a bad actor, who then threatens a lawsuit after getting hurt on stage. Then, the replacement actor is a complete nightmare to work with and threatens to steal the spotlight from Riggan. His flailing family relationships continue to erode right in front of him and a Broadway reviewer is sharpening her blades to help flush his career down the toilet. Riggan’s stress also comes to frightening life when he starts having discussions with the Birdman character in his head about all of his insecurities.

The movie is presented as a single long take which is rarely seen. Everyone director Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu told of his plans before filming must have told him he was nuts for even considering it. It’s incredibly taxing to do for everyone on set, eliminates just about every freedom that editing can provide and if not shot right, simply doesn’t work. I have to say Inarritu simply knocks it out of the park. Edits are tough to see and the fly on the wall presentation lends a certain amount emergency and legitimacy to the story. Transitions are beautiful to watch and the blocking feels natural. The movie flows from each event and day, it’s a really engaging way to go through Riggan’s troubles.

I really like the setting. Behind the scenes of a Broadway play isn’t done much so the environment was interesting to see with the playhouse’s dressing rooms, narrow hallways and interesting lighting. The movie briefly goes outside and even that looked cool (my favorite being the tiny liquor store, props to the production designer and cinematographer on that one).

The script is razor sharp too. Considering how the movie was shot (in order too, which is also almost never done), it has to be. Since there is no room for heavy editing, it’s important that every single character, scene and bit of dialog be important and effective. Inspiring writing.

The all star cast consisting of Michael Keaton, Emma Stone, Edward Norton, Zach Galifianaskis and Naomi Watts must be equally praised for pulling off what almost feels like a beautiful documentary. Everyone is believable and perfectly cast and it’s especially great to see Keaton strut his stuff. He’s one of the best actors and that we don’t get to see much. I hope we see more of him from here on out. Bonus points for Keaton and Norton’s characters for having shades of their real careers woven in.

As much as I like Birdman, I recognize it’s not for everyone. It’s a serious and heavy story, but I think there is a lot to like about it. It won a few Oscars for good reason.