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Chicago International Film Festival. 2014 Winner Founder's Award. Best Actor. Michael Keaton. The 50th Chicago International Film Festival presented actor Michael Keaton with the Founder's Award for his electrifying performance as an actor who hopes to revive his moribund career in Alejandro G. Iñárritu's daring comedy "Birdman."
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At the 87th Academy Awards, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) won four Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Cinematography.
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance): Directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu. With Michael Keaton, Emma Stone, Kenny Chin, Jamahl Garrison-Lowe. A washed-up superhero actor attempts to revive his fading career by writing, directing, and starring in a Broadway production.
- Alejandro G. Iñárritu
- 3 min
- Overview
- Production notes and credits
- Cast
- Academy Award nominations (* denotes Win)
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), American satiric film, released in 2014, that won four Academy Awards, including that for best picture. A complex and quirky movie, it was hailed as a masterpiece by many critics, though some viewers found it pretentious and puzzling.
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) centres on Riggan Thomson (played by Michael Keaton), an actor who is famous for having played the superhero Birdman in a series of blockbuster films and who is now trying to burnish his credentials by writing, directing, and starring in a Broadway adaptation of Raymond Carver’s short story “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love.” The film draws viewers behind the scenes of the fraught production and into Thomson’s mind. The character of Birdman taunts Thomson whenever he is alone, and Thomson exhibits magical powers under Birdman’s influence, but it is not obvious whether these are delusions. He is unable to control the play’s cast members—his girlfriend, Laura (Andrea Riseborough), the unstable Lesley (Naomi Watts), and especially the top-notch yet insufferable actor Mike Shiner (Edward Norton). He does not get along with his daughter, Sam (Emma Stone), who has recently completed a drug rehabilitation program. To make matters worse, the theatre critic Tabitha (Lindsay Duncan) promises to pan the production before she has seen it. Achieving respect on any level seems out of Thomson’s reach. On opening night, Thomson substitutes a real gun for a prop gun, and in the play’s climactic scene he shoots his nose off, prompting a rave review from Tabitha. In the final scene, set in the hospital, Thomson exits through the window—but whether as a suicide or in flight is left to the viewer to decide.
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Oscar-Worthy Movie Trivia
•Studios: New Regency Pictures, M Prods, Le Grisbi Productions, TSG Entertainment, and Worldview Entertainment
•Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu
•Writers: Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, and Armando Bo
•Music: Antonio Sanchez
•Michael Keaton (Riggan Thomson)
•Emma Stone (Sam)
•Naomi Watts (Lesley)
•Andrea Riseborough (Laura)
•Edward Norton (Mike Shiner)
•Lindsay Duncan (Tabitha)
•Picture*
•Lead actor (Michael Keaton)
•Supporting actor (Edward Norton)
•Supporting actress (Emma Stone)
•Cinematography*
•Directing*
- Pat Bauer
Aug 27, 2014 · Film Review: ‘Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)’. Michael Keaton pulls off a startling comeback in Alejandro G. Inarritu's blistering showbiz satire. A quarter-century...
Oct 17, 2014 · A fading actor best known for his portrayal of a popular superhero attempts to mount a comeback by appearing in a Broadway play. As opening night approaches, his attempts to become more altruistic, rebuild his career, and reconnect with friends and family prove more difficult than expected.
Oct 17, 2014 · 1h 58min. Release Date: October 17, 2014. Genre: Comedy. In an effort to jumpstart his career after his superhero movie franchise dies, a psychotic actor writes, directs, and stars in a broadway play that becomes an unlikely hit after he tries to shoots himself in the head during the premiere. Directed By. Alejandro González Iñárritu. Written By.
