History Film / Birdman

It follows Riggan Thomson (Keaton), a washed-up actor best known for playing superhero Birdman in a series of movies, as he tries to revive his career by writing, directing, and starring in a Broadway adaptation of Raymond Carver's short story ''What We Talk About When We Talk About Love''. Along the way, he faces various difficulties, both on and off stage, as he battles his own ego (and alter ego), a narcissistic actor (Norton) who attempts to wrestle control away from Riggan, and a critic hell-bent on destroying the production while attempting to repair his relationship with his family, in particular his daughter Sam ([[Creator/EmmaStone Stone]]).

Not to be confused with [[WesternAnimation/{{Birdman}} the Hanna-Barbera cartoon series from the 60s]] or [[WesternAnimation/HarveyBirdmanAttorneyAtLaw the satirical show which had said cartoon's hero take up law practice]] or the [[Manga/{{BirdMen}} Japanese comic of a similar name]]. Or with those [[Film/Batman1989 two]] [[Film/BatmanReturns movies]] where Michael Keaton plays [[Franchise/{{Batman}} a guy in a bat costume]]. Or the ''other'' Michael Keaton movie [[Film/SpiderManHomecoming where he plays a guy in a bird costume]]. Or the other [[ComicBook/{{Hawkman}} animal-themed superhero]]. Or the rapper. Or that bird themed skateboarder.

** Obviously, there's Creator/MichaelKeaton as an actor famous for [[Film/Batman1989 playing a]] [[Film/BatmanReturns superhero]]. Less obviously, there's the fact that [[RealitySubtext he, like his character, essentially disappeared from the public eye after he stopped playing a superhero]].

** ... which may be a reference to yet ''another'' Keaton film, ''Film/JohnnyDangerously'', where Keaton's character, the eponymous Dangerously, says "around here I'm just Johnny Kelley", to which [[Creator/DomDeluise the Pope]] replies, "Yeah, and I'm-a the Pope."

** ... which may be a callback to yet ''another'' Keaton film, ''Film/JohnnyDangerously'', where Keaton's character, the eponymous Dangerously, says "around here I'm just Johnny Kelley", to which [[Creator/DomDeluise the Pope]] replies, "Yeah, and I'm-a the Pope."

** ... which may be a callback to another Keaton film, ''Film/JohnnyDangerously'', where Keaton's character, the eponymous Dangerously, says "around here I'm just Johnny Kelley", to which [[Creator/DomDeluise the Pope]] replies, "Yeah, and I'm-a the Pope."

** ... which may be a callback to another Keaton film, ''Film/JohnnyDangerously'', where Keaton's character, the eponymous Dangerously, says "around here I'm just Johnny Kelley", to which [[CreatorDomDeLuise the Pope]] replies, "Yeah, and I'm-a the Pope."

Not to be confused with [[WesternAnimation/{{Birdman}} the Hanna-Barbera cartoon series from the 60s]] or [[WesternAnimation/HarveyBirdmanAttorneyAtLaw the satirical show which had said cartoon's hero take up law practice]] or the [[Manga/{{BirdMen}} Japanese comic of a similar name]]. Or with those [[Film/Batman1989 two]] [[Film/BatmanReturns movies]] where Michael Keaton plays [[Franchise/{{Batman}} a guy in a bat costume]]. Or the ''other'' Michael Keaton movie [[Film/SpiderManHomecoming where he plays a guy in a bird costume]]. Or the other [[ComicBook/{Hawkman} animal-themed superhero]]. Or the rapper. Or that bird themed skateboarder.

Not to be confused with [[WesternAnimation/{{Birdman}} the Hanna-Barbera cartoon series from the 60s]] or [[WesternAnimation/HarveyBirdmanAttorneyAtLaw the satirical show which had said cartoon's hero take up law practice]] or the [[Manga/{{BirdMen}} Japanese comic of a similar name]]. Or with those [[Film/Batman1989 two]] [[Film/BatmanReturns movies]] where Michael Keaton plays [[Franchise/{{Batman}} a guy in a bat costume]]. Or the ''other'' Michael Keaton movie [[Film/SpiderManHomecoming where he plays a guy in a bird costume]]. Or the other [[ComicBook/Hawkman animal-themed superhero]]. Or the rapper. Or that bird themed skateboarder.

Not to be confused with [[WesternAnimation/{{Birdman}} the Hanna-Barbera cartoon series from the 60s]] or [[WesternAnimation/HarveyBirdmanAttorneyAtLaw the satirical show which had said cartoon's hero take up law practice]] or the [[Manga/{{BirdMen}} Japanese comic of a similar name]]. Or with those [[Film/Batman1989 two]] [[Film/BatmanReturns movies]] where Michael Keaton plays [[Franchise/{{Batman}} a guy in a bat costume]]. Or the ''other'' Michael Keaton movie [[Film/SpiderManHomecoming where he plays a guy in a bird costume]]. Or the rapper. Or that bird themed skateboarder.

** Riggan reveals that he tried SuicideBySea after [[YourCheatingHeart cheating on his wife]] but jellyfish made him return to the beach.

* YourCheatingHeart: [[spoiler:Sam and Mike begin an affair during the play's production, and Leslie and Laura start kissing but are interrupted by Mike (who either doesn't notice or doesn't care).]]

* FantasySequence: [[ReconstructedTrope Reconstructed]] and used in several scenes throughout the film. The first scene shows Riggan levitating alone in his dressing room before he ceases and prepares for his role. When he's next on stage, he looks at a light directly above [[BadBadActing Ralph]] during a poor read-through of the play, and the light falls and hits Ralph on the head, injuring and removing him from the production. Later, he receives flowers from Sam different to those he requested; so, once alone with them, he smashes the vase in which they are placed telekinetically. Further along, while downcast in his dressing room, he uses his powers to destroy the furniture within it (including his "Birdman" film poster) before Jake enters. [[spoiler: Next, on the morning of Opening Day, with a hangover and after a night of heavy drinking and waking on the street,]] coaxed by his alter ego, he imagines a giant metallic bird destroying a suburban section of New York. [[spoiler: Then, after stepping away from the edge of a high roof at another gentleman's insistence, [[DrivenToSuicide he runs back and jumps off of it]], and, from there, [[DefiedTrope begins flying]]. Finally, while recovering from his gunshot wound in a hospital, he opens the window of the room, seeing a flock of birds flying in the distance, and stands on the sill of the window; we then see the room and Sam enter the room, looking for Riggan; she sees the open window and panics; she looks through it, down to the street; she hears a bird's cry and looks in the same direction as Riggan had looked - where he saw the birds - [[SubvertedTrope and smiles]].]]

''Birdman, [[EitherOrTitle or]] (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)'', is a 2014 BlackComedy film directed by Creator/AlejandroGonzalezInarritu and starring Creator/MichaelKeaton, Creator/ZachGalifianakis, Creator/EdwardNorton, Andrea Riseborough, Amy Ryan, Creator/EmmaStone and Creator/NaomiWatts. Notably, much of the film is shot and edited in such a way to appear that they were filmed in one shot.

* LittlePeopleAreSurreal: It's revealed through dialog that the play Riggan is working on includes a dream sequence with dancing midgets.

The film was nominated for nine UsefulNotes/{{Academy Award}}s, winning for Best Picture, Director, Original Screenplay, and Cinematography.

* BiTheWay: [[spoiler:Lesley and Laura, who end up kissing after Mike nearly rapes Lesley onstage and Riggan inadvertently insults Laura while trying to console Lesley]].

Not to be confused with [[WesternAnimation/{{Birdman}} the Hanna-Barbera cartoon series from the 60s]] or [[WesternAnimation/HarveyBirdmanAttorneyAtLaw the satirical show which had said cartoon's hero take up law practice]] or the [[Manga/{{BirdMen}} Japanese comic of a similar name]]. Or with those [[Film/Batman1989 two]] [[Film/BatmanReturns movies]] where Michael Keaton plays [[Franchise/{{Batman}} a guy in a bat costume]]. Or the ''other'' Michael Keaton movie [[Film/SpiderManHomecoming where he plays a guy in a bird costume]]. Or the rapper.

''Birdman, [[EitherOrTitle or]] (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)'', is a 2014 BlackComedy film directed by Creator/AlejandroGonzalezInarritu and starring Creator/MichaelKeaton, Creator/ZachGalifianakis, Creator/EdwardNorton, Andrea Riseborough, Amy Ryan, Creator/EmmaStone and Creator/NaomiWatts.

* NasalTrauma: [[spoiler: During Riggan's opening night show, he loads the prop gun with real bullets, intending to commit suicide onstage. Instead he ends up shooting his nose off and fainting, waking up to find he's still alive, his play is getting incredible reviews for "super realism", and he's been surgically given a new nose.]]

''Birdman, [[EitherOrTitle or]] (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)'', is a 2014 BlackComedy film directed by Creator/AlejandroGonzalezInarritu and starring Creator/MichaelKeaton, Zach Galifianakis, Creator/EdwardNorton, Andrea Riseborough, Amy Ryan, Creator/EmmaStone and Creator/NaomiWatts.

** The film also deconstructs Broadway and theater in general, illustrating just how difficult and stressful putting together a Broadway play is. Clashing egos, relationship issues, and freak accidents cause production problems; Riggan has to refinance his house in order to fund the play, and by opening night he's broke. Plus there's the added pressure of having to win over an influential critic that could easily sink the play with a bad review.

Not to be confused with [[WesternAnimation/{{Birdman}} the Hanna-Barbera cartoon series from the 60s]] or [[WesternAnimation/HarveyBirdmanAttorneyAtLaw the satirical show which had said cartoon's hero take up law practice]] or the [[Manga/{{BirdMen}} Japanese comic of a similar name]]. Or with those [[Film/Batman1989 two]] [[Film/BatmanReturns movies]] where Michael Keaton plays [[Franchise/{{Batman}} a guy in a bat costume]]. Or the ''other'' Michael Keaton movie [[Film/SpiderManHomecoming where he plays a guy in a bird costume]].

** Ironically, [[StrawCritic Tabitha]]'s existence seems to be directly mocking critics who automatically dismiss anything [[AnimationAgeGhetto animated]] or [[SciFiGhetto comic-book-based]] for not qualifying as "[[TrueArtIsAngsty real art.]]"

* EpicTrackingShot:
** Half-way through the movie, a tracking shot moves from the street right through the bars of a balcony banister into Riggan's dressing room.
** The ''entire film'' is made to look like ''one epic tracking shot''.

Not to be confused with [[WesternAnimation/{{Birdman}} the Hanna-Barbera cartoon series from the 60s]] or [[WesternAnimation/HarveyBirdmanAttorneyAtLaw the satirical show which had said cartoon's hero take up law practice]] or the [[Manga/{{BirdMen}} Japanese comic of a similar name]]. Or with those [[Film/{{Batman}} two]] [[Film/BatmanReturns movies]] where Michael Keaton plays [[Franchise/{{Batman}} a guy in a bat costume]]. Or the ''other'' Michael Keaton movie [[Film/SpiderManHomecoming where he plays a guy in a bird costume]].

** Obviously, there's Creator/MichaelKeaton as an actor famous for [[Film/{{Batman}} playing a]] [[Film/BatmanReturns superhero]]. Less obviously, there's the fact that [[RealitySubtext he, like his character, essentially disappeared from the public eye after he stopped playing a superhero]].

* GutturalGrowler: Birdman. He speaks to Riggan in a deep, growling voice that's reminiscent of Film/{{Batman}}. Keaton described it in an interview as a "bastardization" of his Batman voice.