Nerds That Geek Movie Review – ‘Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)’

Written by Scott Edwards

Trying to reinvent yourself can be one of the hardest things to do. When you have been living your life as one person for so many years, it is hard to break free of the mold that you have set for yourself.  If you are able to make this work however, no matter who you were, you feel as if you have achieved something, even if you did not need to do it. There are many people out there that want to change things in their lives and never take a chance to do it since there is a high probability that they will fail, so if this is something that you are looking to do, take small steps, do one little thing at a time and see how it benefits you before taking the large leap.

Former comic book action star Riggan Thompson is trying to make one of the biggest leaps in his career, by moving from the big screen to the stage, and not just any stage, but Broadway. Wanting to prove his worth as a true actor, he has written his own adaptation of Raymond Carver’s, What We Talk About When We Talk About Love. As his first previews are just hours away, Riggan knows that he does not have all of the pieces he needs yet to make the play a success and needs something drastic to happen. When a lighting rig falls on one of his problems, Riggan is blown away to hear that one of the best actors in the city is available and willing to join his production.

Mike Shiner is as big as they come and leaves all of himself on the stage. The fans and critics love him alike and he will be the one person that could make or break the play from day one. Seeing what Mike brings to the character, Riggan is in awe and wants him on the stage alongside of him, but Mike has also been known to take his character a little too seriously and will challenge his boss at every step of the game. Riggan has to find a way to control his new actor, while trying to make up for all of the lost time he has with his former drug addict daughter Samantha as she has taken the job of his assistant. Riggan has so many balls in the air to juggle concerning his play and home life, he does not have time for the voice of his old character to come calling.

Whenever Riggan gets stressed, the voice of his most popular character starts talking to him, telling him the truth of what is happening to him and commenting on what is happening around him. Wanting him to give up on this new venture on the stage, Riggan tries to ignore it, but the voice has been with him for too long and he knows what it is saying, is true. Being the first superhero on the big screen, opening doors for all of these other fluffy comic book heroes to make their movies, Riggan is owed plenty, but all he wants is to make it through one of his previews without a hiccup. As opening night quickly approaches, Riggan is getting beyond stressed with everything that is being placed on his shoulders, and when trying to make sure that everyone knows that he is there to help them, the stress is getting to be too much and he will have to find a way to leave all of his emotions on the stage.

This is a different type of story than you are used to seeing on the big screen. You usually don’t get to see what happens to a star after they have faded away from the spotlight and the troubles they have going forward. I love how the theater life comes into full view with everyone in the cast and some of the things they say make me double over in laughter. But this story captured my attention, not because of the one liners, but how Riggan’s eyes were opened to the real world out there and how much help he needs to see it. And once his eyes are opened, he finds what truly becomes important to him. While the fame is great, there seems to be a little bit more hiding in the back of his head that he is not willing to let the world see. I would have loved to see more of the superhero that opened doors for all of the new fluffy ones, but hey, they could be in the sequel, if it ever gets made. Happy Viewing.

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