NNNNNNNNNARGH I’M HUNGOVER: Obviously, it’s New Years’ Day. It’s kind of a given.
WHY ARE YOU TALKING TO ME? Because you need to get out of bed to see a new cool film!
You must be joking: Nope, I’m not. GTFU and go and see Birdman.
That’s the one with Emma Stone right? And that old dude. Erm Michael Keaton?
Sure, maybe. Michael Keaton who used to play Batman and was more recently the voice of the Ken Doll in Toy Story 3? Kind of a big deal.
Sure whatever. What’s the film about then? OK so Michael plays Riggan, a down on his luck once-famous actor best known for playing a superhero called ‘Birdman’. Now, he’s attempting to stage a credible comeback but putting on a Broadway play.
But…? Yes, there are a few ‘buts’ to be dealt with. For starters, things aren’t going spectacularly well on the play front thanks to his brand new high-maintenance co-star played by Edward Norton who turns out to be less method actor and more batshit lunatic, his girlfriend (Angela Riseborough) reckons she's pregnant, and his fresh-out-of-rehab daughter (Emma Stone) hates him and the sweet-ass PA job he's hooked her up with. Mainly though, he's struggling to figure out just how 'real' some of the elements of his old character Birdman are.
So is it any good? Well, we’re not getting you out of bed on New Years’ Day to see a rubbish film are we? It’s stunningly beautiful; dark, funny and heatbreaking. The whole thing is filmed to look like it’s one looooooong shot which follows the actors as they weave their way through the narrow and twisting corridors that make up the backstage area of the theatre out onto the stage, up to the wings and back to Riggan’s dressing room. The claustrophobia of the setting is complimented by a cast of characters all of whom seem to be erring on the side of manic, about to break for the entire film.
Well that sounds cool... It is. And this being Awards season (Birdman's already been nominated for seven Golden Globes) the film's likely to be *the *talking point movie for January, and you don't want to be out of the loop now do you?
Nooo.... What are other people saying about it? Jeez, fine. Well Robbie Collin calls the film, 'beautiful, hilarious, film-defying film' while Time Out say it's 'dazzling and rambling, intimate and sprawling'.
OK fine. Who should I go and see it with? Well, this being New Years' Day, you're probably going to have trouble dragging people along to see it with you but anyone will do really, it's relatively parent-safe if you're still at home but if you want our advice, go and see it by yourself and dive headfirst into the film with absolutely no distractions. Trust us, it'll be the best start to a new year you've ever had.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.