Birdman or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance

In the early 90s Woody Allen released a 'backstage comedy' in which one of the characters, an over-the-hill matinee idol, was seen bustling down a hotel fire escape ladder in order to avoid the clutches of his amour's boyfriend. The hotel was beside a Broadway theatre where the audience was exiting. The playgoers, recognizing this man as a former star, gathered around to get autographs. They just ignored the fact the man was wearing only his skivvy's! That was 1994. Today of course That type of event would immediately go viral. Allen's film, 'Bullets over Broadway' garnered seven Oscar nominations, and this film may be in the Oscar parade too. It was marvellously edited and the premise is so absurd that its hilarity may not register until after the film's conclusion. Michael Keaton, who's fame is mostly derived by peeking uncomfortably from behind an ill-fitting bat mask, gives an excellent rendition of a man still consumed by his former glory days. Fast moving a great performances by all.