I watched this movie years ago when it came out-but had forgotten most of it until I watched it again this past weekend. And I think I liked it even more the second time around! Micheal Keaton leads an excellent cast, including Zach Galifianakis, Edward Norton, Amy Ryan, Emma Stone, and Naomi Watts.

Keaton plays Riggan Thomson, a former superhero star whose career is floundering, and he decides to put together an ambitious Broadway play that he hopes will rescue his career. He is not only directing it, but also starring in it. He does a great job of pulling off the stressed, and maybe a bit mentally unstable leader, who is trying to not only keep the play together but himself as well. Galifianakis is excellent as Brandon, his uptight lawyer/agent whose primary responsibility seems to be to calming Thomson down after tantrums. Norton does a perfect job of playing Mike, a pompous jerk of an actor who joins the play at the last minute. Stone does a stunning job as Sam, Thomson’s troubled recovering drug addict daughter who is working for him as a personal assistant (look for a scene where she confronts her father- excellent scene!). Watts plays Lesley, another one of the leading stars of the play who seems to suffer in face of everyone else.

Another thing I liked about the movie, is how it gives the appearance of being one long nonstop scene, with the camera following people up and down the building, outside the building and around it. Another movie I liked that had this format was the wartime movie, 1917. I’m sure it’s a no easy feat, splicing all these scenes together to flow flawlessly- it turns out amazing in these two movies- I hope we see some more movies that follow this format in the future. Check this movie out if you haven’t!