- Description
The black comedy tells the story of actor Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton), who has previously made a name for himself as the iconic avian superhero Birdman, and is now struggling to make his Broadway theatrical debut. Riggan hopes to revive his flagging career by succeeding as director and actor of an ambitious new show. In many ways, it's a risky move.
But the former movie superhero has high hopes that through this he will finally gain recognition as an artist and prove to everyone, including himself, that he is not yet a write-off. The opening night is slowly approaching when the performer of the title role in his play is injured during rehearsals under strange circumstances and needs to be quickly replaced. At the recommendation of lead actress Lesley (Naomi Watts) and at the urging of Riggan's best friend and producer Jake (Zach Galifianakis), Riggan reluctantly ends up hiring Mike Shiner (Edward Norton), who is a complete loose cannon.
But Mike guarantees that the show will sell out and garner critical praise. In addition to the actual preparations for opening night, Riggan has to deal with his girlfriend and supporting actress, Laura (Andrea Riseborough), his daughter Sam (Emma Stone), who has just been through rehab and now works for him as a personal assistant, and his ex-wife Sylvia (Amy Ryan), who shows up backstage from time to time...
