The defence The Sentimental Softie
“Form is the argument.”
Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.
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Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Drama · Comedy · 2014
A fading actor best known for his portrayal of a popular superhero attempts to mount a comeback by appearing in a Broadway play. As opening night approaches, his attempts to become more altruistic, rebuild his career, and reconnect with friends and family prove more difficult than expected.
Movie details
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
“How did we end up here?”
2014 Drama · Comedy 2h 0m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
7.4 / 10
Community rating
A fading actor best known for his portrayal of a popular superhero attempts to mount a comeback by appearing in a Broadway play. As opening night approaches, his attempts to become more altruistic, rebuild his career, and reconnect with friends and family prove more difficult than expected.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)?
For the defence
The Sentimental Softie
“You came to feel something, and you will.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Cool Ironist
“Feeling things is a little embarrassing.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
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An unlikely friendship kindles between a struggling stand-up comedian from L.A. — forced to move back home to Eastern Long Island with his tail between his legs — and a tragically flawed, but charming and charismatic, alcoholic dermatologist. Discovering to be kindred spirits, each helps the other find healing, in addition to the confidence to face the "failures" in their lives.
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A group of suburban teenagers try to support each other through the difficult task of becoming adults.
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A teenager living with her sister and parents in Manhattan during the 1990s discovers that her father is having an affair.
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A novelist fed up with the establishment profiting from "Black" entertainment uses a pen name to write a book that propels him into the heart of hypocrisy and the madness he claims to disdain.
Shiva Baby
Comedy · 2021
College student Danielle must cover her tracks when she unexpectedly runs into her sugar daddy at a shiva - with her parents, ex-girlfriend and family friends also in attendance.
Deconstructing Harry
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Writer Harry Block draws inspiration from people he knows, and from events that happened to him, sometimes causing these people to become alienated from him as a result.
Chuck & Buck
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Chuck and Buck are childhood best friends whose lives have taken very different paths. While Chuck moved away and now has a real life, Buck stayed behind and developed a dangerous fixation—on Chuck's life.
Where it lives
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Alejandro G. Iñárritu
Written by
Alejandro G. Iñárritu · Alexander Dinelaris · Nicolás Giacobone · Armando Bo
Michael Keaton
Riggan
Emma Stone
Sam
Zach Galifianakis
Jake
Edward Norton
Mike
Andrea Riseborough
Laura
Naomi Watts
Lesley
Amy Ryan
Sylvia
Court is in session
Put Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Cool Ironist
“Technique in search of a pulse.”
Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.