Michael Keaton: Five Films for Newcomers
It might seem just as normal to wish Michael Keaton a happy birthday like we do any other celebrity, but I do think he is a bit of a special case. Ten years ago, this was not the same Keaton we now currently adore. He was borderline off the map until his recent career resurgence. Even still, this current Keaton is not what he was once known as: a suave comedic lead, the oddball right for specific parts, or the franchise mainstay. We have been blessed with the full range of what Keaton can do, and we better not take that for granted again. So, to help keep his legacy going, let’s celebrate the iconic actor as properly as possible. Here are five films for newcomers to the works of Michael Keaton.
5. Much Ado About Nothing
Maybe a hint at Keaton being able to do more than he was originally granted was in Kenneth Branagh’s Much Ado About Nothing. As side character Dogberry — who is driven by arrogance and ignorance — Keaton brings a bit of a sleaziness to the film that acts as comedic relief of sorts. Standing out amongst such a talented cast was tough, but Keaton held his own against Denzel Washington, Emma Thompson, and other powerful thespians.
4. Beetlejuice
I think the first real sign of what special qualities Keaton could bring was in Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice, where the titular ghost (kind of, it’s “Betelgeuse”) is beyond crazy. Supplying this strange spooky comedy with enough eccentricity to match Burton’s then-unique sets and colours, Keaton fit right in to this bizarre new vision, allowing the entire picture to come together through its central oddity. Could anyone else have played Betelgeuse?
3. Spotlight
At the start of his career revival, Keaton took on a dramatically juicy role as reporter Robby Robinson in Spotlight. For once, it’s sublime to see Keaton not trying to charm or be strange or do anything extra. He just sinks right into the role humanistically, proving that he is beyond a one trick pony. Other similar roles would follow, including The Founder and Worth, would continue this proof. However, in Spotlight, Keaton is so layered and full of mystery, given his damning predicament of being caught in the story of the millennium and torn with what are the right courses of action.
2. Batman/Batman Returns
I have my own preferences of what the best Batman films are, but I do honestly feel that Keaton was the best Batman himself thus far. He captures Bruce Wayne’s milieu and presence perfectly, and does a great job as the caped crusader, too; he isn’t too dark or too corny. It’s easy to make this claim when Keaton was the first cinematic Batman to come out, but he did set the bar incredibly high. Perhaps this role cemented him in a weird place for a number of years with his career (franchises and ongoing series can do that), but his legacy will forever contain this titanic role.
1. Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
As good as Michael Keaton has been and will ever be, his role as Riggan Thomson is unparalleled even by himself. In Birdman, the role was made for Keaton specifically (it seems), and he rose to the occasion with flying colours. Showing off a range of emotions that we’ve never seen — like it were a juggling act — is a big reason why Birdman works: we feel every ounce of dread, embarrassment, and isolation that Thomson is full of. Still contested as a Best Actor win that should have been, Keaton’s performance in Birdman is astoundingly brilliant, and this is absolutely the first film of his to watch in order to see what he can pull off.
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.