Birdman (2014)

First, the bird in the room: a guy who once played Batman is playing a washed-up actor famous for a bird superhero, and the movie elbows you about it every few minutes. It’s also kind of insufferable about theater. Half the characters give speeches about art and truth like they’re auditioning for a play inside the play. Then the camera starts moving and never seems to stop, gliding through hallways and dressing rooms like one long breath, and you forget to be annoyed. Michael Keaton is raw, funny and a little scary. Edward Norton plays a method actor so committed he’s a danger to everyone onstage, and he’s hilarious. Emma Stone gets one rant that could peel paint. The drum score sounds like a heartbeat that had way too much coffee. It made $103.2 million worldwide on a reported budget of no more than $18 million. An 8.8 because it’s a showoff and it earns every bit of it. $4,089 says you hear a jazz drum in your head the next time you walk down a long hallway.

What works: The camera floats through the theater like the whole movie is one breath, and Michael Keaton gives the rawest performance of his career.

What doesn’t: The characters monologue about art and relevance so much that it starts to feel like the movie is grading its own paper.

Who it’s for: Theater kids, actors, and anyone who ever tried a comeback in front of people who remember the old version.