There was a time, not that long ago, when Michael Keaton starred in a film called Jack Frost. Keaton played the titular Mr. Frost, a bluesy musician who spent more time working on his craft than with his family. This all became even more tragic when Frost died in a car crash. But don't worry, he came back as a snowman and grew adorably close to his heartbroken son. He played music, he did some comedic shtick with the family dog, he even went snowboarding.
What I'm trying to say is that Michael Keaton, one of the greatest actors in Hollywood, was relegated this:
Why do bad movies happen to good people?
Those were not good times for Michael Keaton or any Keaton fan. I would know because I am a major, die-hard, fanatical Keaton aficionado. He was all I talked about as a kid, mostly because he was Batman and Beetlejuice but also because he was just so damn cool. He was the sort of smooth, funny and confident that I wanted to be. And he oozed the smarter-than-you charisma that made him magnetic and maybe even a little dangerous.
After years in the cinematic wastelands of Jack Frost, Extreme Measures, First Daughter and White Noise (which I'll actually defend) Keaton came back in a big, big way with Birdman. The film was celebrated and his performance was heralded as one of the best turns of the year. If it wasn't for a certain British twerp who will go unnamed, Keaton would be an Oscar winner. Despite losing the hardware, Keaton's career was back and better than ever.
The return of the king continued. Dramatic comeback (Birdman)? Check. Supporting turn in another Oscar-winning prestige flick (Spotlight)? Done. Chew the scenery in a quirky biopic (The Founder)? Roger that. Villain in a highly anticipated comic book movie (Spider-Man: Homecoming)? Complete.
So what's next? Well, that's where things get tricky. He'll be lending his talent to Tim Burton's Dumbo remake which seems like a smart move. However, a troublesome project is American Assassin which feels like a half-baked Jason Bourne knock-off. Will it be cool to see Keaton playing a grizzled old ex-assassin taking out people half his age? Of course but it also suggests that Hollywood might be running out of ideas for our man.
The best? The best.
I'm going to say this loudly for everyone to hear: do not waste Michael Keaton. I mean it. The man has always, always, always been ready to go. He's consistently proven he's excited to give 100% and Birdman made that abundantly clear. It's great to see him earn some money and cred in things like Spider-Man but, Hollywood, please don't sentence him to supporting old dude just yet. He's ridiculously funny, his dramatic skill is layered, subtle, human and unique. He's older, sure, but he's full of same energy he had back in the 80's and 90's. And being through the dark times only makes him more hungry. No one's 100% comes close to his.
There are dozens more Birdmans in Michael Keaton. Any serious fan knows that performance wasn't a one-time thing. We could get work like that again and again from him. While many were surprised to see Keaton in Birdman, those who know him well weren't shocked at all. We've always known he was capable of that. Seeing him already playing a side-part in a generic action film is troubling. It's not time for that. Not yet. Not by a long shot.
The Keaton Comeback shouldn't be short-lived. Birdman was just the beginning. It's not time for him to coast and play bit parts against a young, sexy stud. Instead it's time for him to get picked up by some more interesting and exciting film makers who remember the Keaton of yesteryear: that slightly high-strung, fast-talking guy you couldn't take your eyes off of. The guy who had range that most comedic performers only dream of. The guy you adored so much that you spent hard-earned cash on some stupid movie about a father becoming a harmonica-playing snowman. Michael Keaton's star better keep shining bright. I'm telling you right now I am not going back to the days of Herbie Fully Loaded.