Bird’s man soars
Keaton’s heartfelt speech puts him ahead in Oscar race
WAS Oscar’s Best Actor race decided at the Golden Globes? If so, Michael Keaton has already won for “Birdman’’ over his main competitor, Eddie Redmayne of “The Theory of Everything.’’
The thing to remember is that actors aren’t just picking up trophies at the Golden Globes, they’re auditioning for the Oscars with their speeches.
A bad speech can sink a candidacy — Eddie Murphy’s egotistical rant after winning best supporting actor for “Dreamgirls” in 2007 turned him from frontrunner to pariah.
Though they will almost certainly be pitted against each other when Oscar nominations are announced on Thursday, Keaton was named best actor in the Globes’ comedy or musical division, while Redmayne won for best actor in a drama. This was viewed by experts as a makeorbreak speech for erstwhile Batman Keaton, who has balked at going along with the Oscar-friendly narrative that his life has parallels in “Birdman,’’ a dark comedy about a former actor in superhero movies trying for a Broadway comeback.
Instead, Keaton delivered a tourdeforce speech about his “best friend,’’ his 31yearold musicproducer son, that had the audience in tears — and became a viral sensation.
It was a tough act to follow, and Redmayne didn’t even seem to really try. He recited a personality-free laundry list of thank yous that was so dull, the orchestra played him off in the show’s closing minutes.
In “The Theory of Everything,’’ Redmayne delivers an extraordinary physical performance as Stephen Hawking, the British physics genius with ALS. Keaton’s work in “Birdman’’ is great, but not quite of the same caliber.
But their positions were reversed at the Golden Globes podium — and that may be decisive when Oscars are awarded on Feb. 22.