By DOUG STRASSLER
There was a time when Michael Keaton was pretty much inescapable at the movies. Unfortunately, that time was the 1980s, and while he’s worked steadily since then, the movies haven’t had the visibility of the good old days.
Think of the string of hits the man had. There were comedies like Gung Ho, Night Shift, Mr. Mom, and (one of my favorites) Johnny Dangerously, which features the line “Did you know you’re last name is an adverb?” And he was strong in dramas, too, like One Good Cop, Touch and Go and the excellent Clean and Sober.
And then there is one of the most creative mind-boinks of all time, the playfully morbid Beetlejuice. The movie was a perfect match for the fertile mind of Tim Burton and Keaton’s “I can do anything†mantra. Watch him let loose. It’s a performance of unbridled fun.
Keaton could do no wrong. The only thing he needed was an action hit… and then he got one when he re-teamed Tim Burton on Batman, a movie that did more to revive the notion of the summer blockbuster than any movie since Jaws or Star Wars. I’ve been vocal about how I prefer Burton’s vision of the Caped Crusader over Christopher Nolan’s bleak, if technically profound, reboots, and Keaton is one of the main reasons.
Unlike the huffy Christian Bale, Keaton provided real gravitas to Bruce Wayne – he shaded in all the areas, creating not just a millionaire playboy with plenty of demons, but also a sense of charisma, of egotism, of entitlement, and even libido. And still managed to have fun with the comic book adaptation. He’s a character actor by nature, and his inside-out approach to the character made it far richer and yes, human, than the subsequent Batmans played by Val Kilmer, George Clooney and Bale. Also, his chemistry with Michelle Pfeiffer’s Selina Kyle/Catwoman damn near saves the off-kilter Batman Returns.
Someone with that ability to carry movies of all shapes and sizes seemed destined for superstardom, and indeed, superstardom came…for Tom Hanks, whose all-American charm sent him straight to the stratosphere. Meanwhile, Keaton’s career plateaued, although the work never suffered. He’s great in Multiplicity as not one, not two, not three, but FOUR different versions of protagonist Doug Kinney (in fact, maybe a strong “Doug†connection is why I’ve always thought Keaton is so awesome – he was born Michael Douglas!). He’s a generous actor—he gives practically every scene to Andie MacDowell. Same for Speechless: he lets co-star and Beetlejuice alum Geena Davis run with the movie, mediocre as it may have been. Same with Marisa Tomei and Robert Duvall in The Paper and Helena Bonham-Carter in HBO’s Live from Baghdad.
But guess what, guys? He’s back! Earlier this summer Keaton did a hilarious job voicing the curious Ken doll in the excellent Toy Story 3. And today he stars as Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg’s police captain in The Other Guys (just like Ken, he’s got a secret or two). Clearly I’m not the only one welcoming his return – Letterman gave him three segments last week. Is he back for good? Let’s hope so.
8 responses so far ↓
1 Emily // Aug 6, 2010 at 11:29 am
Multiplicity is easily my favorite Keaton movie. “Steve! I’m spittin’ on bugs!” His physical comedy is fantastic.
2 Stacy // Aug 6, 2010 at 11:36 am
Michael Keaton is one of my earliest actor crushes, before I was even old enough to really have crushes. Mr. Mom is one of my favorite movies ever (although I also have a special in my heart for Gung Ho, as well), and Keaton has some outstanding, almost Fletch-like lines in that movie. (“You gonna make it all 220?” “220…221. Whatever it takes.” ) And I adore the company picnic obstacle course – he’s got physcial comedy down in a subtle way, too.
Totally surprised, and a little thrilled, at the end of Toy Story 3 when we saw his name in the credits. Welcome back, Michael Keaton! You’ve been missed.
3 Karen // Aug 6, 2010 at 12:17 pm
There is no end to my adoration of Beetlejuice. Best. Movie. Ever. And Keaton was pretty damn brilliant in Live from Baghdad. I do hope he’s “back.” Since I currently live in Tween land, a big thanks for pointing this out, Doug!
4 Diane P // Aug 6, 2010 at 2:05 pm
“The Paper” and “Night Shift” are 2 of my favorite movies ever. Two totally different characters but he’s perfect in both.
5 RJ // Aug 6, 2010 at 3:57 pm
My brother and I watched Mr. Mom hundreds of times on VHS back in the day. Great movie, great actor. Get this guy in more starring roles!
6 Meagan // Aug 6, 2010 at 5:18 pm
I definitely loved him in Beetlejuice and Batman (“You wanna get nuts? COME ON, let’s get nuts!), but when Multiplicity came out I was a goner. I love how the third clone repeatedly refers to Doug as Steve, and craves 2 liter bottles of Pepsi. And what he does for each clone to make them as different as they are is truly amazing (and I never use that word, but here, it’s deserved). This guy is one of the best.
7 Reese M. // Aug 6, 2010 at 10:54 pm
I *love* Michael Keaton! I always have. Beetlejuice is one of my all time favorite movies of his, and I totally agree with your Batman assessment. I thought he was brilliant in My Life, a movie that I think didn’t get a lot of publicity.
But my all-time favorite movie of his? Go watch him in the Kenneth Branaugh/Emma Thompson Much Ado About Nothing. It’s a tiny little part, and the movie is almost ruined entirely by a robotic performance by Keanu Reeves (yeah, I know, right?). But trust me on that one, he’s brilliant.
Anyway, I didn’t realize he was in The Other Guys. I was already planning on seeing it, but now I’ll be sure I don’t miss it!
8 LauraMac // Aug 8, 2010 at 10:48 am
@Reese: Glad to hear you bring up My Life! That movie is great.. Somehow it escapes the Lifetime flavor one would expect, and I guess Keaton deserve a lot of the credit for that! It’s a truly respectable, appropriately sentimental tear-jerker!
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