It’s Michael Keaton‘s birthday! To mark the occasion, here are five performances from the acclaimed comedic and dramatic actor. Check some of these out!
The Founder (2016)
This might be one of my favorite biopics. Keaton stars as Ray Kroc, the “founder” of McDonald’s. The film charts the creation of the McDonald’s fast-food restaurant chain and the rise of Ray Kroc, who before stumbling upon the first McDonald’s restaurant was a traveling milkshake machine salesman. Nick Offerman and John Carroll Lynch co-star as McDonald’s founders Richard and Maurice McDonald. These three actors are great to watch in each scene as Kroc slowly, but surely pushes them out of the business they started. It’s a film that, like Super Size Me, makes you look at McDonald’s in a different way. One thing is for sure though, whether you hate Ray Kroc or love him, Keaton nails his performance of him.
Mr. Mom (1983)
Keaton stars as Jack Butler, an engineer at the Ford Motor Company in Detroit who is laid off during the early 1980s recession. After his his wife Caroline (Teri Garr) finds an advertising job, Jack is left to look after their three children. It’s a great premise and one that allows Keaton to showcase his impeccable comedic timing.
The Dream Team (1989)
Released in April, two months before Keaton would win over fandom as Batman, The Dream Team focuses on four mental-hospital inpatients who who are left unsupervised in New York City after their therapist is knocked unconscious and taken away in an ambulance. Keaton stars as Billy, one of the inpatients who is a pathological liar with a history of violence. In the eighties, Keaton seemed to have a knack for playing slightly unhinged characters. Whether it was in Beetlejuice or Batman, Keaton was always able to tap into the psyche of the character with ease and really deliver a tremendous performance.
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Some of Keaton’s best roles involve playing costumed characters. Spider-Man: Homecoming gave Keaton the opportunity to officially reenter the comic book world after his Oscar nominated performance in Birdman. Keaton delights and damn near steals the movie away from Tom Holland’s Spidey as Adrian Toomes / The Vulture. The car scene between Peter Parker and Adrian Toomes is one of the best in the whole MCU. Marvel films get a lot of hate thrown their way because of their one-note, bland villains, but Keaton’s Vulture is the exception. He’s excellent.
American Assassin (2017)
American Assassin, based on the Vince Flynn novel of the same name, follows Mitch Rapp (Dylan O’Brien), a young CIA black ops recruit, who helps a Michael Keaton’s Stan Hurley, a Cold War veteran, try to stop the detonation of a rogue nuclear weapon. It’s not the best film, but it’s fun seeing Keaton step into a mentorship role. The film also gave Batman fans plenty of footage to use for their fake live-action Batman Beyond trailers. And honestly, the dynamic between O’Brien and Keaton in this film makes it pretty easy to imagine them as Terry McGinnis and Bruce Wayne in a Batman Beyond film. If it ever does happen, we’ll have American Assassin to thank for it.
Those are five Keaton films I recommend you check out sometime. Now what are some of your favorite films to feature birthday boy Michael Keaton?
