Michael Keaton - one of the most underrated actors in Hollywood

PullMyFinger!

So Im watching a little film from the 90's called The Paper, its a gem of a movie and didnt get the praise it deserved, and I realise how good an actor Keaton is and wonder why the hell he isnt doing more work today.

Lets look at his selected filmography since his breakthrough with Beetlejuice



# Beetlejuice (1988)
# Clean and Sober (1988)
# Batman (1989)
# Pacific Heights (1990)
# Batman Returns (1992)
# The Paper (1994)
# Multiplicity (1996)
# Jackie Brown (1997)
# Desperate Measures (1998)
# Out of Sight (1998) (Cameo)
# Jack Frost (1998)
# A Shot at Glory (2000)
# Live from Baghdad (2002)
# Quicksand (2003)
# First Daughter (2004)
# White Noise (2005)
# Herbie: Fully Loaded (2005)
# Cars (2006) (voice)
# Game 6 (2006)
# The Last Time (2006)
# Reaper (2008)


Ive left out smaller films but you get the idea, his career kinda stalled after Out Of Sight.

Yet: he can act his socks off and anyone Ive seen him share the screen with doesnt get a look in. The thing about Michael Keaton is that he has a slightly sinister and edgy cast to his features – but is in fact a comic genius too.

Ive read he's more interested in racing cars these days so maybe he's not actively looking for decent roles which is a shame. If he were to team up with Burton again for another darker role it could kickstart his career , or maybe even Ron Howard could do the trick as they've worked together before too.


Are the rumours true that he was blacklisted for years from decent roles after turning down the third Batman?

I cant figure his career slide out. I mean - Herbie Fully Loaded ffs!


Thoughts?

keefg

Yeah, I like him......however you have listed some right howlers there .

Maybe you are right and he p1ssed off the wrong studio producer. Shame because he certainly has talent.

PullMyFinger!

keefg wrote: »

Yeah, I like him......however you have listed some right howlers there

I listed them to emphasise his career went pear-shaped after Out Of Sight

Nunu

His lack of movie making is a personal chioce if i remember correctly.

After Batman Returns he turned down a third movie which would have made him the highest paid actor ever if he accepted and decided then he would take a step back from movie acting.
Perhaps, he tried to get his foot back in the door in recent years(his filmography sugests so) but has been largely ignored?

PullMyFinger!

Nunu wrote: »

After Batman Returns he turned down a third movie which would have made him the highest paid actor ever if he accepted

As I understood it he turned down Batman 3 as Burton did too

AckwelFoley

Im a fan, but he seems to be out of the spotlight now.

PullMyFinger!

An interesting tidbit is that he initially asked to play Jack on Lost! When the character went from been a minor character (Jack was supposed to be killed off in the first episode as a shocker) to a major one Keaton had to decline

Imagine Michael Keaton trying to get into Kate's knickers!

oxygen_old

Extreme Measures is actually a really good movie. He is fairly bad ass in it as well, kinda DeNiro-ey in Cape Fear. But then he went on to do Jack Frost, and the cool-lame balance in the universe is restored.

PullMyFinger!

Jack Frost was a Burton animation I think? Ive never seen it but Burton's animations are generally well received.