Getting his start in the late 1970s, Michael Keaton first rose to prominence in the '80s thanks to his roles in several comedic films. His life would change forever in 1989 with the release of Tim Burton's Batman, a movie that saw him take up the mantle of Bruce Wayne for a new generation. He'd portray the Caped Crusader once more in Batman Returns, but after 1992, he did everything he could to distance himself from the DC superhero.
Starring in several comedy and drama films in the mid-'90s and early 2000s, Keaton even tried his hand at voice acting, and while he was working on a regular basis, many felt his career had taken a downturn before he starred in Birdman in 2014, which has led to a revival of the actor's popularity. Reprising the role of Bruce Wayne in 2023's The Flash, Keaton will once again don the black and white stripes of Betelgeuse in the upcoming sequel. While it remains to be seen how that will fare ranking-wise, these are Michael Keaton's 10 best movies so far, ranked by Rotten Tomatoes.
10 The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020) - 89%
Directed by Aaron Sorkin, The Trial of the Chicago 7 tells the true story of seven, anti-Vietnam War protestors who were put on trial in Chicago after being charged with conspiracy, and crossing state lines with the intent to incite a riot at the Democratic National Convention in 1968. The film was nominated for six Academy Awards, and the ensemble cast includes the likes of Eddie Redmayne, Sacha Baron Cohen, Jeremy Strong, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Frank Langella, and Michael Keaton.
Keaton played US Attorney General Ramsey Clark, who failed to prosecute the seven men thanks to evidence that it was actually the Chicago PD that instigated the riots. Though his performance is brief in the film, Keaton's role is a memorable one thanks to his comedic timing, and deadpan delivery.
9 The Paper (1994) - 89%
Perhaps one of the most underrated Michael Keaton performances of all time, The Paper hit screens on March 18th, 1994. Directed by the acclaimed Ron Howard, the film tells the story of a frantic 24 hours in the life of a newspaper editor as he and his team rush to scoop a late-breaking story.
Surrounded by Glenn Close, Marisa Tomei, Randy Quaid, and Robert Duvall, Keaton starred as Henry Hackett, editor of the fictional newspaper, The New York Sun. Often butting heads with Close's character of publisher Alicia Clark, the pair have excellent chemistry together. Keaton gives a commanding performance that's both comedic and tragic at the same time, as the film also serves as an allegory for allowing work to get in the way of your personal life.
8 Much Ado About Nothing (1993) - 90%
Based on the play by William Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing is a 1993 romantic comedy that was directed by Kenneth Branagh, who also penned the screenplay, and stars in the film as Benedick. With an all-star cast that includes Denzel Washington, Emma Thompson, Keanu Reeves, and Kate Beckinsale, the film grossed $43 million worldwide against a budget of £5.8 million.
Michael Keaton also makes an appearance in the film, portraying Dogberry, the grimy, local constable who thinks he's a lot smarter than he really is. Once again showcasing Keaton's comedic talents, the role ends up being a significant one to the overall plot, as it's Dogberry who ultimately is the one to bring down Don Jon (Reeves), and uncover his sinister plot to ruin Hero's (Beckinsale) honor.
7 Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014) - 91%
Art imitates life in Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), which hit theaters on October 17th, 2014, and stars Michael Keaton as a washed-up actor who's best remembered for playing a superhero character known as Birdman.
Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, the film would go on to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards in 2015, and earn Keaton his only nod thus far for Best Actor, an accolade he lost that year to Eddie Redmayne. Despite the loss, Keaton was heavily praised for his work alongside Edward Norton, and Emma Stone, and in the filmography of Keaton's films, this was the role that finally allowed him to break free of the long shadow cast by Batman.
6 Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) - 92%
Donning a bird suit once again in 2017's Spider-Man: Homecoming, Michael Keaton entered the MCU by portraying Adrian Toomes, aka Vulture. With a worldwide box office total of $880.2 million, it is Keaton's third highest grossing film to date, behind Minions, and Toy Story 3.
Despite appearing as the film's villain, Keaton almost didn't land the part, as scheduling conflicts with his other film, The Founder, caused him to drop out of talks early. The role was then offered to John Leguizamo, but when Keaton's schedule suddenly changed, he was back in. Mark Hamill was also interested in the role, but Keaton said yes to a deal at the last minute. Keaton has gone on to appear as Vulture once more by way of a brief cameo appearance in Morbius, but he could show up once again in Kraven the Hunter, paving the way for a Sinister Six movie.
5 Night Shift (1982) - 93%
Featuring Michael Keaton in his first starring role, Night Shift isn't the raunchy '80s comedy you'd expect based on the subject. Directed by Ron Howard, the film tells the story of a morgue employee who gets more than he bargained for from a new co-worker.
With Keaton starring alongside Henry Winkler of Happy Days fame, the movie was a who's who of comedic actors of the time, including Shelly Long, Clint Howard, Richard Belzer, and Pat Corley. It was the role that undoubtedly showed Hollywood what sort of formidable force Keaton could be when given the chance, and gave way to other outstanding '80s comedies for the actor to star in, such as Mr. Mom, Johnny Dangerously, and Gung-Ho.
4 Out of Sight (1998) - 94%
Directed by Steven Soderbergh, Out of Sight is a 1998 film based on the novel by Elmore Leonard, whose books were all the rage in the 1990s, with many being made into films such as Jackie Brown, and Get Shorty.
Acting as a vehicle for stars George Clooney, and Jennifer Lopez, Out of Sight features a brief appearance by Michael Keaton, who reprized the role of Ray Nicolette, a part he played a year earlier in Jackie Brown. Despite Miramax owning the rights to the character since their film was released first, they allowed Keaton to appear in the Universal production without additional compensation, a move that was facilitated by director Quentin Tarantino.
3 Porco Rosso (2005) - 96%
Produced by the famed Studio Ghibli, Porco Rosso was directed by Hayao Miyazaki, and follows an Italian World War I fighter pilot who gets turned into an anthropomorphic pig after a curse is placed upon him. Once known as Marco Pagot, he now goes by Porco Rosso, which translates from Italian into Red Pig.
The animated feature was originally released in Japanese, but when it came time for an American dubbed version, Michael Keaton stepped into the lead role in his first voiceover performance. Calling the role offbeat, Keaton has gone on record saying, "When you're offered an opportunity to play a pig who's an airplane flying ace, how do you not do that?" Though Miyazaki wanted to make a sequel called Porco Rosso: The Last Sortie, Studio Ghibli has said that it's something that isn't currently on their radar, despite the film's overwhelming popularity.
2 Spotlight (2015) - 97%
Based on actual events, Spotlight highlights the Boston Globe's investigation into systemic child abuse by Catholic priests that took place over decades, and was covered up by the church, as well as those in political power.
Taking home the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2016, Spotlight received widespread acclaim, with many praising its historical accuracy, as well as performances from the cast, which included Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, and Rachel McAdams. Directed by Tom McCarthy, who would go on to pen the 2018 film, Christopher Robin, Spotlight is an engrossing look at not only the world of newspaper reporting, but the trauma victims suffer thanks to their abusers.
1 Toy Story 3 (2010) - 98%
Released 11 years after the second installment in the Toy Story franchise, Toy Story 3 saw pretty much the entire main cast reprise their roles for the movie, this time being joined by Whoopi Goldberg, Timothy Dalton, Kristen Schaal, Ned Beaty, and Michael Keaton.
Grossing a whopping $1.067 billion dollars worldwide, this is Keaton's highest-grossing film ever, and his most critically acclaimed. In only his third voice acting role behind Cars, and Porco Rosso, Keaton voices Ken, everyone's favorite, dimwitted stud who is immediately smitten with Barbie (voiced by Jodi Benson), before giving the toys a tour of Sunnyside. While he didn't return for Toy Story 4, fans are still hoping to see Ken in Toy Story 5, but considering the success of Greta Gerwig's Barbie movie, it's unlikely we'll see the character pop up in any future Pixar films.