(Photo by Fox Searchlight/courtesy Everett Collection)
All Michael Keaton Movies, Ranked by Tomatometer
There were certainly objections a-plenty when Michael Keaton was tapped to play Bruce Wayne in 1989’s Batman, since he was primarily known up that point as a comedic actor for Night Shift, Mr. Mom, and, of course, Beetlejuice. But Tim Burton knew what he had in Keaton, having directed him in Beetlejuice and seen his dramatic side in Clean and Sober. This duality would serve Keaton well in Batman as he brought a layered intensity to the playboy millionaire moonlighting as masked vigilante, opposite a legendary Joker performance from Jack Nicholson, with Burton staging a hyper-stylized Art Deco Gotham around them. Batman was a cultural phenomenon that would influence the look and feel of the property for decades, and, along with Superman, established Warner Bros. as studio king of the comic book movie.
Keaton’s post-Batman highlights include sequel Returns, and ensemble pieces like Jackie Brown and The Paper. 2010’s one-two punch of The Other Guys and Toy Story 3 set the stage for a strong career resurgence, leading to Best Picture winners Spotlight and Birdman, the latter for which Keaton was nominated for Best Actor. His role as Vulture in Spider-Man: Homecoming completed his triumvirate of airborne superhero roles. And into 2024, he was in Barry Levinson’s drug crisis miniseries Dopesick, and reprised his role as Batman in time-bending The Flash.
Now, we’re ranking all Michael Keaton movies by Tomatometer! —Alex Vo
#1
Adjusted Score: 110976%
Critics Consensus: Deftly blending comedy, adventure, and honest emotion, Toy Story 3 is a rare second sequel that really works.
Synopsis: With their beloved Andy preparing to leave for college, Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), Jessie (Joan Cusack), and...
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#2
Adjusted Score: 115947%
Critics Consensus: Spotlight gracefully handles the lurid details of its fact-based story while resisting the temptation to lionize its heroes, resulting in a drama that honors the audience as well as its real-life subjects.
Synopsis: In 2001, editor Marty Baron of The Boston Globe assigns a team of journalists to investigate allegations against John Geoghan,...
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#3
Adjusted Score: 114404%
Critics Consensus: Spider-Man: Homecoming does whatever a second reboot can, delivering a colorful, fun adventure that fits snugly in the sprawling MCU without getting bogged down in franchise-building.
Synopsis: Thrilled by his experience with the Avengers, young Peter Parker returns home to live with his Aunt May. Under the...
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#4
Adjusted Score: 108700%
Critics Consensus: A thrilling leap forward for director Alejandro González Iñárritu, Birdman is an ambitious technical showcase powered by a layered story and outstanding performances from Michael Keaton and Edward Norton.
Synopsis: Former cinema superhero Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton) is mounting an ambitious Broadway production that he hopes will breathe new life...
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#5
Adjusted Score: 94452%
Critics Consensus: Kenneth Branagh's love for the material is contagious in this exuberant adaptation.
Synopsis: In this Shakespearean farce, Hero (Kate Beckinsale) and her groom-to-be, Claudio (Robert Sean Leonard), team up with Claudio's commanding officer,...
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#6
Adjusted Score: 109238%
Critics Consensus: An actors' showcase enlivened by its topical fact-based story, The Trial of the Chicago 7 plays squarely -- and compellingly -- to Aaron Sorkin's strengths.
Synopsis: In 1969, seven people were charged by the federal government with conspiracy and more, arising from the protests at the...
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#7
Adjusted Score: 93322%
Critics Consensus: Although somewhat lackadaisical in pace, Jackie Brown proves to be an effective star-vehicle for Pam Grier while offering the usual Tarantino wit and charm.
Synopsis: When flight attendant Jackie Brown (Pam Grier) is busted smuggling money for her arms dealer boss, Ordell Robbie (Samuel L....
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#8
Adjusted Score: 93767%
Critics Consensus: Brilliantly bizarre and overflowing with ideas, Beetlejuice offers some of Michael Keaton's most deliciously manic work - and creepy, funny fun for the whole family.
Synopsis: After Barbara (Geena Davis) and Adam Maitland (Alec Baldwin) die in a car accident, they find themselves stuck haunting their...
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#9
Adjusted Score: 86193%
Critics Consensus: It isn't as hard-hitting as one might expect, but Worth remains a powerfully performed and rewardingly complex dramatization of real-life events.
Synopsis: Following the horrific 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, Congress appoints attorney and renowned mediator Kenneth Feinberg...
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#10
Adjusted Score: 91587%
Critics Consensus: The Founder puts Michael Keaton's magnetic performance at the center of a smart, satisfying biopic that traces the rise of one of America's most influential businessmen -- and the birth of one of its most far-reaching industries.
Synopsis: The true story of how Ray Kroc (Michael Keaton), a struggling salesman from Illinois, met Mac (John Carroll Lynch) and...
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#11
Adjusted Score: 90331%
Critics Consensus: Director Tim Burton's dark, brooding atmosphere, Michael Keaton's work as the tormented hero, and the flawless casting of Danny DeVito as The Penguin and Christopher Walken as, well, Christopher Walken make the sequel better than the first.
Synopsis: The monstrous Penguin (Danny DeVito), who lives in the sewers beneath Gotham, joins up with wicked shock-headed businessman Max Shreck...
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#12
Adjusted Score: 87318%
Critics Consensus: A clever parody of cop-buddy action-comedies, The Other Guys delivers several impressive action set pieces and lots of big laughs, thanks to the assured comic chemistry between Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg.
Synopsis: Unlike their heroic counterparts on the force, desk-bound NYPD detectives Gamble and Hoitz garner no headlines as they work day...
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#13
Adjusted Score: 90385%
Critics Consensus: An eerie, haunting spectacle, Batman succeeds as dark entertainment, even if Jack Nicholson's Joker too often overshadows the title character.
Synopsis: Having witnessed his parents' brutal murder as a child, millionaire philanthropist Bruce Wayne (Michael Keaton) fights crime in Gotham City...
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#14
Adjusted Score: 82331%
Critics Consensus: Cars offers visual treats that more than compensate for its somewhat thinly written story, adding up to a satisfying diversion for younger viewers.
Synopsis: While traveling to California to race The King and Chick Hicks in the Piston Cup Championship, Lightning McQueen falls out...
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#15
Adjusted Score: 97282%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: In this entrancing tale by renowned Japanese animator Hiyao Miyazaki, World War I flying ace Marco Pagott mysteriously turns from...
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#16
Adjusted Score: 95288%
Critics Consensus: Night Shift bristles with pitch-perfect laughs thanks to Ron Howard's snappy direction and a side-splitting turn from Michael Keaton.
Synopsis: Chuck (Henry Winkler) has given up life as a stockbroker because it was too stressful. Now, he works an easy...
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#17
Adjusted Score: 91089%
Critics Consensus: Fast and frenetic, The Paper captures the energy of the newsroom thanks to its cast and director on first-rate form.
Synopsis: Henry Hackett (Michael Keaton) is an editor at the New York Sun, a tabloid paper facing financial cuts. His pregnant...
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#18
Adjusted Score: 27497%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: CNN producer Robert Wiener (Michael Keaton), his colleague (Helena Bonham Carter) and their crew venture to the Iraqi capital to...
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#19
Adjusted Score: 79047%
Critics Consensus: Mr. Mom makes up for its stereotype-driven premise with a sweet script and charming work from a well-matched cast led by Michael Keaton and Teri Garr.
Synopsis: During the 1980s recession, automobile engineer Jack (Michael Keaton) is fired from his job. When his wife, Caroline (Teri Garr),...
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#20
Adjusted Score: 64794%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Desperate times call for desperate measures, so losing soccer coach Gordon McCloud (Robert Duvall) accepts the signing of Jackie McQuillan...
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#21
Adjusted Score: 67507%
Critics Consensus: Michael Keaton's directorial debut, The Merry Gentleman, is a slow character study aided greatly by the performances of Keaton and Kelly MacDonald.
Synopsis: On the run from an abusive husband, Kate Frazier (Kelly Macdonald) settles in Chicago in search of a better life....
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#22
Adjusted Score: 85359%
Critics Consensus: The Flash is funny, fittingly fast-paced, and overall ranks as one of the best DC movies in recent years.
Synopsis: Worlds collide in "The Flash" when Barry uses his superpowers to travel back in time in order to change the...
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#23
Adjusted Score: 68969%
Critics Consensus: Maggie Q's still waiting for the action movie that really deserves her -- but until then, The Protégé hits just hard enough to satisfy.
Synopsis: Rescued as a child by the legendary assassin Moody (Samuel L. Jackson) and trained in the family business, Anna (Maggie...
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#24
Adjusted Score: 62783%
Critics Consensus: Though packed with Don DeLillo's witty dialogue and bolstered by strong performances, particularly by lead Michael Keaton, Game 6 also suffers from uneven direction and overwrought symbolism.
Synopsis: It's 1986, and New York playwright Nicky Rogan (Michael Keaton) faces a series of fears, but none more frightening than...
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#25
Adjusted Score: 61423%
Critics Consensus: Its semi-improvised structure finds Larry David squarely in his wheelhouse, but with few laughs and a muddled message, it doesn't live up to his usual standards.
Synopsis: A man (Larry David) hatches a plot for revenge when his former boss (Jon Hamm) visits the island that he...
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#26
Adjusted Score: 65684%
Critics Consensus: The Minions' brightly colored brand of gibberish-fueled insanity stretches to feature length in their self-titled Despicable Me spinoff, with uneven but often hilarious results.
Synopsis: Evolving from single-celled yellow organisms at the dawn of time, Minions live to serve, but find themselves working for a...
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#27
Adjusted Score: 56609%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Hotshot real estate salesman Daryl (Michael Keaton) has a bad cocaine habit. After embezzling his company's money, he wakes up...
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#28
Adjusted Score: 55639%
Critics Consensus: Michael Keaton certainly proves himself as an effective villain, but Pacific Heights sticks too closely to well-worn thriller conventions.
Synopsis: Unmarried yuppies Patty (Melanie Griffith) and Drake (Matthew Modine) move into an expensive dream home in a high-end neighborhood in...
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#29
Adjusted Score: 50632%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Psychiatrist Dr. Weitzman (Dennis Boutsikaris) takes four mental patients on an outing to Yankee Stadium. Billy (Michael Keaton) is a...
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#30
Adjusted Score: 60396%
Critics Consensus: While it's far better than it could have been, José Padilha's RoboCop remake fails to offer a significant improvement over the original.
Synopsis: In 2028, OmniCorp is at the center of robot technology. While its drones have long been used by the military...
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#31
Adjusted Score: 65889%
Critics Consensus: Dumbo is held partly aloft by Tim Burton's visual flair, but a crowded canvas and overstretched story leave this live-action remake more workmanlike than wondrous.
Synopsis: Struggling circus owner Max Medici enlists a former star and his two children to care for Dumbo, a baby elephant...
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#32
Adjusted Score: 47753%
Critics Consensus: This high-concept experiment only proves that a comedy actually can have too much Michael Keaton.
Synopsis: Doug Kinney (Michael Keaton) is a busy construction worker struggling to make time for his family and his demanding job....
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#33
Adjusted Score: 45726%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: It seems that Bob Jones (Michael Keaton) has everything a man could want, namely a fulfilling job and a beautiful,...
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#34
Adjusted Score: 44640%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Johnny Kelly (Michael Keaton) lives a double life: at home, he's the good apple, looking after his ailing mother (Maureen...
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#35
Adjusted Score: 44995%
Critics Consensus: Herbie: Fully Loaded is a decent kids movie that is pretty undemanding for adult viewers.
Synopsis: Maggie Peyton (Lindsay Lohan) wants to become a NASCAR driver but her overprotective father, Ray Peyton Sr. (Michael Keaton), won't...
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#36
Adjusted Score: 43611%
Critics Consensus: American Assassin hits a few easy targets, but without enough style or wit to truly bring its characters to life -- or stand out in a crowded field of more compelling spy thrillers.
Synopsis: When Cold War veteran Stan Hurley takes CIA black ops recruit Mitch Rapp under his wing, they receive an assignment...
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#37
Adjusted Score: 34372%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: When a western Pennsylvania auto plant is acquired by a Japanese company, brokering auto worker Hunt Stevenson (Michael Keaton) faces...
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#38
Adjusted Score: 31478%
Critics Consensus: With stock characters and a preposterous plot, this noisily diverting video game adaptation fulfills a Need for Speed and little else.
Synopsis: Tobey Marshall (Aaron Paul), a mechanic, races muscle cars in an underground circuit. Struggling to keep his business afloat, he...
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#39
Adjusted Score: 22061%
Critics Consensus: Sentimental schmaltz and uninspired storytelling sink this film.
Synopsis: As a touring musician clinging to dreams of stardom, aging rocker Jack Frost (Michael Keaton) never had much time for...
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#40
Adjusted Score: 20389%
Critics Consensus: Times aren't desperate enough for this lame thriller to be called for.
Synopsis: Widowed cop Frank Conner (Andy Garcia) is determined to secure a bone marrow transplant for his son, Matt (Joseph Cross),...
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#41
Adjusted Score: 14400%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Three small girls are left without a home after their father, Stevie (Anthony LaPaglia), is killed in the line of...
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#42
Adjusted Score: 10276%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Harry Berg (Michael Keaton) is both a con artist and an actual artist -- he constructs large sculptures out of...
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#43
Adjusted Score: 11600%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: The Los Angeles club scene is a place of booze-fueled decadence and debauchery. In a night full of possibilities, eight...
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#44
Adjusted Score: 11421%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: In the midst of election season in New Mexico, political speech writers Julia Mann (Geena Davis), a Democrat, and Kevin...
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#45
Adjusted Score: 12496%
Critics Consensus: A lightweight, unambitious comedy, Post Grad features fine actors that can do little with its middling, uninspiring script.
Synopsis: Recent college graduate Ryden Malby (Alexis Bledel) has a grand plan: Find a fabulous apartment and land a job at...
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#46
Adjusted Score: 10281%
Critics Consensus: First Daughter is a bland and charmless fairy tale that fails to rise above the formula.
Synopsis: Samantha MacKenzie (Katie Holmes), the daughter of the president of the United States (Michael Keaton), arrives at college with a...
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#47
Adjusted Score: 12291%
Critics Consensus: While there are some built-in scares, the movie is muddled and unsatisfying.
Synopsis: Architect Jonathan Rivers (Michael Keaton) is happily married to author Anna (Chandra West), but tragedy strikes when she is killed...
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