The 10 Best Michael Keaton Movies You Have to See Before “Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice”

Michael Keaton stars in this slick biopic about Ray Kroc, the man responsible for turning McDonalds into a global enterprise. Having failed at every business he ever started, Kroc sees unmatched potential in a speedy burger bar run by the McDonald brothers. As Kroc tries to take the business global, he quickly meets resistance, but it isn’t long until he quickly outpaces his new business partners altogether. The incredible cast includes Laura Dern, Nick Offerman, and John Carroll Lynch.

Michael Keaton was nominated for an Oscar for his performance in Alejandro González Iñárritu's Birdman. The film follows Riggan (Keaton), a former onscreen superhero trying to save his flailing career as an aging actor. Unfortunately, Riggan’s big Broadway comeback is threatened right before opening night, putting his once fruitful career in perilous jeopardy. From familial conflicts to unruly costars, Riggan has his work cut out for him, as he considers his future in the industry and the world.

Winner of Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay at the Oscars, Spotlight draws inspiration from The Boston Globe’s real investigative journalism team. Loosely based on a true story, Spotlight explores how a team of journalists exposed the decades-long cover-up of a shocking child sex abuse scandal within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston.

Both harrowing and crucial, Spotlight highlights the importance of good journalism, especially when holding large organizations and corporations, religious or otherwise, accountable for their behavior. Co-starring Rachel McAdams and Mark Ruffalo.

Directed by auteur Tim Burton, Beetlejuice follows the Deetz family as they move into a new house with their daughter Lydia (Winona Ryder), only to be haunted by its former residents. As the poltergeists attempt to evict the new tenants, they summon Betelgeuse (Michael Keaton), an offensive “bio-exorcist” meant to scare the Deetzes away, but plans go awry. A cult classic, Beetlejuice has already been turned into a musical, and a long-awaited sequel hits the screen in 2024, 36 years after the original came out.

Kenneth Branagh’s adaptation of William Shakespeare’s classic play, Much Ado About Nothing, was a critical and financial success. The 1993 movie follows Hero (Kate Beckinsale) and Claudio (Robert Sean Leonard), a couple who decide to play matchmakers ahead of their own nuptials.

With the help of Don Pedro (Denzel Washington), they set up Benedick (Branagh) and Beatrice (Emma Thompson), a bickering pair who claim to hate one another, which turns out to be far from the truth. Keaton steals the show as Dogberry, a buffoon who hilariously leads the citizen-police.

Quentin Tarantino’s homage to 1970s blaxploitation movies follows flight attendant Jackie Brown (Pam Grier), who gets caught smuggling money between Mexico and the United States. Agent Ray Nicolette (Michael Keaton) attempts to force Jackie into becoming an informant, to help catch an elusive crime kingpin. Based on Elmore Leonard’s novel Rum Punch, Jackie Brown is a twisty crime flick with an astounding ensemble cast; Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Forster, Bridget Fonda, and Robert De Niro star alongside Grier and Keaton.

Michael Keaton returned as the unforgettable caped crusader in 1992’s Batman Returns. Directed by Tim Burton, the successful sequel saw Batman face up to his iconic adversaries, The Penguin (Danny Devito) and Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer). Keaton would later reprise his role within the DC universe in 2023’s The Flash, but Batman Returns marks his last solo outing as debonair playboy, Bruce Wayne. While many actors have taken on the legendary role since, Keaton remains a fan favorite for many Batman aficionados.

Based on the non-fiction book What Is Life Worth?: The Unprecedented Effort to Compensate the Victims of 9/11, Keaton plays Kenneth Feinberg, the lawyer who was in charge of distributing the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund to families affected by the devastating tragedy. The emotive movie co-stars Amy Ryan, Stanley Tucci, and Tate Donovan, and attempts to give a voice to everyone who was affected by the horrifying terrorist attack, while demonstrating the impossibility of applying financial worth to a human life.

The third Toy Story movie follows Woody, Buzz, and the rest of Andy’s toys after they’re donated to a daycare center by mistake. In their new home, the gang must try to fit in with the existing toy hierarchy, while trying to avoid danger at the hands of strange young children.

Michael Keaton makes a scene-stealing appearance as a camp Ken doll conspiring with antagonist Lots-O’-Huggin’ Bear. The popular flick grossed more than $1 billion followed by 2019’s Toy Story 4, with a new installment on the way in 2026.

Directed by Ron Howard, The Paper documents the mania of one super busy day in a breaking newsroom. Michael Keaton plays newspaper editor Henry Hackett, who is in desperate pursuit of a story. Meanwhile, Hackett’s colleagues and superiors continue to cause him trouble, while he wrestles with his personal life at the same time.

Co-starring Glenn Close, Marisa Tomei, Randy Quaid, and Robert Duvall, it’s truly hard to believe The Paper was released 30 years ago.