This was a great movie. Actually, let me backtrack for a second. This is not remotely the "mainstream" audience type movie that it ended up getting pushed at. This is an artsy film that is a textbook example to be used in filmmaking classes and what not. Taking it for that - it is a great movie. The actors do great (how could you go wrong with Edward Norton and Emma Stone) and it was awesome to see Michael Keaton in this especially being reminded of the satire of him having played Batman so long ago. The filming style of the movie with it being a single motion camera following the cast around through the backstage area provided such a hook to this and really captured the craziness that goes on with the sort of stage show that they were doing.
I would definitely recommend people checking this out as long as you don't go into it thinking you are going to see a basic Hollywood drama. It's both bigger than that and smaller than that at the same time.