Three Thumbs Up: Robert Downey Jr.

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I suppose it's Oscar season and the shit-ton of obnoxiousness that comes with it (a hefty amount of said shit being self-propagated, natch)... or maybe it's got to do with my busted-ass arm and this beyond endless winter... whatever the factors may be, I'm finding myself irritable. More so than usual. Sometimes (a lot of times) that's fun and spirited and we can all mock Michael Bay and feel good about ourselves in the morning. And sometimes... well I don't want to espouse any hippie bullshit but I feel I should maybe put an extra dose of good vibes out into the world today. Why not? 

And so I made up this new series, where I'm going to stand back and look at somebody I'm currently in the process of Not Being Able To Stand, and finding a trio of good things to say about them. If they're an actor it'll probably be three performances I like, if they're a director it'll probably be three movies they made that I like... or if I can't rustle up that much I'm sure I'll be able to find individual scenes, or something. It can't be that hard, right? This first one actually turned out to be super easy. I give you...

Three Thumbs Up for ROBERT DOWNEY JR.

Soapdish - It's easier to go back to the start of RDJ's career and find stuff from then that I like, before he became the unbearable smug factory he is today. Anyway my love for Soapdish is renowned amongst all the kingdoms of Earth as pure and true and everlasting, and thankfully RDJ doesn't detract from it's comic perfection - hell I'll admit it, he adds to it. He's a nimble delight, fitting into its arch tone with ease. And it's the only movie I've ever thought he was cute in.

Wonder Boys - Another tonally tricky movie that sticks its landing in no small part thanks to RDJ not sucking the life out of it with his monstrous ego but actually fitting himself into its delicately moving parts effortlessly. This was towards the end of his publicly messy period and the specter of that hangs just off frame - a scene like the one where he tells Michael Douglas that he needs to have a success, that the people in his office don't respect him anymore, he really nails it.

Tropic Thunder - The funniest thing going on in a pretty darn funny movie. The self-love on the set of this thing must've been as thick as Sarin gas but more than any of them RDJ turns all of that on its ear and into black magic, while folks like Tom Cruise and Matthew McConaughey could only fake it. He's just like a little boy, playing with his dick when he's nervous...

What are your three fave Robert Downey Jr. performances?

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