Robert Downey Jr.

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bigvalbowski's Avatar
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When I heard that Robert Downey Jr. was arrested again, I didn't know whether to get angry or sad.

Watching Chaplin, my eyes couldn't leave the screen. I didn't know who this actor was. For a second I thought that Richard Attenborough had resurrected the silent star. Never was a performance of a real life person so spot on. This will always be Downey's legacy but only because he failed to express this potential.

What other leads has Downey Jr. got to his credit? Very few but they were all excellent. Two girls and a guy was testament to his genius even if the film itself was flawed. Natural Born Killers, Short Cuts, Black and White, One Night Stand and Bowfinger were all helped by his involvement. But his career was in tatters. Prison spells had interrupted any good offers he got.

Last Summer he got out of prison. His career for the first time in years looked rosy. He was given a recurring role in Ally McBeal. The role could have been cheesy but Downey Jr is too charming, too real to take it down this route. Instead the performance was award calibre, recreating the success of McBeal's earlier series. He was a success. Compare this success to his performance in Wonder Boys. Michael Douglas got the plaudits but Downey Jr. was even better as the bisexual agent. A part alongside a great cast awaited him in American Sweethearts. Downey Jr was back.

Then he got arrested.

Downey Jr.'s constant drug abuse is selfish so allow me to be selfish for a moment. Robert, you are depriving your fans of hours of entertainment. Think of us and not yourself for a second. I know it's a sickness, he needs somebody to be with him all the time.

On a talk show he was asked if he was a good liar and he said yes. Asked if he was a great liar, he said yes. To the question:

"What is the greatest lie that you tell?"

He responded:

"That I'm fine!"

He's not. Help him.
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I feel ambivalent (or is it ambidextrous) when it comes to Mr. Downey. I suppose he is the Darryl Strawberry of Hollywood -- talented, admired, but ultimately disappointing.
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Robert Downey Junior is awesome. What a great actor. I'm just really bumping this thread up so that Steve posts on it.
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Downey...The man is incredible. He doesn't play his parts, he becomes them. He's one of the best living actors. Even though the movie Chaplin wasn't very good, that's one of the best performances I've ever seen. In all his roles, we've been able to see glimpses of acting genius. In Natural Born Killers and Wonder Boys specifically, he has shown greatness.

About his drug problem...I think that whatever he wants to do in his spare time is fine, as long as he doesn't get himself in trouble over it. There are stars who snort coke and shoot heroin every day of their lives for 20 years...Downey's problem is that he gets caught. I think that he should get clean for his own good, but if he doesn't, he should be more careful. I think having him stay in rehab is a good move, but the man should still be working.

I read somewhere that he was seven years old when his dad made him smoke a joint. That's insane...I hope he gets his life in order, because there really aren't any other performers like him, and very few are as talented. Let the man work, please! He may be self-destructive, but it's magic on the screen, pure magic.
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I disagree. I don't care if he is omnipotent, he should not be encouraged to work while in that state. That's just wrong. Perhaps your emotions are getting the better of you. Either way, I have seen only a bit of Robert Downey Jr...and so far he's been solid, but nothing amazing. I admit I have a lot to see, but I doubt I'll find him to be "pure magic", as you put it. Regardless of his talent, though, he should not be acting right now.



Maybe it's because I've only seen him in movies like "Back to School" and "Johnny B. Goode", but I've never seen what's so great about Robert Downey, Jr.