At the Beverly Hilton Hotel on October 14th, Robert Downey Jr. will be presented with the 25th American Cinematheque award for his considerable contributions to the art of the motion picture. Rick Nicita, American Cinematheque Board Chairman, spoke of Downey’s charisma and prolific success with movies like Chaplin, Tropic Thunder, and the Iron Man franchise. He also mentioned the feeling of potential when it comes to his continuing career. Nicita said, “it seems that he’s just getting started all over again”. I think the excitement for what’s yet to come with Robert Downey Jr. is truly the meaning of this honor.
For me, his performance in Chaplin gave us just a glimpse of his talent, and Tropic Thunder gave us a touch of what could happen if Robert Downey Jr. let it all hang out – and the latter was for a comedy. Lately he’s done some popcorn flicks with little room for true character development, but he’s killed the roles with his natural charisma nonetheless. Slated for another Sherlock Holmes and another chance to show off the Iron Man suit in The Avengers, Downey is sure to be on the box office radar for a few strong years. However, it’s the potential that is scary, like a loaded gun waiting to fire. When will see another Chaplin or Tropic Thunder performance? Please, someone get Robert Downey Jr. a true character again, before he is gobbled up in another franchise.
Written by Chris Loud
