For Your Consideration: Robert Downey Jr. In Iron Man
Dec 10, 2008 by Heath McKnightRobert Downey, Jr. deserves a Best Actor Oscar Nomination for his role as Tony Stark in Iron Man.
Now, before you tell me I’m crazy, I’m …
Robert Downey, Jr. deserves a Best Actor Oscar Nomination for his role as Tony Stark in Iron Man.
Now, before you tell me I’m crazy, I’m going to put out a good argument as to why he should, and then why he probably won’t. Plus, a few of my fellow Screen Rant writers chime in on why I may be wrong in an Oscar nod for RDJ.
First things first, as to why RDJ deserves to be nominated: Hollywood, and pretty much everyone else, loves a comeback kid. And RDJ is the king of making a major comeback. His acting career is nothing short of amazing, and he is one of the most versatile actors of his generation.
But he also had a troubled life, flirting with drugs and alcohol. However, Downey Jr. is a new man, and he’s been ready for his comeback for a couple of years now. The first step was landing a major role in Shane Black’s amazing Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Though the movie didn’t do great at the box office, it cemented his (and co-star Val Kilmer’s) reputation as someone of whom we should take notice.
The second reason why RDJ deserves to be nominated is his starring role in Iron Man. That big breakthrough came in 2006 when, after working as hard as he could, RDJ landed the role of Tony Stark/Iron Man in the movie that would redefine his career.
But instead of giving a run-of-the-mill performance, he brought humanity and realism to the role of a vain, brilliant, and wealthy businessman who finds redemption in a cave in Afghanistan. The humor, joy, pain, sorrow – all of it – with help from the excellent direction by Jon Favreau, Robert Downey Jr. gives us a believable yet flawed character who truly grows by the end of the movie.
Third: RDJ, and Iron Man–a mega box office and critical success. Entertainment Weekly recently named him the entertainer of the year, thanks to Iron Man and Tropic Thunder, while Wizard Magazine (which primarily covers comic books) said that Iron Man wasn’t just the best film of the year, but the best comic book film of all time! I honestly thought The Dark Knight would achieve that coveted spot.
Lastly, Iron Man scored major critical kudos, sitting at an extremely comfy 93% rating at Rotten Tomatoes. The film made more money than the fourth Indy film, and was number two in the North American box office at $318 million +, much more than anyone predicted it could, including yours truly. It sits at over $580 million worldwide. Clearly, fans loved the film, the people behind it, and of course, RDJ’s performance.
Oh, and one of the most important critics, Roger Ebert (I’m a big fan, going back 18+ years), listed Iron Man as one of the top 20 best films of 2008, and hailed RDJ’s performance. (He also praised The Dark Knight, which I agree is the other great film of 2008.)
Bruce Simmons, one of my fellow writers here at Screen Rant, had this to say:
“‘Iron Man’ is more of an emotional culmination to screen of many many comic book fans, like myself or Vic Holtreman and the rest of the fandom that spit-drooled all over themselves when they saw this culmination of fantasy being given a life on the screen. Top notch fulfillment as far as I’m concerned.”
He continues:
“Unlike something like Batman, where it’s a man in a costume, the effects that went into bringing the armor alive in ‘Iron Man’ really did it for me. It wasn’t exactly as I imagined it, but it was perfect for what it was.”
Also, RDJ has flirted with Oscar before, receiving a nomination for his role in Sir Richard Attenborough’s Chaplin film in 1992. Though he didn’t win, the nomination proved he has acting chops. A great run on Ally McBeal earned him an Emmy nod and a Golden Globe win.
Even if RDj is nominated, the chances of his winning are, honestly, not so good. He’s a dark horse just to be nominated. Heck, many think RDJ should be nominated for his supporting role in Tropic Thunder, which I have to admit, I really need to see. (Yeah, I stink for not seeing it! I don’t watch a lot of movies lately, due to a very busy schedule.)
Now if RDJ isn’t nominated for Iron Man, I’m guessing the visual effects and sound will be nominated and may even win, though some felt the FX weren’t all that great. I disagree–the visual effects were some of the best I’ve seen in years! Will the film win, or will it be an upset, like when Transformers lost to The Golden Compass? I hope not!
So why wouldn’t RDJ get nominated for Iron Man? Well, probably the easiest answer is a simple one: It’s a comic book movie, and we all know those don’t fly so well in the Oscar categories, other than tech awards. Plus, a certain Bat may walk home with some noms and awards.
And The Dark Knight, by Christopher Nolan, deserves as many Oscar noms as possible, and if nothing else, Heath Ledger should win as one of the greatest villains in film history. Yes, I’m on that bandwagon, and yeah, I think he was absolutely wonderful. Aside from everything else, Heath’s eyes kept shifting and blinking, belying the insanity underneath the Joker’s green hair and white make-up.
Robert Keyes, another one of my fellow Screen Rant writers, echos what many feel about RDJ not getting nominated:
“I can’t see ‘Iron Man’ getting any Oscar Nods – It would be like the ‘X-Men’ films getting one. Not even the special effects were on par with other flicks. As for Downey himself, in my opinion, he certainly does not deserve even a nomination and in my mind doesn’t even come close to leading male roles in any other film this year. I love the guy, loved the movie, love Marvel, but that role isn’t even in my [2008] top 20 for acting performances or challenge.”
Nicely put, but I’m kind of sick of the dry, sometimes depressing art house movies and their performances. Indie films aren’t what they used to be, and neither are art films, in my opinion. I’ll have to explain that further in another article, but I feel the great indie directors of the 1990s and earl 2000s are making the best movies, comic book or otherwise, like Favreau and Nolan.
And if nothing else, these creators are helping to put legitimacy into the big blockbusters and comic book films, something I don’t think we’ve seen in years. I think the 1990s killed good blockbuster films, while giving us great indie films.
Finally, Screen Rant grand poobah Vic Holtreman had this to say about the idea:
“Well he certainly shouldn’t get an Oscar for ‘Iron Man.’ I could see some sort of nod for Tropic Thunder, but there’s no way he’ll win an actor Oscar for a role in a comedy film. In Iron Man he was fine, but certainly nowhere NEAR Oscar worthy IMHO.”
Anyway, I really hope Robert Downey Jr. is recognized for his performance in Iron Man by the Academy Award voters, even if it’s a nomination.
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I just watched the Iron Man Blu-Ray last night. No way RDJ deserves an Oscar for playing…RDJ in an armored suit. TDK all the way (watching that Blu-Ray now).
I am in total agreement with you Heath.
RDJ and the film deserve Oscar consideration.
Oscar noms and wins for Downey are long overdue. 2008 is his year, and he deserves all the wealth and praise in all kinds of shapes and forms for his flawless acting skills.
Johnny Depp got an oscar nod for the first Pirates (a blockbuster, fantasy film) for a throughout comedic performance so why not?
Lets be real, Robert Downey Jr. did carry the entire film on his shoulders! It was his movie and can anyone envision someone else as Tony Stark other than him? I saw Tony Stark onscreen, not RDJ. So at least a nod just be fair with the politics of Hollywood.
And, also a supporting nod for Tropic Thunder, who else was the breakthrough in that film? Stiller & Black basically played themselves, Downey at least played the character that was written on page. But, of course Ledger will win because his Joker was so great, bob loblaw.
RDJ is a great actor and he will win an Oscar some day (probably more than one, if he keeps up the pace he’s had the last few years), but not for Iron Man.
He deserves a Supporting Oscar for Lincoln Osiris, but probably won’t get it – that will go to Heath.
But, it’s just a matter of time (and, knock wood, sobriety). He will pull off some more wizardry ala “Chaplin” and the inevitable will happen.
I don’t think his performance was Oscar worthy but it was definitely very entertaining..He made me want to be Stark because he looked like he was just having so much fun in that role…RDJ will win an Oscar someday and let’s face it the guy has really paid his dues and has worked as hard as anyone to get back to where he is today..
I wonder if any of RDJs IM co stars will get noms?
@Gary
I loved “Iron Man” but NO ONE in that film deserves an Oscar nomination.
Vic
Vic, with regard to RDJ
I respectfully disagree.
However , you are not the only person I know who loved Iron man and has said that.
I’m not sure if he deserves it for Iron Man, it didn’t give him too much of an opportunity to show his acting chops. But he is definitely one of the best actors of our time, I’ll have to give him that. And he definitely carried the movie, although it’s not like the rest of the film was so bad that it needed him to carry it, but it did have its flaws. So if his performance wasn’t as good as it was, the film would not have been as successful. The film itself needs an oscar nom for its special effects. Those were phenomenal.
But I don’t think anyone else in the film even came close to deserving an oscar nom. RDJ would be the closest. But like I said, I don’t think there was enough in the film for him to show his acting ability.
I would like to see him nominated. Not that it matters much to me anyway, but it matters to the actors and I think he’s been trying real hard.
I usually don’t have any sympathy for druggies, and I don’t for him, but usually I see druggies, they don’t really try to get off, they pretend they want to, but I don’t usually believe they are being sincere. For some reason, either he’s just THAT good of an actor, I actually think that RDJ wants to be clean, but just can’t help himself sometimes. So I think if he manages to keep himself clean, he definitely deserves some recognition for the effort. Not that he should get an oscar for that effort, I’m just saying, on an unrelated note.
RDJ did well in Iron Man he was pretty much the reason the film did so great, but lets be honest it was not an Oscar worthy performance. It was very entertaining, but nothing about it screamed amazing. Sadly RDJ is an oscar deserving actor just not for IM. I agree completely with Vic here. IM is an entertaining flick not an Oscar flick.
And not to seem too anti-Johnny Depp, but I agree with SK47, if Depp can be nominated for Pirates, RDJ definitely could be nominated for Iron Man. Hell, have any of you considered Tropic Thunder? That film doesn’t seem oscar worthy at all, but RDJ was excellent in that. I mean, I don’t think I can think of any other actor that can play an actor playing a black man who is playing an Asian man all at one time…
But anyway, I personally feel that RDJ has a much wider range in terms of acting than Depp. A lot of actors can play a wide range of roles but tend to only do well within a certain range. RDJ seems to be able to do every type of role with the same amount of conviction, it’s weird. I’ve seen him in comedies, dramas, actions, comedy actions, he can be a good guy, bad guy, etc. and he’s almost always very good at whatever role he plays. Even though sometimes I don’t like his character, it’s not because of his acting, but because you’re supposed to not like his character and he brings that out perfectly.
Iron Man wasn’t a dark, serious, thinking man’s drama. It won’t get a nomination for all those reasons. However, all those reasons are why a lot of people liked it. Myself included.
I’m going with the “no” camp here.
RDJ’s performance was very good and played well, but the Oscar should go to someone whose performance goes above and beyond playing a role well to the point where you get the impression that the actor is not playing anyone, but what you’re seeing is entirely the character itself and you forget who’s playing the role. Very few performances go that far in a given year.
In doing archtypal work, like Depp’s Sparrow, or Ledger’s Joker, the best performers are the ones that are said to “own” the role, so completely and seamlessly did they blend into it. It also helps when it becomes almost impossible for anyone to see the role being taken up by another actor with the same or greater level of success.
Most good performances don’t even do this, and I didn’t got that impression from RDJ’s performance, good as it was, did that either. The possiblity of someone delivering a better performance in that role at some point in the future was never in jeopardy here (or at least it didn’t feel that way).
It sounds like I’m slamming RDJ, but I’m not, as there are plenty of other good performances I really enjoy in movies I would highly reccommend to others. But just “good” or even “really good” isn’t where the Oscar noms should go.
I also don’t like the idea that an actor’s personal life should weigh in the decision to get the award (the performance is the thing being rewarded, not personal achievement in overcoming one’s own real life obsticles). And before anyone says it, I realize that this is often how Oscars are handed out. I still believe it’s wrong.
If there was an award for:
Empotionally Satisfying To See Favorite Hero Come To Life On Screen
category, then we’d see some nomination luv!
Empotionally = Emotionally.
Stupid spel chekcer! Cant eevn cach bade wurds.
Robert Downey Jr. was in the best movie of the year and I believe that he should win for playing Tony Stark in Iron Man. This was by far a better movie than The Dark Night and it is sad that Heath will win because he died even though it was his own fault.
On the one hand I doubt you should win an award for playing a character that is almost yourself.
On the other hand, if Helen Mirren can win an Oscar for playing the bloody queen, why not?
If immitating someone in the public eye (over here) is deemed amazing acting, then why not a superhero?
To be honest, the Oscars just don’t impress me much anymore.
I am going to sit on the fence on this one, mainly becuase The Oscars and the snobbery of it all really bug me. If they loosened up a bit and threw in some new catagories, for Best Comedy and Best Action film it would not really bug me so much. There are so many actors in comedy and action flicks that are every bit as good as your Tom Hanks,Denzel Washingtons and Javier Bardems, that don’t get the attention or recognition from the academy that they deserve.
RDJ is one of those actors talented in every respect can play just about anything you throw at him.
While I would love to see Mister Downey nominated for Iron Man, I believe his best chance at an Oscar nomination is Tropic Thunder (now that Paramount has pushed back The Soloist to April 2009 *grrr*). Its hard to deny how incredibly gutsy and brilliant his performance is. In no way does it diminish his turn as Tony Stark which was equally entertaining and nuianced. Unfortunately its not the type of role that the Academy likes to recognize though.
I thought I was the only one who actually acknowledged Robert Downey Jr.’s oscar-worthiness for his performance in Iron Man. Of course he won’t win but a nomination would be an outstanding accomplishment for comic-book-films.
I agree with Wizard saying Iron Man is the best comic book movie of the year. It is quite possibly the best comic book movie ever.
To me, The Dark Knight is a crime thriller, not a comic book film. Yes, of course the story was drawn from comics but the end result, the film itself, has nothing comic book about it.
Iron Man achieves an almost pitch perfect blend of action, drama, humor and superheroism. In my opinion it is the best translation of any comic book to film, while maintaining it’s integrity of being a comic book.
Iron Man is enjoyable by all ages. The Dark Knight is an adult film.
Hell Iron Man itslef deserves an Oscar nomination, it is a milestone for comic book adaptions.
I thought I was the only one who actually acknowledged Robert Downey Jr.’s Oscar-worthiness for his performance in Iron Man. Of course he won’t win but a nomination would be an outstanding accomplishment for comic-book-films.
I agree with Wizard saying Iron Man is the best comic book movie of the year. It is quite possibly the best comic book movie ever.
To me, The Dark Knight is a crime thriller, not a comic book film. Yes, of course the story was drawn from comics but the end result, the film itself, has nothing comic book about it.
Iron Man achieves an almost pitch perfect blend of action, drama, humor and super heroism. In my opinion it is the best translation of any comic book to film, while maintaining it’s integrity of being a comic book.
Iron Man is enjoyable by all ages. The Dark Knight is an adult film.
Hell Iron Man itself deserves an Oscar nomination, it is a milestone for comic book adaption’s.
I read that some people think the Iron Man special effects ‘suck’? Wow, the Armor created for that film was amazing and definitely deserves a nomination if not a win.
What special effects, may I ask were so much greater this Oscar period?
RDJ Oscar Nod = Hell yeah! We can only hope!
Opps posted twice…
RDJ in Tropic Thunder…? He was definitely the best part of the movie but I think that’s really out there…. really really out there…
Maybe at the Academy of Comedy Awards…
There should be a comedy category at the Oscars and it’s been long overdue..To say comedic performances are unworthy of Oscar attention is ludacris…I feel as good about a movie that makes me laugh a lot as I do about a movie that provokes emotion and lingers with you long after you’ve left the theater..TDK for example..Now I’m not saying lowball comedies should be nominated but I thought DeNiro’s straight man in Meet the Fockers was hilarious..comedy is an art in and of itself and the people responsible for a good comedic performance should be rewarded and not by the Golden Globes.If this was the case RDJ would be a lock for an Oscar for best comedic performance for Tropic Thunder
I’ll send this now and prepare for the onslaught…
@greenknight333
If there is an onslaught, then I will stand with. (I do relize how gay that sounds, but i was unable to think of what else to say).
And to add to that, Robin Williams wouldn’t have had to wait so long to finally get his for Good Will Hunting, he would have got one for Patch Adams or Mrs Doubtfire, but most certainly noot for RV.
I watched both movies on screen several times and I have to say, when the DVDs came out, I ran for Iron Man. I have TDK on my xmas list. Iron Man should at least be recognized but RDJ should get something in my book. RDJ carried the role of Iron Man as if it was a personal part of himself. The whole movie evolved around him and everyone else were fabulous supporting actors. But RDJ made it all come together and alive. I would be disappointed if I don’t even see some sort of recognition for the work. Surprise me Academy. RDJ deserves it!
You never go full retard.
I’m sorry, but even though the movie itself is not “high brow” or snobby enough to be considered for the oscars, RDJ’s performance in that film completely won me over. I completely bought that he was a white serious drama actor taking the role of a black man far too seriously… My friend told me the commentary on the DVD has RDJ staying in character through the entire movie as well, lol. Now that is dedication, haha. I need to buy that DVD now…
Fingers crossed we get great news next January!
Thanks for reading, everyone! This one was fun to write.
heath
I’d like to point out, that while I firmly believe RDJ does not deserve and will not get a nod for Iron Man, I do think he can get nominated for Best Supporting in Tropic Thunder.
I loved IRON MAN. I gotta say that the material shouldnt drive the oscar. Oscars are made to elevate the film industry with recognitions to those who has gone above and beyond to create this 2 hr fantasy stories for our entertainment.
RDJ did IN FACT bring a new level of character. he brought to live a character that has been on people’s imagination for over 40 yrs and it hit the ball out of the park. He IS IRON MAN and such a performance should, to say the least be nominated for oscar. While there is plenty others that are awesome, i feel IRON MAN should be recognized for such a great workmanship.