[REVIEWS] Films: Robert Downey Jr.
Jun. 27th, 2010 07:32 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
thewlisian_aferYes, I am nursing a serious RDJ crush right now. Shut up. XD
Charlie Bartlett (2007)
This comedy follows the exploits of Charlie Bartlett (Anton Yelchin), a miserable high school student who finds a novel way to fit in with his classmates: by pretending to be the school psychiatrist, dispensing advice and the occasional prescription medicine. Charlie's sympathetic ear and ready access to drugs make him popular with the students, but his activities soon attract the unwelcome attention of the school principal (Robert Downey Jr.).
Oh, man. If you can watch this movie and come away without a little crush on Anton Yelchin, you are a far stronger person than I am. I don't think there was anything I didn't like about this film. The story, the characters, their relationships, the soundtrack... Skinny Anton running around outside in his tighty-whities... XD Thumbs up. Would watch again. [Rating: 4 stars]
The Singing Detective (2003)
A Chicago novelist (Robert Downey Jr.) lies bedridden and feverish with an extreme case of psoriasis. Out of boredom, he reworks (in his own mind) the story of his first novel, The Singing Detective, putting himself in the role of the title character. He concocts a fantasy world in which he's in hot pursuit of Nazis in the 1940s, with the help of a few musical numbers. Based on a 1986 BBC miniseries, the film co-stars Robin Wright Penn and Mel Gibson.
I sure didn't dislike this movie. The music was great, RDJ was amazing in a few scenes, and I have to admit that Mel the Douche was quite good, too. But the story didn't grab me and I found myself thinking "This is weird" in a leaning-toward-negative way a couple of times. [Rating: 3 stars]
The Soloist (2008)
This true-life drama tells the poignant tale of Los Angeles newspaper reporter Steve Lopez (Robert Downey Jr.), who discovers brilliant street musician Nathaniel Ayers (Jamie Foxx), and the unique friendship that transforms both their lives. In helping his new friend deal with his demons, Steve ends up battling with his own. Joe Wright directs this inspiring drama based on the bestselling book by the real Lopez.
I think Joe Wright got lucky with his cast here. There were some really great performances but judging by some of his other directorial choices, I'm not so sure those great performances had anything to do with him. I hesitate to call his directing bad but ... a few scenes really didn't work for me. Mostly the ones where the focus is the music. Two and a half minutes of Beethoven is lovely, but when you're taken out of the story and shown some kind of Fantasia-wannabe synaesthetic light/color show, it sort of loses its charm. [Rating: 3.5 stars]
Chaplin (1992)
Through flashbacks and other nonlinear devices, director Richard Attenborough recounts comic icon Charlie Chaplin's (Robert Downey Jr.) poignant journey through triumph, failure, infamy and government persecution. The large cast of characters includes George Hayden (Anthony Hopkins), Douglas Fairbanks (Kevin Kline) and Chaplin's mentally unbalanced mother (Geraldine Chaplin). Downey's performance earned both Oscar and Golden Globe nominations.
Wow. This movie is two and a half hours long but it didn't feel like that at all. It found its pace right away and stuck with it. The cast was amazing (I found myself especially fond of Kevin Kline) and the story is a great one. Not to mention, even aside from the actors, there's always something pretty to look at -- sets, costumes, hair/makeup, &c. [Rating: 4 stars]
In Dreams (1999)
Claire Cooper's (Annette Bening) peaceful family life takes a chilling turn when a mysterious serial killer (Robert Downey Jr.) invades her seemingly idyllic New England town and starts haunting her dreams with dark clues to his next deadly moves. Unable to convince the police, her doctor or even her husband of her link with the madman, Claire must confront the killer alone, before another terrifying dream becomes a reality.
Meh. There was nothing very special about this movie. It wasn't particularly original or clever, nothing on the production side of things stood out, it wasn't one of RDJ's better performances... But Annette Bening plays the role of woman on the edge (or in the middle) of a psychotic break pretty damn well, and I always enjoy watching her. I certainly wasn't bored by this movie, even though nothing stood out. It was a perfectly nice way to spend an hour and forty minutes. [Rating: 3 stars]
Charlie Bartlett (2007)
This comedy follows the exploits of Charlie Bartlett (Anton Yelchin), a miserable high school student who finds a novel way to fit in with his classmates: by pretending to be the school psychiatrist, dispensing advice and the occasional prescription medicine. Charlie's sympathetic ear and ready access to drugs make him popular with the students, but his activities soon attract the unwelcome attention of the school principal (Robert Downey Jr.).
Oh, man. If you can watch this movie and come away without a little crush on Anton Yelchin, you are a far stronger person than I am. I don't think there was anything I didn't like about this film. The story, the characters, their relationships, the soundtrack... Skinny Anton running around outside in his tighty-whities... XD Thumbs up. Would watch again. [Rating: 4 stars]
The Singing Detective (2003)
A Chicago novelist (Robert Downey Jr.) lies bedridden and feverish with an extreme case of psoriasis. Out of boredom, he reworks (in his own mind) the story of his first novel, The Singing Detective, putting himself in the role of the title character. He concocts a fantasy world in which he's in hot pursuit of Nazis in the 1940s, with the help of a few musical numbers. Based on a 1986 BBC miniseries, the film co-stars Robin Wright Penn and Mel Gibson.
I sure didn't dislike this movie. The music was great, RDJ was amazing in a few scenes, and I have to admit that Mel the Douche was quite good, too. But the story didn't grab me and I found myself thinking "This is weird" in a leaning-toward-negative way a couple of times. [Rating: 3 stars]
The Soloist (2008)
This true-life drama tells the poignant tale of Los Angeles newspaper reporter Steve Lopez (Robert Downey Jr.), who discovers brilliant street musician Nathaniel Ayers (Jamie Foxx), and the unique friendship that transforms both their lives. In helping his new friend deal with his demons, Steve ends up battling with his own. Joe Wright directs this inspiring drama based on the bestselling book by the real Lopez.
I think Joe Wright got lucky with his cast here. There were some really great performances but judging by some of his other directorial choices, I'm not so sure those great performances had anything to do with him. I hesitate to call his directing bad but ... a few scenes really didn't work for me. Mostly the ones where the focus is the music. Two and a half minutes of Beethoven is lovely, but when you're taken out of the story and shown some kind of Fantasia-wannabe synaesthetic light/color show, it sort of loses its charm. [Rating: 3.5 stars]
Chaplin (1992)
Through flashbacks and other nonlinear devices, director Richard Attenborough recounts comic icon Charlie Chaplin's (Robert Downey Jr.) poignant journey through triumph, failure, infamy and government persecution. The large cast of characters includes George Hayden (Anthony Hopkins), Douglas Fairbanks (Kevin Kline) and Chaplin's mentally unbalanced mother (Geraldine Chaplin). Downey's performance earned both Oscar and Golden Globe nominations.
Wow. This movie is two and a half hours long but it didn't feel like that at all. It found its pace right away and stuck with it. The cast was amazing (I found myself especially fond of Kevin Kline) and the story is a great one. Not to mention, even aside from the actors, there's always something pretty to look at -- sets, costumes, hair/makeup, &c. [Rating: 4 stars]
In Dreams (1999)
Claire Cooper's (Annette Bening) peaceful family life takes a chilling turn when a mysterious serial killer (Robert Downey Jr.) invades her seemingly idyllic New England town and starts haunting her dreams with dark clues to his next deadly moves. Unable to convince the police, her doctor or even her husband of her link with the madman, Claire must confront the killer alone, before another terrifying dream becomes a reality.
Meh. There was nothing very special about this movie. It wasn't particularly original or clever, nothing on the production side of things stood out, it wasn't one of RDJ's better performances... But Annette Bening plays the role of woman on the edge (or in the middle) of a psychotic break pretty damn well, and I always enjoy watching her. I certainly wasn't bored by this movie, even though nothing stood out. It was a perfectly nice way to spend an hour and forty minutes. [Rating: 3 stars]
