preview of
"Satan's Alley" (Aussie star Kirk Lazarus as platinum-blond priest casting
hungry eyes at novice Tobey Maguire); to pretentious Method actor advising Tugg
Speedman (Ben Stiller) never to go "full retard," boasting that "I don't drop
character until I done the DVD commentary; to Lincoln Osiris, sliding in and out
of acting, role and race. Downey is so gifted -- comedically and dramatically --
that he's able to make this dicey role contain memories of black sergeants in a
host of Hollywood war movies, black-pride clichés, the idiocy of a blacked-up
white man, and a bedrock character that's larger than all his parts. In the
midst of one of the funniest movies ever, Downey hits us with a brave moment of
truth about acting. Climaxing the "who's on first?" argument with Tugg (stuck in
character as "Simple Jack") about whether either of them know "what dude" they
really are, Lazarus begins madly peeling off his makeup and wig, riffing through
characters and accents like a fast-action movie, until: "I think I might be
nobody." Not to worry, Mr. Downey, you contain multitudes.
What is your favorite Robert Downey Jr. film? What do you think of him as
an actor? Write us at heymsn@microsoft.com
Kathleen Murphy reviews films for Seattle's Queen Anne News and writes
essays on film for Steadycam magazine. A frequent speaker on film, Murphy has
contributed numerous essays to magazines (Film Comment, The Village Voice, Film
West, Newsweek-Japan), books ("Best American Movie Writing of 1998," "Women and
Cinema," "The Myth of the West") and Web sites (Amazon, Cinemania, Reel). Once
upon a time, in another life, she wrote speeches for Bill Clinton, Jack Lemmon,
Harrison Ford, Joe Pesci, Robert De Niro, Art Garfunkel and Diana Ross.
(Paramount Pictures)
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