PC Whiners Aside, Downey Jr. Deserves His Oscar Nod
by John RidleyOn the heels of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announcing the nominees for their 81st shindig, there were the usual nontroversies over who was named and who was ignored.
Among all that, Hollywood trade paper Variety noted that Robert Downey Jr.’s nod for Best Supporting Actor in “Tropic Thunder” “marks the first time since Laurence Olivier’s 1965 “Othello” that an actor has been nommed for playing a role in blackface.”
Not quite true. Forrest Whitaker darkened his skin to play Idi Amin for his Oscar winning performance in “The Last King of Scotland.”
Slightly different circumstances, yes. But…
What Variety alludes to in their piece is that the Downey Jr. role is offensive. Mincing no words, Scott Feinberg over at the LA Times just comes out and says as much. Apparently bucking for a nomination for Best Performance by a White Guy Who Takes it Upon Himself to be Offended For Black People, Feinberg writes:
“I guess I just can’t imagine any circumstance under which a blackface performance would be acceptable, any more than I can imagine any circumstance under which the use of the N-word would be acceptable.”
Really? Can’t imagine any circumstance to use the word Nigger? You mean, like in a Ralph Ellison novel?
Trustees of the Liberal Plantation aside, Downey Jr.’s performance is sharp, smart satire. Clever, but aimed squarely for the gut, in the way the New Yorker’s Barack/Michelle-as-radicals cover was aimed at some other Brahmin organ that giggles with delight when it’s self-manipulated.
My take away from the Kirk Lazarus/Lincoln Osiris is a comedic finger giving a hard wag at Hollywood; an industry that has no problem writing big checks for Barack Obama, but then can do no better than spend tens of millions of dollars offending minorities. Seriously, was Notorious the best ode to blackness Hollywood could give us for the King Day/Obama Inauguration long weekend?
I can’t speak as to whether or not the Simple Jack story line or Les Grossman were offensive to their intended targets. But I can say that while I’ll be putting what little energy I can muster for the Oscars into good wishes for Viola Davis and Taraji P. Henson, I’ll have no problem if “Kirk Lazarus” gets the award he deserves.
For more perspective please go to That Minority Thing.com
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51 Comments
Hear, hear. A great comic performance. It’s Heath Ledger’s to win, of course. But Downey is certainly deserving. And it’s the rare time, truly rare, that one can be impressed by an Academy Aware nomination. If only because they usually get things so wrong.
I don’t read John Ridley’s posts.
Hey, that’s right, Taxacalirose, don’t ever read anything by anyone with whom you have had disagreements in the past. Especially if that disagreement stems from a laudatory post about your President.
You go, girl. On the other hand, Tom Hanks has apologized for the Mormon comment. Is your boycott over?
Areed, John. Downey’s performance is comedic brilliance and he deserves the Oscar nod.
Tropic Thunder was a very funny movie, and Robert Downey Jr. performed his very complex role wonderfully. Kudos, although it seems kind of inevetable that the Oscar will go to Heath Ledger.
Who’s Taxacalirose? Is someone trying to steal my identity? Who ever she is, some girl called her a girl. I guess ole Taxa boycotted Tom Hanks’ movies and ruffled up somebody’s feather boa. I never boycotted Hanks’ movies because of his political views, never said I was going to.
Maybe the past and frequent spankings still sting and someone is projecting his/her/its latencies on the real Texacalirose and he/she/it meant to say “with the other hand.”
If a straight actor was nominated for playing a gay man, or a man was nominated for playing a woman, then what’s the problem with a white man being nominated for playing a black man? If Eddie Murphy was niminated for playing the old Jewish man in Coming to America, would anyone have made a big deal?
Shouldn’t PC apply to all equally?
Texacalirose, your last comment was incoherent. Could you rewrite it? Also, if you don’t read posts by John Ridley — becuz he dared to write something positive about your President — what’re you doing here?
… what’re you doing here?
As I d@mned well please. Thanks fer askin’.
His performance was by far the most challenging.
How he speaks Vietnamese with his ‘black-ccent’ then Australian. Brilliant.
As it happens I watched the movie for the first time last night. Earlier that day I mentioned to my brother that I’d borrowed the DVD and he replied along the lines “…it’s got a good half hour at the beginning then flat and then a good half hour at the end with Tom Cruise…”
Well I’m watching the movie and waiting for Tom Cruise….and waiting…and waiting…then bingo I realised he was the guy I was laughing at.
I’m not a big Tom C – you can’t dump Our Nicole mate – fan but he was brilliant.
TexacaliroseKit, your last comment was incoherent. Could you rewrite it?GET WITH THE TIMES:
You are my champion! 3…2…1…(I’m just counting down to the forthcoming sexist remark from the Message Board Nazi’z-MBN’s).
Downey is a brilliant actor and I’m very glad he had such a great year. Iron Man obviously wasn’t an Oscar worthy performance, but I can’t imagine anyone doing a better job with the character. His performance in Tropic Thunder was great, but unfortunately it does not compare to Ledger’s masterpiece. I’m really hoping Hollywood doesn’t screw it up this time around. I watched it again the other day and thought that Gordon questioning him in the holding cell would be a perfect clip to use at the show to demonstrate how chilling and disturbed his performance really was.
Downey should have won for Chaplin, which was one of the truly finest performances I’ve ever seen. Hopefully this will mark his comeback as one of our best actors and someday he’ll get his nod.
Robert Downey, Jr. won’t win the Oscar, and I’ll tell you why: he went full blackface. Everyone in Hollywood knows, you never go full blackface.
Forest Whitaker, Last King of Scotland, made his already-dark face darker, but he didn’t go full blackface, won the Oscar.
Ted Danson, Friar’s Club Roast of Whoopi Goldberg, went full blackface, went home empty-handed.
You never go full blackface.
Downey’s response to hearing he got the nomination is simply too good. I’m impressed. He seems to have his head on pretty dang straight, considering. It seems they anticipated reactions like Feinberg’s, but decided to do the part anyway and worked hard to get it right.
It’ll be interesting to watch the audience response when that category comes up and the little clip plays. Will they sit on their hands in solidarity with other white liberals who are offended on behalf of a lot of black people who weren’t?
Matt, they’ll laugh and maybe even cheer. I don’t know a single person in this town who doesn’t love Robert Downey. All that affection will trump whatever urges there are toward PC stupidity.
He should be nominated – for Iron Man. No lead actor did more for his film this past year. Put in hip young Gyllenhaal wannabe and that film is a complete dud.
Good piece, thank you for writing it and posting it!
Didn’t Linda Hunt not only get an Oscar in 1983 for playing a man, but didn’t she change her race to something like Chinese-Australian?? I understand that’s not blackface, but it is a far cry from white…
“nontroversy”…love it.
If given a choice, I would vote Downey over Ledger. Name an actor who had a better year in 2008 than Downey.
A remarkably funny performance. Shockingly brave for Downey to accept this role in the PC Hollywood that exists today.
MB Snow
I hope he wins. Black Robert Downey Jr. is my favorite living actor, and I’d like to see him cast in more roles, like the lead in the Ronald “Flip” Murray biopic.
Downey’s role wasn’t offensive. It was awesome because it was audacious and funny. For some Hollywood exec who has some testicular fortitude, have that guy from the ‘There’s a Ton of F3$%#ing snakes on this plane’ movie play a calm white dude. That would be incredibly funny. I’d pay $8 just to see it without even knowing what the story was about.
KIT:
If you have something to say about my posts on BH, or if you want to apologize for being rude, go ahead. But “taking me on” on another blog about BH comments makes me think you might:
1. be stalking me.
2. not have the courage of your convictions.
3. be trying to disparage me in front of your friends.
I don’t read John Ridley’s posts are not the most important six words evah … sheesh …
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