Looney Over Downey

I'm just going to say it right out: the world is a better place for Robert Downey, Jr. being in it.  He is the I Ching, the shiznit, the coolest mofo going.  Doubt me?  See Chaplin, Less Than Zero, the Sherlock Holmes films, and Soapdish.  Most importantly, see the Iron Man films, and tell me I'm wrong.  He makes me want to start writing bad poetry (and I almost did.  Lucky you.).  And Iron Man 3 just keeps it going strong.

Did I mention Downey's good in this?  Yeah, he's okay.  He's got a presence and an attitude that just fills the screen.  He's of course dominant in his smart-ass persona, but makes Tony Stark into a fully-fleshed character with very little effort.  I often wonder how much he improvises in these films, and how much is scripted.  If it's scripted, then the man should win an Oscar just for his word interpretation alone.  Either way, he's got a wicked sharp mind and one amazing wit.

Of course, even he can't make things work without a little help from the movie (see: Iron Man 2, I'm sorry to say.  It just could have been better.).  Thankfully, director/writer Shane Black gets it (see his Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, also starring Mr. Downey, now) and knows how to structure a film well.  The movie moves fast and transitions almost seamlessly.  More importantly, it actually has a story.  Cool, huh?  And the man knows humor.  REALLY knows humor.  It's almost a perfect storm of actor and writer, considering the enormous amounts of wit flying around in this movie.

But Downey and Black aren't working alone here.  The rest of the cast is pretty damned good.  I go hot and cold with Gwyneth Paltrow (You only let your kids watch cartoons in French, Gwyn?  Hopefully, they will get back at you when they're teens.), but she's never better in these films, and she gets a much bigger role in this one.  She's fun.  Don Cheadle, Rebecca Hall, and Guy Pearce all have what looks like a great time in their roles.  The real fun comes with Ben Kingsley.  Really.  Without giving anything away, I can promise you you'll love his performance.

So, to conclude: great acting, great writing, great directing, great action.  This movie's great, to get all redundantty on you (shut up, it's a word).  It's not Shakespeare by any means, but it's going to be hard to beat this for my favorite summer movie this year.  Viva La Downey!