First up is Iron Man. I've said that Captain America: The First Avenger is my favorite early entry into this series, but especially upon this latest viewing, I have to admit that Iron Man may be the best. Since its release in 2008 the excellence of Iron Man has been pretty thoroughly detailed. It's the underdog blockbuster that started a genuine pop culture phenomenon; an organically realistic superhero movie that is equal parts intensely personal and explosively thrilling; Jon Favreau's direction is pitch perfect, the cast's chemistry is electrifying and more than anything Robert Downey Jr. is wildly charismatic and perfectly cast.
Believe it or not the life of Robert Downey Jr. hasn't been all puppies and roses. Just a few weeks ago he was ranked dead last on a list of Saturday Night Live performers in Rolling Stone. This list is, of course, so dumb that it isn't worthy of being compared to a steaming pile of ass dung (excuse me, I meant donkey shit). The list seems to have been built largely on fumes from the "making fun of Joan Rivers is what she would have wanted" gas tank. Unfortunately there wasn't enough fuel left for the actual funny, leaving only wanton cruelty. Ranking something as subjective as comedy performers is an exercise in futility to begin with, so I can understand getting frustrated somewhere in the middle, but that's no excuse to take it out on poor Drunk Uncle. As if he hasn't been through enough. In the interest of fighting spite with positive spite, I want to focus on some of the highlights of the "worst SNL performer ever."
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| Don't worry. He grows into his face. |
It's generally agreed that what made Downey's performance as Tony Stark so great was the similarity between actor and character. It made perfect sense for Downey to play a hard drinking playboy struggling with his father's legacy and turning his life around. He found the role of his life by more or less playing himself. In that way Downey's tenure at SNL served as a precedent for his turn as Iron Man.
My favorite sketch of Downey's by far and the most popular in the SNL app came in an episode hosted by George Wendt. The episode had a running plot thread featuring legendary director Francis Ford Coppola attempting to shape the show in his own creative image. The sketch is a confrontational monologue performed by Downey at Coppola's request. Downey shouts utter nonsense with only his head sticking out of a suitcase until his schtick is threatened by Joan Cusack.
The Rolling Stone list acknowledged one sketch as a highlight of RDJ's time on the show, but only as a way of emphasizing the supposedly low bar. It was a Weekend Update segment that really is pretty good. In the year that Downey was on SNL he was often paired with Anthony Michael Hall. The pair were brought in to add some youth to the cast, like Pete Davidson times two. In this Weekend Update segment Downey and Hall get up to youthful shenanigans while giving a book review.
Downey's next notable SNL performance came ten years later as a host, once he finally grew into his voice and his weird face. In the monologue he makes fun of himself for his then recent drug problems and stint in prison.
In the rest of his hosting gig Downey does some pretty good character work, first as a singing gang member in a West Side Story parody.
Then as a mustachioed Home Shopping salesman shilling a Shaq Plaque.
Honorable mention: Some impressive physical comedy as Downey hammers a nail near Randy Quaid's sore toe.
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