Robert Downey, Jr's Victory Lap

The plan is to post a Four-Sentence (if I can rein myself in) Movie Review of Iron Man tomorrow, although - really, should I? Is it any kind of mystery as to what I may have thought of it?

But one of the great things about Iron Man is the triumph it represents for one of my favorite actors (Home for the Holidays, Wonder Boys, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Zodiac), a guy whose talent should have made him a giant long ago. Robert Downey, Jr. should've had George Clooney's career, if not for his well-documented self-destructive impulses and addictions. But maybe it's not too late for him to get some of that now. To me, it was impossible not to root for Downey as he absolutely owned this movie and the role of Tony Stark, and enjoy watching him seize his moment of world-dominating stardom.

Monday night on The Tonight Show, Downey got to bask in the afterglow of his movie's huge opening, and you could tell he's going to relish this for quite some time. I dare you not to be charmed by his answer to Jay Leno asking him which was better, an Oscar nomination or blockbuster movie (1:05 mark):



And here's part two of the appearance, with an amusing story about the difficulties he encountered inside the Iron Man suit (2:50 mark):