OUT OF THE MOUTHS OF BABES –

March 14, 2024 –  “I’d like to thank my terrible childhood and the Academy, in that order.” As they say, comedy is simply tragedy plus time. And I want to focus on this line, especially the first seven words, because honestly — when people think of Robert Downey Jr., I think they think of two things:Among the lowlights, he was arrested in 1996 for having wandered into a neighbor’s house on some kind of bender and passing out in an 11-year-old child’s bedroom. He also faced gun charges and escaped from drug treatmentThe big winner at the 96th Oscars last night was Oppenheimer, with seven Academy Awards — including Best Picture, along with Best Director to Christopher Nolan, Best Actor to Cillian Murphy, and Best Supporting Actor to Robert Downey Jr.

Downey’s award stood out. By my count, Oppenheimer was Downey’s 82nd movie role, spanning more than 50 years before finally winning an Oscar.

Given how long he’s had to think about what he might say if he won, I had a feeling there might be something profound, or interesting, or at least memorable, in Downey’s acceptance speech. 

Right out of the gate, he didn’t disappoint “I’d like to thank my terrible childhood and the Academy, in that order.”

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