Downey, Cruise and nothing

Rating: Null/10 (23 February 2010)

This film is part of a limited, but toxic genre, a category I call, "Gene Wilder Gone Mad". It is driven by vanity,(Stiller's) and his mistaken belief that anything he does is hilarious. Unfortunately, we are left to fast forward around him to get to the nuggets of talent that characterize Downey's tour de force. Much sound and fury,about less than nothing.
By contrast, it is astounding to watch Downey present us with simultaneous layers of an actor-within-an actor within an actor walking through a meaningless film while stepping back to remind the cast and us that it's only a movie.
Downey's take on acting black--or is he "being" black, is in stark contrast with the film's take on Asians, reminding one of Brando's comment on Larry King's show several years ago. in which he described Hollywood as the most racist of cultural centers.
And then there's the surrealism of Tom Cruise's performance; astonishing! My final thought is that Ben Stiller should step back from believing his, or his friend's flattery. It's like the manager of a ball team--I think it was Chuck Dressen and the Dodgers, saying, "Act as if you've been there, before!"