Here are 44 Best Movies of Robert Downey Jr. that you just cannot miss. An Oscar nomination for Downey’s performance as the movie’s title silent-era legend hinted at a turning point for him and his future career. Robert Downey Jr. spent his formative ’80s career as a Brat Pack star in movies like Weird Science and The Pick-Up Artist. He was born into tiny Hollywood royalty.
Instead, as he openly battled addiction, he spent the rest of the 1990s in a frenzy of crazy parties and tabloid headlines. However, his early 2000s roles in A Scanner Darkly, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, and Zodiac showed the world he was still capable of producing compelling work and signaled the beginning of a rebound in his career.
His turbulent years felt like a lifetime ago and were just a stepping stone to his current position as the Man in the Iron Mark IV. With Marvel Studios essentially used as collateral, director Jon Favreau fought valiantly to secure Downey as the lead of the original Iron Man, and the rest is history.
1. Richard III
Shakespeare’s play of the same name was adapted into a 1995 British/American movie, Richard III, by director Richard Loncraine. Richard is portrayed in the movie as a fascist attempting to steal the throne. The play’s plot and characters are adapted from a 1930s British context.
The movie had its world premiere on August 20, 1995, in Brazil. The film was released in the United States of America on December 29, 1995, and in the United Kingdom on April 26, 1996. It received the Best British Film Award and Best Adapted Screenplay Award. It also received the 50th British Academy Film Awards for Best Actor in a Leading Role. It took home the prizes for Best Production Design and Best Costume Design.
2. Short Cuts
Robert Altman directed the 1993 American comedy-drama movie Short Cuts. It was based on a screenplay by Altman and Frank Barhydt and was inspired by nine of Raymond Carver’s short stories and poems. The Pacific Northwest setting of Carver’s stories is replaced by a Los Angeles one in the movie. In parallel and at sporadic points of a loose connection, Short Cuts follows the actions of 22 main characters. Many of the stories in the movie deal with death and infidelity, and chance and luck play a big part in the plot.
Short Cuts, a kaleidoscopic adaptation of acclaimed novelist Raymond Carver’s stories by maverick director Robert Altman, combines the works of two outstanding American artists. The film interweaves the experiences of twenty-two characters as they try to find comfort and purpose in modern Los Angeles. It is epic in scope but scrupulously documented. Tim Robbins, Julianne Moore, Robert Downey Jr., Jack Lemmon, and Jennifer Jason Leigh are among the outstanding ensemble casts who perform bravely in one of Altman’s most sympathetic works.
3. True Believer (1989)
The 1989 American courtroom drama True Believer, sometimes aka Fighting Justice, was written by Wesley Strick and directed by Joseph Ruben. James Woods, Robert Downey Jr., Yuji Okumoto, Margaret Colin, and Kurtwood Smith starred. The movie is partially based on a series of investigative pieces by Pulitzer Prize-nominated journalist K. W. Lee on the mistrial of immigrant Chol Soo Lee for a 1973 gangland murder in San Francisco.
A new trial, final acquittal, and the prisoner’s release from San Quentin’s Death Row were all results of the news coverage. Eddie Dodd, created by screenwriter Wesley Strick, was modeled after Tony Serra, a defense lawyer practicing in the Bay Area.
A burned-out lawyer named Eddie Dodd has abandoned his civil rights work to represent drug dealers. Roger Baron is an idealistic young legal clerk who graduated from law school. Dodd is persuaded to take on the case of Shu Kai Kim, a young Korean man incarcerated for a gang-related murder committed in New York City’s Chinatown who has since killed a fellow prisoner in self-defense. Kim’s mother thinks her son was falsely charged with the gang-related killing. The inquiry by Dodd and Baron reveals a plot involving the district attorney, a police informant, and numerous police officers.
4. Avengers Endgame (2019)
The 2019 American superhero movie Avengers: Endgame is based on the Avengers superhero team from Marvel Comics. In the film, the Avengers’ surviving members and their allies try to undo the damage Thanos inflicted during Infinity War. It is the 22nd movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the sequel to Avengers: Infinity War. It was produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures (MCU).
Avengers: Infinity War – Part 2 was the title given to the movie when it was first revealed in October 2014. However, Marvel later changed it. In April 2015, the Russo brothers joined as the film’s filmmakers. A month later, Markus and McFeely signed on to pen the script. The movie wraps up the plot of the Marvel Cinematic Universe up to that time and finishes the story arcs of several key characters. The plot brings back familiar faces and locations from the franchise while revisiting several scenes from earlier movies.
5. Iron Man (2008)
Based on the same-named superhero from Marvel Comics, Iron Man is an American superhero movie from 2008. The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s debut film was made by Marvel Studios and released by Paramount Pictures (MCU). Robert Downey Jr. plays Tony Stark/Iron Man alongside Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges, Shaun Toub, and Gwyneth Paltrow in the Jon Favreau-directed movie, which was written by Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby, Art Marcum, and Matt Holloway. In the film, renowned businessman and master engineer Tony Stark creates a mechanized suit of armor and transforms into the superhero Iron Man after escaping from a terrorist group’s custody.
Critics praised Downey’s acting and Favreau’s direction, visual effects, action scenes, and screenplay for the movie. The American Film Institute named it one of the top ten movies of 2008, and it was nominated for two 81st Academy Awards, including Best Sound Editing and Best Visual Effects. The Iron Man 2 (2010) and Iron Man 3 sequels have both been released (2013).
6. Baby It’s You (1983)
John Sayles is the author and director of the 1983 American comedy-drama film Baby It’s You. Vincent Spano and Rosanna Arquette are its stars. The relationship between upper-middle-class Jewish Jill Rosen (Arquette), who is headed to Sarah Lawrence College, and a working-class Italian lad known only as the Sheik (Spano), who dreams to be the next Frank Sinatra, is the subject of the 1966 New Jersey film. The film chronicles their high school years as they fell in love, including Jill’s success in acting competitions, Sheik’s one-night fling with a sexually active friend of Jill, and the friend’s subsequent suicide attempt.
7. Good Night and Good Luck (2005)
The 2005 historical drama film Good Night and Good Luck (stylized as good night, and good luck.) was directed by George Clooney and featured Clooney as well as David, Patricia Clarkson, Jeff Daniels, Robert Downey Jr., and Frank Langella. The movie, co-written by Clooney and Grant Heslov, depicts the battle between Wisconsin-born anti-communist Senator Joseph McCarthy and seasoned journalist Edward R. Murrow.
It was shot on color film material but on a grayscale set, then color-corrected to black and white during post-production, despite being released in that format. It analyses what happens when American journalism offers voices of opposition to government policy while concentrating on the subject of media responsibility. The phrase Murrow frequently used to close his broadcasts serves as the inspiration for the film’s title, which also ends with a period or full stop.
8. Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
The 2017 American superhero movie Spider-Man: Homecoming, co-produced by Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios, and released by Sony Pictures Releasing, is based on the Spider-Man character from Marvel Comics. It is the 16th movie in the MCU and the second reboot of the Spider-Man franchise (MCU). Jon Watts was the film’s director.
As part of 3rd phase of the MCU, Spider-Man: Homecoming had its Hollywood debut on June 28, 2017 and was made available to the public on July 7. Homecoming became the second-most profitable Spider-Man movie and the sixth-highest-grossing movie of 2017 after earning over $880 million worldwide. It was praised for its lightheartedness, attention to Parker’s high school experience, and the performances, especially those of Holland and Keaton.
9. Marvel The Avengers (2012)
The Avengers often referred to as Marvel’s The Avengers, is a 2012 American superhero film. It is based on Marvel Comics. The film is known as Marvel Avengers Assemble in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The film was written and directed by Joss Whedon.
The Avengers, the final film of Phase One of the MCU, had its Los Angeles premiere on April 11, 2012. It was released in the US on May 4. Whedon’s direction, writing, visual effects, action scenes, acting, and musical score won plaudits for the movie.
The movie broke several box office records and earned over $1.5 billion worldwide, making it the highest-grossing movie of 2012 and the third-highest-grossing movie of all time at the time of its release. It was also the first Marvel production to sell $1 billion worth of tickets. The Avengers was ranked among the top 100 movies of all time in a 2017 Empire magazine poll.
10. Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Captain America: Civil War is a 2016 American superhero film produced by Marvel Studios. It was distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is based on the Marvel Comics superhero Captain America. It is the follow-up to two films and the 13th film in the MCU. Captain America: The First Avenger is the first, and Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2012) is the second (2014). Chris Evans plays Steve Rogers/Captain America in the Anthony and Joe Russo-directed movie, which also includes Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus as the screenwriters.
The first movie of the MCU’s Phase Three, Captain America: Civil War, had its global premiere on April 12, 2016, in Los Angeles, and it was made available to the public on May 6, 2016. The movie was a commercial success, earning over $1.1 billion worldwide, and it earned favorable reviews that praised the themes, action sequences, and performances—especially those of Evans and Downey. It became the 2016 movie with the most revenue. In May 2024, Captain America: New World Order, the fourth movie, is scheduled for release. It follows Mackie’s Sam Wilson as Captain America in Marvel Studios’ Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021).
11. Zodiac (2007)
Based on the non-fiction novels Zodiac and Zodiac Unmasked by Robert Graysmith, which were released in 1986 and 2002, respectively, Zodiac is a 2007 American mystery-thriller film that was directed by David Fincher from a screenplay by James Vanderbilt.
The movie chronicles the hunt for the serial killer, Zodiac Killer, who terrorized the San Francisco Bay Area while teasing police with letters, blood-spattered clothing, and cyphers sent to newspapers. The case is still one of the most prominent unsolved crimes in American history. For 18 months, Fincher, Vanderbilt, and producer Bradley J. Fischer independently investigated and studied the Zodiac murders.
The majority of the movie was photographed by Fincher using a digital Thomson Viper FilmStream Camera. On a $65 million production budget, it generated global sales of almost $84.7 million. Zodiac was ranked as the 12th best movie of the 21st century in a 2016 BBC survey of reviewers.
12. Chef (2014)
In the 2014 American road comedy-drama film Chef, Jon Favreau plays a chef who, following a public argument with a food critic, loses his job at a well-known Los Angeles restaurant and starts working for a food truck with his young son. Along with Robert Downey Jr. appearing in a cameo, it also stars Sofia Vergara, John Leguizamo, Scarlett Johansson, Oliver Platt, Bobby Cannavale, and Dustin Hoffman.
After helming several high-profile movies, Favreau decided to “go back to basics” and write a movie about cooking. Roy Choi, the proprietor of a food truck and a chef, worked on the production as a co-producer and was in charge of the menus and food. Chef had its South by Southwest premiere on March 7 and was distributed in theatres by Open Road Films on May 9. Critics gave it high marks for the direction, music, screenplay, story, and acting, and it made $46 million against an $11 million production budget.
13. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
A 2005 American neo-noir dark comedy crime film starring Robert Downey Jr., Val Kilmer, Michelle Monaghan, and Corbin Bernsen, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang was written and directed by Shane Black. The script parodies the traditional hardboiled literary form while drawing inspiration from the Brett Halliday novel Bodies Are Where You Find Them (1941). Executive producers Susan Levin and Steve Richards worked with Joel Silver to produce the movie.
The movie, which was filmed in Los Angeles between February 24 and May 3, 2004, made its world premiere on May 14, 2005, at the Cannes Film Festival. It was then released in the US on October 21, 2005. It had favorable reviews from critics and brought about $15 million globally.
14. Back To School (1986)
Rodney Dangerfield, Keith Gordon, Sally Kellerman, Burt Young, Terry Farrell, William Zabka, Ned Beatty, Sam Kinison, Paxton Whitehead, and Robert Downey Jr. star in the 1986 American comedy film Back to School. Alan Metter served as the director. The story revolves around a wealthy but ignorant father (Dangerfield) who enrolls in college to support his dejected son Jason (Gordon) and discovers that money cannot buy happiness or education.
Kurt Vonnegut, the author, and Oingo Boingo, whose lead singer Danny Elfman created the soundtrack for the movie, both make cameo appearances. Grand Lakes University served as the backdrop for the film, which was set at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The statement “For ESTELLE Thanks For So Much” is displayed before the final credits in memory of Estelle Endler, one of the movie’s executive producers who passed away while it was being made. She served as Dangerfield’s longtime manager and assisted in getting him roles in movies like Caddyshack.
15. Avengers Infinity War (2018)
The Avengers superhero team from Marvel Comics is the inspiration for the 2018 American blockbuster film Avengers: Infinity War. It is the 19th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the sequel to The Avengers (2012) and Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015). Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures distributed it, and Marvel Studios produced it (MCU). The screenplay was written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, while Anthony and Joe Russo directed it.
In the movie, the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy try to stop Thanos from obtaining the six super-strong Infinity Stones to avert the extinction of half of all life on Earth. The movie was introduced as Avengers: Infinity War – Part 1 in October 2014. Thanos and his lieutenants Ebony Maw, Cull Obsidian, Proxima Midnight, and Corvus Glaive intercept the spacecraft bearing the survivors of Asgard’s destruction after acquiring the Power Stone, one of the six Infinity Stones, from the planet Xandar.
Thanos defeats Thor before defeating the Hulk, obtaining the Space Stone from the Tesseract, and killing Loki. After utilizing the Bifröst to deliver the Hulk to Earth, Heimdall is also killed by Thanos. As they depart, Thanos and his henchmen smash the ship.
16. Tropic Thunder (2008)
Ben Stiller, Justin Theroux, and Etan Cohen co-wrote the screenplay for Tropic Thunder, an action comedy movie from 2008. Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr., Jay Baruchel, and Brandon T. Jackson play prima donna actors in the movie about the filming of Vietnam War movie. They are forced to rely on their acting prowess to survive the real action and danger when their angry director (Steve Coogan) abandons them amid a jungle. Many well-known war movies are parodied in Tropic Thunder, particularly those that focus on the Vietnam War. Tom Cruise, Nick Nolte, Danny McBride, Matthew McConaughey, and Bill Hader make up the ensemble cast.
In the spring of 1987, while working on Empire of the Sun, Stiller created the concept for Tropic Thunder. Later, he engaged Theroux and Cohen to finish the writing. The movie received the go-ahead in 2006 and was produced by Stuart Cornfeld, Ben Stiller, and Eric McLeod for Red Hour Productions and DreamWorks Pictures as a joint venture between the US, UK, and Germany.
17. Wonder Boys (2000)
Wonder Boys is a comedy-drama movie from 2000 that was written and directed by Curtis Hanson. Based on Michael Chabon’s 1995 novel of the same name, it is a joint multinational production of the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Japan. Grady Tripp, played by Michael Douglas, is an author who teaches creative writing at a university but has yet to complete his second book.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, served as the backdrop for the film’s principal photography, which also included Shady Side Academy, the University of Pittsburgh, Chatham University, and Carnegie Mellon University. The Pennsylvania locales Beaver, Rochester, and Rostraver Township, were among the others.
18. Bowfinger (1999)
Frank Oz is the director of the American buddy comedy satire Bowfinger. The movie shows a struggling Hollywood director trying to make a movie on a tight budget with a celebrity who is unaware that he is in it. It was written by Steve Martin, who also stars in it as an ambitious aspiring actress opposite Eddie Murphy in two different characters. On August 13, 1999, Bowfinger was released in the US to mostly favorable reviews and a $98 million domestic box office haul. Many people think this movie is one of Eddie Murphy’s best and most overlooked ones.
Since he was ten years old, B movie producer Bobby Bowfinger has been putting money aside to make a movie; he now has $2,184 to cover the price of making the movie. Afrim, an accountant, wrote the script for “Chubby Rain,” and Dave, a cameraman with access to studio-owned gear, are both on board. Then, Bowfinger gathers a group of eager performers, a group of undocumented immigrants from Mexico, and a camera team; all he needs now is entry to a studio so he can release his masterpiece.
19. Iron Man 3
Iron Man 3, a 2013 superhero film, is produced by Marvel Studio. It is inspired by the Marvel Comics character, Iron Man. The follow-up to Iron Man (2008) and Iron Man 2 is the sixth movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (2010). In the Shane Black-directed film, Robert Downey Jr. plays Tony Stark. Tony Stark battles the ramifications of what happened in Iron Man 3’s the Avengers during a nationwide terrorist campaign in the US under the direction of the mysterious Mandarin.
As the first movie in Phase Two of the MCU, Iron Man 3 had its world premiere on April 14, 2013, at the Grand Rex in Paris, and it was released in the US on May 3. Although there was criticism of the Mandarin character, it earned favorable reviews from critics who praised the action scenes, Black’s direction, and Downey’s performance.
20. Avengers: Age of Ultron
The 2015 American superhero movie Avengers: Age of Ultron is based on the Avengers superhero team from Marvel Comics. It is the follow-up to The Avengers (2012) and the eleventh movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it was made by Marvel Studios and released by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures (MCU). Joss Whedon wrote and directed the film.
After The Avengers’ blockbuster debut, a sequel was confirmed in May 2012. Whedon was slated to return as writer and director in August. Whedon introduced the characters Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, whose rights Marvel shared with 20th Century Fox, and revised Ultron’s origin to include the MCU’s Avengers team. In June 2013, after Downey was re-signed, casting got underway.
21. A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints (2006)
The 2006 American drama film A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints is based on Dito Montiel’s 2001 memoir of the same name, which recounts his formative years in Astoria, New York, in the 1980s. The movie adaption, which Montiel wrote and directed, was released in the US in September and October 2006 and in Europe in March 2007. Robert Downey Jr. plays Montiel in the movie, and Shia LaBeouf plays a younger Montiel.
With people occasionally addressing the audience, the film’s storyline regularly cuts between 2005 and flashbacks from 1986 (shot primarily with a shaky camera and brief shots). Writer Dito has achieved success in Los Angeles. Dito travels to Astoria, New York, where he grew up, one day because his father has unexpectedly become very ill, at the advice of his mother Flori and his buddy Nerf. Dito’s memories of the summer of 1986 are flashed back.
22. Iron Man 2 (2010)
Based on the Marvel Comics superhero Iron Man, Iron Man 2 is an American superhero movie from 2010. It is the follow-up to Iron Man (2008) and the third movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it was produced by Marvel Studios and released by Paramount Pictures.
As part of Phase One of the MCU, Iron Man 2 had its world premiere on April 26, 2010, at the El Capitan Theatre, and it was made available to the public on May 7, 2010. Although they felt it was inferior to the previous movie, critics gave the movie mostly favorable reviews and complimented its action scenes and acting. The sequel was the seventh-highest-grossing movie of 2010, with nearly $623.9 million in box office receipts. It was nominated for Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. On May 3, 2013, a follow-up, Iron Man 3, was made available.
23. Soapdish
American comedian Michael Hoffman helmed the 1991 comedy Soapdish, which was based on a script by Robert Harling and Andrew Bergman. Aaron Spelling and Alan Greisman produced the movie, and Herbert Ross served as executive producer.
The movie covers the behind-the-scenes tale of a well-known fictional television soap opera’s cast and crew. Along with Kevin Kline, Robert Downey Jr., Elisabeth Shue, and Whoopi Goldberg, it also stars Sally Field as an older soap opera star and features cameos by Leeza Gibbons, John Tesh, Stephen Nichols, and Finola Hughes from actual soap operas. Reviews for the movie were mostly favorable. Kline won the Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor.
24. Restoration (1995)
Michael Hoffman directed the 1995 American historical drama Restoration. Robert Downey Jr. plays a medical student who is taken advantage of by King Charles II in the 17th century. The movie, which was shot in Wales and earned Academy Awards for art direction and costume design, is based on Rose Tremain’s 1989 novel of the same name.
Robert Merivel, a young doctor, joins the court of King Charles II of England after saving the monarch’s favorite dog. Up until the King tells him that he has planned for Merivel to marry Celia, the King’s favorite mistress, he finds himself living a life of debauched pleasure and popularity at court.
25. Sherlock Holmes (2009)
Based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s fictional detective of the same name, Sherlock Holmes is a 2009 historical mystery action movie. Guy Ritchie served as the director, and Joel Silver, Lionel Wigram, Susan Downey, and Dan Lin served as producers. A tale by Wigram and Johnson served as the basis for the screenplay written by Michael Robert Johnson, Anthony Peckham, and Simon Kinberg.
Jude Law and Robert Downey Jr. respectively, play Dr. John Watson and Sherlock Holmes. A secret society hires eccentric detective Holmes and his sidekick Watson in 1890 to thwart a mysticism’s scheme to seize control of Britain via ostensibly magical powers. Irene Adler, a past foe of theirs, is portrayed by Rachel McAdams, and Lord Henry Blackwood, the bad guy, is portrayed by Mark Strong.
26. A Scanner Darkly (2006)
Based on Philip K. Dick’s 1977 novel of the same name, Scanner Darkly is a 2006 American adult animated psychological science fiction film that Richard Linklater wrote, produced, and directed. The movie explores the tale of identity and deception in a dystopian near-future society that is plagued by a drug addiction crisis and is continuously under intrusive high-tech police observation.
The movie was digitally captured and then animated using the interpolated rotoscope animation process, which gives both live-action and animated movies a distinct animated aesthetic by having animators draw over the source video frame by frame. Beginning on May 17, 2004, principal photography ran for six weeks. The movie was a finalist for the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation and premiered at the 2006 Cannes and 2006 Seattle International Film Festivals.
27. Chances Are (1989)
Chances Are is a 1989 Panavision romantic comedy movie starring Cybill Shepherd, Robert Downey Jr., Ryan O’Neal, and Mary Stuart Masterson. It was directed by Emile Ardolino. Maurice Jarre wrote the music for the movie’s original soundtrack.
In the movie, young district attorney Louie Jeffries is struck by an automobile in 1964, dies, but manages to escape the gates of heaven and is promptly resurrected.
Even in 1987, 23 years after he passed away, his widow Corinne still misses him. She ignores the heartbroken devotion of Phillip Train, his best friend, who has essentially raised Miranda, Louie’s only daughter, as his own. At Yale University, Alex Finch, who works at the library but is soon to graduate, meets Miranda while she is a student there.
28. Home for the Holidays (1995)
A 1995 American family comedy-drama film called Home for the Holidays was produced by Peggy Rajski and directed by Jodie Foster. Based on a short tale by Chris Radant, W. D. Richter wrote the screenplay. Mark Isham composed the movie’s music. The movie centers on Claudia Larson, who leaves Chicago to spend Thanksgiving with her dysfunctional family after losing her job, kissing her ex-boss, and learning that her daughter has other plans for the holidays.
On November 3, 1995, Paramount Pictures in North America and PolyGram Filmed Entertainment internationally released the motion picture Home for the Holidays in theatres. Critics gave the movie mixed reviews, praising Foster’s directing and Hunter and Downey’s acting but criticizing the screenplay. Despite having a $20 million budget, the movie made $22.1 million.
29. Chaplin (1992)
The English comedian Charlie Chaplin is the subject of the 1992 American biographical comedy-drama film Chaplin. Robert Downey Jr. is the star, and Richard Attenborough produced and directed it.
William Boyd, William Goldman, and Bryan Forbes adapted the movie from Chaplin’s 1964 book My Autobiography and David Robinson’s 1985 book Chaplin: His Life and Art. For the film, Diana Hawkins, an associate producer, received a narrative credit. John Barry wrote the music for the film’s original score. Although the movie got mixed reviews, Downey’s eponymous performance received praise from critics and earned him nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actor and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama in addition to the BAFTA Award for Best Actor.
30. Game 6 (2005)
Michael Hoffman’s 2005 American film Game 6 was initially screened at the Sundance Film Festival. It was released in the US in 2006 and stars Michael Keaton. It centers on a fictitious playwright named Nicky Rogan, who has a new theatrical production debuting the same day as the sixth World Series game in 1986. It is based on a Don DeLillo screenplay from 1991, and Yo La Tengo wrote and performed the soundtrack. Robert Downey Jr., Catherine O’Hara, and Griffin Dunnemake up the supporting cast.
Nicky Rogan is a successful playwright who has created several works. Now, as his most recent performance is about to begin, everyone around him assures him that it will be the best one yet. Rogan spends time in a pub with a woman cab driver and her grandson instead of going to the play’s opening night. Earlier in the evening, she mistakenly thought Rogan was a local hoodlum, but he doesn’t correct her.
31. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
The 2011 period mystery action movie Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows was directed by Guy Ritchie and produced by Joel Silver, Susan Downey, Lionel Wigram, and Dan Lin. It contains the Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson characters developed by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and is the follow-up to the 2009 movie Sherlock Holmes. Michele Mulroney and Kieran Mulroney wrote the movie’s script.
Together with Noomi Rapace as Simza, Stephen Fry as Mycroft Holmes, Jared Harris as Professor Moriarty, and Rachel McAdams as Irene Adler, Robert Downey Jr., and Jude Law reprise their roles as Holmes and Watson, respectively. The movie has a unique premise, although it more closely mimics the short stories of Arthur Conan Doyle.
32. The Gingerbread Man (1998)
A rejected John Grisham novel served as the inspiration for Robert Altman’s 1998 American courtroom thriller The Gingerbread Man. Kenneth Branagh, Robert Downey Jr., Daryl Hannah, Famke Janssen, Tom Berenger, and Robert Duvall are among the actors who appear in the movie.
Rick Magruder is a divorced attorney with a history of shady business practices and defending criminals. Magruder celebrates at a party thrown by his firm after another victorious trial, getting progressively inebriated. He has the opportunity to meet Mallory Doss, a party waitress who appears to have lost her car, as he stumbles out of the gathering. Rick takes the woman to her house, where her car has previously been parked by Dixon Doss, the woman’s father.
33. The Pick-up Artist
The Pick-up Artist is a 1987 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by James Toback, with Molly Ringwald and Robert Downey Jr. in the key roles. It was produced and released by 20th Century Fox. A shrewd, independent tour guide named Randy Jensen defeats a womanizer named Jack Jericho (Downey Jr.) at his own game. Her lack of interest in him after a brief romance just makes him fall in love with her.
Warren Beatty, who enjoyed the story but was hesitant to play a role driven by his erotic compulsions, requested that James Toback write the movie for him. Toback then gave Robert De Niro some thought but, in the end, decided a younger actor should take on the part.
34. Charlie Bartlett (2007)
American comedy-drama Charlie Bartlett was helmed by Jon Poll in 2007. Gustin Nash’s screenplay centers on a youngster who, to gain popularity at his new high school, starts giving out therapeutic advice and prescription medications to the students.
Before its August 3 theatrical release in the US and Canada, the movie had its world premiere on May 1 at the Tribeca Film Festival and was seen at the Cannes Film Market, Maui Film Festival, and Cambridge Film Festival. Critics gave the movie mixed reviews, and it only made $5 million of its $12 million budget.
35. The Soloist (2009)
Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr. feature in Joe Wright’s 2009 drama picture The Soloist. The biography of Nathaniel Ayers, a singer who developed schizophrenia and ended up homeless, served as the inspiration for the plot. The movie premiered on April 24, 2009, in theatres. Critics gave it varying ratings, and the movie only made $38 million out of a $60 million budget.
Steve Lopez plays a journalist for the Los Angeles Times in the film. He is currently employed by Mary, his divorced ex-wife, an editor. Lopez is taken to the hospital after a bicycle accident. One day, he hears an exquisite violin performance. When Lopez introduces himself, he runs across Nathaniel Ayers, a mentally ill homeless man who is playing the violin.
36. Weird Science (1985)
Anthony Michael Hall, Ilan Mitchell-Smith, and Kelly LeBrock are the main characters in John Hughes’ 1985 scientific fantasy buddy comedy Weird Science. The same-named 1950s EC Comics magazine published by Code Authority, whose rights were purchased by the movie’s producer Joel Silver, inspired the title. The
American New Wave band Oingo Boingo wrote and performed the song with the same name.
In the movie, jock seniors Ian and Max humiliate nerdy social outcast kids Gary Wallace and Wyatt Donnelly from Shermer High School for falling in love with their cheerleader girlfriends Deb and Hilly.
37. Heart and Souls (1993)
Ron Underwood’s fantasy comedy-drama Heart and Souls was released in 1993. Robert Downey Jr. plays Thomas Reilly in the movie. Thomas Reilly is a businessman who has been contacted by the spirits of four people who have passed away, including his childhood guardian angels, to assist them in finishing their unfinished lives because he is the only one who can communicate with them.
On August 13, 1993, Heart and Souls opened in 1,275 cinemas. At the box office, it debuted at number six, earning $4,322,250 million in its first weekend. The following weekend, it was ranked at number eight, earning $2,803,655. The movie eventually made $16.5 million during its theatrical release.
38. Only You (1994)
The 1994 American romantic comedy Only You, starring Marisa Tomei, Robert Downey Jr., and Bonnie Hunt, was directed by Norman Jewison. The story of a young woman who travels to Italy in pursuit of the man she thinks to be her soul mate is told in the movie, which was written by Diane Drake and Malia Scotch Marmo. The movie received mixed reviews after it came out, although critics commended Tomei and Downey for their roles.
Faith Corvatch, 11, becomes persuaded that her soul mate, the guy she is destined to be with, is named “Damon Bradley” after using an Ouija board with her brother Larry.
39. Less Than Zero (1987)
A 1987 American drama film of the same name, Less Than Zero, directed by Marek Kanievska, is largely based on the 1985 Bret Easton Ellis book of the same name. In the movie, Robert Downey Jr. plays Clay, a college freshman who goes home for Christmas to visit his friend Julian, who is also a heroin addict, and his ex-girlfriend Blair (Jami Gertz). The movie offers a glimpse into the hedonistic, affluent adolescent scene in Los Angeles.
The reviews of Less than Zero from critics were conflicting. Ellis initially detested the movie, but his opinion of it gradually changed. Except for Downey and James Spader, he claims that the movie bears little similarity to his book and thought that the casting was off.
40. Two Girls And A Guy (1997)
In 1997, Edward R. Pressman and Chris Hanley co-produced James Toback’s American black comedy-drama Two Girls and a Guy. Robert Downey Jr., Natasha Gregson Wagner, and Heather Graham are the film’s main actors. The dialogue that the characters exchange is the key component of the movie. Some reviews have compared the movie to a stage play because it was virtually all real-time and in one location. Interviewers were told by director James Toback that he wrote the screenplay for the movie in just four days and that the movie was shot in just eleven.
While waiting for their partners, two girls named Carla and Lou see each other on the street outside an apartment. After a brief period, they realize that they are both waiting for the same person: young actor Blake, who claimed to love them both but had been living a double life for several months.
41. The Judge (2014)
David Dobkin’s 2014 American judicial drama film The Judge was released. Robert Downey Jr. and Robert Duvall are the movie’s main actors, with Vincent D’Onofrio, Dax Shepard, Billy Bob Thornton, and Jeremy Strong serving as the movie’s supporting cast. On October 10, 2014, the movie opened in theatres there. It garnered mixed reviews; although some complimented Duvall and Downey’s performances and Thomas Newman’s score, others criticized the script’s formulaic structure and the lack of character development for the supporting cast.
For his portrayal of Joseph Palmer, Duvall was nominated for numerous awards, including the Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor, the Academy Award, the Golden Globe Award, and the Screen Actors Guild Award. Additionally, Thomas Newman was nominated for a Satellite Award for Best Original Score.
42. Natural Born Killers (1994)
The 1994 American crime film Natural Born Killers, starring Juliette Lewis, Robert Downey Jr., Tom Sizemore, and Tommy Lee Jones, was directed by Oliver Stone. The movie portrays the tale of two mass murderers who fall in love after having tragic childhoods and who are recklessly exalted by the media.
The movie is based on a Quentin Tarantino original script that Stone, author David Veloz, and associate producer Richard Rutowski significantly rewrote. Tarantino was given a story credit even though he later disowned the movie. The movie was produced by Jane Hamsher, Don Murphy, and Clayton Townsend, with executive producers Thom Mount, Arnon Milchan, and Stone.
43. Due Date (2010)
The screenplay for Todd Phillips’ 2010 American black comedy road movie Due Date was co-written by Alan R. Cohen, Alan Freedland, and Adam Sztykiel. The movie centers on Robert Downey Jr., who is obliged to travel by car with an aspiring actor to reach Los Angeles in time for the birth of his child (Zach Galifianakis). Jamie Foxx, Juliette Lewis, and Michelle Monaghan are also featured. The movie, which was filmed in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Las Cruces, New Mexico, and Atlanta, Georgia, was released on November 5, 2010. It earned $211 million worldwide and received mixed reviews from critics.
44. One Night Stand (1997)
Briton Mike Figgis directed the American drama One Night Stand in 1997. Wesley Snipes, Nastassja Kinski, Kyle MacLachlan, Ming-Na, and Robert Downey Jr. are the movie’s stars. Joe Eszterhas wrote the screenplay’s initial draught, but once Figgis revised it, his name was taken off the project.
Max Carlyle narrates the movie. Max is happily married to Mimi, with whom he has two children, and resides in Los Angeles, where he enjoys a prosperous profession as a commercial television director. Max meets Karen by chance while in New York City after missing a flight; events keep pulling them together throughout the evening, and they end up staying together.
Max seems distant and unhappy when he gets home, but neither Mimi nor Max will disclose why. A year later, Max and Mimi take a flight to New York to see Charlie (Robert Downey Jr.), a dear friend who is on the verge of death from AIDS. Max meets Vernon, Charlie’s brother, and gets to know Karen, Vernon’s new wife (Kyle MacLachlan). Max has a mental breakdown when he sees Karen, and he decides he needs to be honest with Mimi about what he did.
