Oppenheimer (2023)

Summary

A government hearing within another government hearing reveals the complicated biography of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the "father of the atomic bomb."

Director

Christopher Nolan

Downey Factor

Medium-high, although he's only a supporting actor in a very large cast, his character is at the center of the storytelling device, which makes him almost like the narrator of Oppenheimer's story.

Character

Lewis Strauss, an ambitious but paranoid U.S. senator with ties to Oppenheimer

Looks

Distinguished, older (for much of the movie, he wears a balding hairpiece and makeup that ages him, but in some flashback scenes, he looks closer to his actual age).

Performance

Understated, Oscar-winning

Line

Amateurs chase the sun and get burned. Power stays in the shadows.

Love & Sex

He has a wife who is not central to the story.

Dies, Gay or Villain

No, no, arguably yes.

Cast

Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Florence Pugh, Kenneth Branagh, Gary Oldman, Josh Hartnett, Matthew Modine, Casey Affleck, Rami Malek

Connection

Kenneth Branagh in The Gingerbread Man.

Matthew Modine in Short Cuts, Luck, Trust and Ketchup and Baby It's You.

Rami Malek in Dolittle.

James D'Arcy in Avengers: Endgame.

RDJ Says

Getting to see the spartan, almost monastic way [Christopher Nolan] approaches this art form, it was like going to the other side of the moon … I knew there was a point where Chris Nolan was endorsing, let’s work those other [acting] muscles, but let’s do it while rendering you devoid of your usual go-to things … It's so hard to explain but [Christopher Nolan] is a very very singular fella, so even the screen tests felt important. There's just an energy and an intensity to what he does … [Nolan was] asking me to transform into someone's extremely subtle and plotting, who doesn't have any punchlines, who's only charming when he's trying to manipulate or undermine. I found that to be a great challenge … Chris Nolan was likening it a bit to "Amadeus" where there's a Mozart, and that's not you. Sometimes you're Mozart, usually you're Mozart. This time, you're Salieri. And so, I really took that to heart as him kind of challenging the entirety of my career trajectory and saying don't use any of those things that have served you well, find new resources … There's something about Strauss that I find, he's very conservative and very devoted and very much lived a life of service. This thing of comparison, of why don't I have what he or she or they have, it's ugly and it's a preoccupation that can be particular to a kind of American exceptionalism. So with all these forces that were at play during the Cold War, it was great for me to have held this position of a righteous indignation with what all these liberal geniuses were up to …I felt like I got to be a critic of what might be a perception of myself or others throughout the entirety of my career. So I got to do that counterpoint. It was almost like I was in a debate with the aspects of myself that I have glorified and I was able to look at each one of them and say, "That's not entirely right and maybe you don't deserve that." It's been a great dialogue … I have a feeling maybe the reason Nolan wanted me to do this was to give me that kind of 180 perspective … I truly believe that Lewis Strauss did everything he did for reasons that he thought were correct. And I don't mean that like a superhero bad guy, I mean that legitimately as a human being ...  I had an experience in Pasadena on Oppenheimer where we were doing a driving shot and it’s me and Nolan and Hoyte the D.P. and this driver, and it’s all been set up and we had to address something on the car. The rig or something wasn’t right. At one point, Nolan was like, “I’m going to step out—here, take this,” and he put a mag of film in my lap. I was brought back to that first time I was really on set with my dad—the smell of film—and it was almost like in the five minutes that I was sitting there he gave me back my cellular dignity as someone who belongs in the position I found myself.

Lit Reference

American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird

Time & Place

This sweeping biopic spans from the 1920s-1970s in various US and European locations, mostly 1940s and 50s in Washington DC, Los Alamos and Berkley

Availability

Released in theaters July 21, 2023

Rotten Tomatoes

94% fresh | 351 reviews

Critical View

Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: Oppenheimer also provides an opportunity for audiences to remember that Robert Downey Jr. is an actor, and not just a self-parody in superhero movies. Maybe it was a chance for Downey to remember too. In a superb portrayal of small-minded spite, he plays Lewis Strauss, the head of the Atomic Energy Commission who, out of jealousy, became Oppenheimer’s nemesis.

Peter Travers, Good Morning America: In a film of standout performances, Downey delivers a tour de force of festering animosity that blows the doors off. All his time in the Marvel universe might lead you to forget that Downey is one of the best actors on the planet. Here's a reminder. Prepare to be wowed.

Dana Stevens, Slate: In what may be the most memorable performance in a movie full of bravura acting turns, Downey plays Strauss as a would-be power player driven nearly to madness by his own petty vanity and unrealized ambition. His Iron Man exoskeleton now finally retired for good, Downey reminds us what a versatile and emotionally intelligent actor he has always been, while playing a character much colder and more calculating than the charming scamps of his youth.

2 Reasons to See It

1. His Oscar-winning performance.
2. Everyone else's performances.

Overall

It's a critical darling, box office hit and won everyone award under the sun, including all the acting ones for Robert Downey Jr. It does a good job of making a heavy and dry subject compelling, but it is VERY long so you really need to be in the mood for a long haul when you sit down to watch.

If You Liked It

You may also like Good Night & Good Luck (2005), Zodiac (2007)

Photos

Video