It's hard to be a man in this culture. I get it. I have a subscription to Esquire--I understand the complexities of finding the right loafer for the appropriate dinner jacket or sportscoat while attempting to not look too much like a douche, at the same time adhering to the protocols of balancing social mores and romantic obligations as you get older and reach higher platitudes of career goals vs. creative pursuits, all the while maintaining your individuality, assured sexuality, manlihood and graceful, unassuming maturity and being the kind of guy that other lesser-minded dudes (ie, your friends) still enjoy hanging around.
I understand all this. And I admire the delicacy by which certain men seem to so effortlessly achieve this balance--which is what I was thinking about when I saw George Clooney in a preview for The American. I couldn't help but marvel at how Clooney was able to capture the stark metaphorical narrative of the film solely in his face--in a simple, world-weary look. No doubt, he is the epitome of an Esquire man.
But then, a few minutes later, as I buckled in for the silly-Sunday-fun ride of Iron Man 2, I was even further astounded by the depth and breadth of life--and subsequently, the epic battle of Being A Man--that I saw in Robert Downey, Jr.'s eyes.
Without giving anything away, much of the film is locked on the peepers of a man trapped inside a metal suit as he fights for his life, against his "opponents" (which, notably, include himself), and in an effort to "save the world" and, quite possibly, win The Girl. Does he do it? Doesn't matter. Because, along the way, he IS a man. It's all there in his eyes.
Obviously, there's a bit of a correlation between RDJ, the actor, and his character in the Iron Man series, Tony Stark. Both have been handed a legacy--and likewise, seem simultaneously able to handle, and not-so-much handle, the pressures and stamina of such expectations. You see in his eyes a lot of years--years spent living hard and years spent thinking about how and when it all went wrong. And I can't tell you how much I appreciate that he's not trying to cover it all up (as so many men, especially in Hollywood, are apt to do) with Botox and strippers and calculated indifference.
What Downey, Jr. is so aptly able to capture aside from this hard-earned experience (and subsequent wisdom) as well as vulnerability, is a certain ability to convey a deeper understanding of what's really at stake--his soul. Yes, he's prone to self-destruction. Of course, he's narcissistic. Absolutely, he's sensitive and unpredictable--he's an artist! But also, he's a man.
And yeah, those wrinkles are hot. They'll go with any loafer or sportsjacket, as far as I'm concerned.
