10 Times The Oscars Recognized 'Cool' Movies

Notable Nominations: Best Supporting Actor.

After years of battling his own demons and trying to get back in Hollywood's good graces, Robert Downey Jr. had a major comeback in 2008. Most people credit Iron Man with his return to the limelight, but Downey Jr. also received an Oscar nomination in the same year. Even more impressive, it was for one of the most ridiculous performances in movie history.

Downey Jr. co-starred in Tropic Thunder, a comedy about a group of actors making a war movie who find themselves in very real danger. He played Kirk Lazarus, a method actor who goes to great lengths to play an African-American soldier and even greater lengths to stay in character. The role is absolutely outrageous and Downey Jr. dives right into it without holding anything back.

The movie hilariously lampooned the sort of over-serious nature of actors and their pursuit of that golden statue, but the Oscars obviously didn't get the joke. They nominated Downey Jr. for Best Supporting Actor and, really, how could they not? It's a hilarious performance, and really bold to be honest.

Imagine being blacklisted from Hollywood for years and just when you're being welcomed back, you do a movie in blackface. They should give him all the Oscars.