MovieChat Forums > A Scanner Darkly (2006) Discussion > I loved RDJ's character Barris

I loved RDJ's character Barris


Robert Downey Jr was hilarious in this film, in an odd but really clever sort of way. He made me laugh through Barris. Loved the idiosyncrasies, the eccentric behaviour. The tiny little scissors he uses in the office to cut his already short hair. How he rides the bike into the house, then explains the story of how he bought it along with the "lemon-yellow racing pants". When he points to the map of the world and how he'd love to be where he's pointing to just as he's being arrested and taken away. And let's not forget the "silencer" that everyone in the neighbourhood heard.

The lines he had were great. "Uh-uh....that's where you're wrong, buddy". The way he says it, too, is funny, "shutthefvckup!"

And when they speed up the camera to go to the store, buy the Abrasocaine and attempt to make a gram of cocaine. And nothing he does ever works properly... but he's still so cool

reply

RDJ is mounting a massive comeback and hes kicking ass and not takeing names while he does it!

barris is an awsome character the way his mind just runs at 120 mph.we all have friends like that smart, paranoid as hell, has the best of intentions but outcomes turn out not the way he planed..

my favorite scene is when he get the idea to make a couple grams of cocaine in a plastic bag with an areisol can puts the bag in the freezer and then tosses in what looks like an orange smoothy directly into the freezer no tray, class or other holding object just flat out tosses the smoothy in. like it belongs and closes the door without a second thought.

im sitting there goin okay i get the bag part, but why the hell did he just sniff a smoothy and toss the smoothy into the freezer it does nothing but become a splash on the back wall and freeze which will be a bitch to clean up later...

reply

It'a all a part of his intricate methodological process of filtering :)).

My favorite scene is when he, after Hank impounds his stuff, tries to get the tape recorder back by casualy finger walking across the desk.

reply

He cracked me up throughout the whole film. The best part was the whole scene where there at Arctor's house when him and Woody Harrelson get into the fight, up until after Freck leaves. He made the movie.














Willst Du, bis der Tod Euch scheide
treu ihr sein fur alle Tagen?
Nein!
Nein!

reply

When he's talking to Freck in the diner about NewPath, cracks me up...he does a gesture emulating getting shot in the the head IN REVERSE: motioning brain matter exploding out the back of his head and then the bullet flying from his head back to the imaginary gun. I wonder: ad-lib or premeditated symbolism?

Also, when talking to "Fred" and "Hank" about Arctor and Hawthorne, the way he says "COLLUUUDE" its funny in a way that if you blink, you'll miss it.

There ain't no Hebrew God, Ozzy's God!

reply

I wonder: ad-lib or premeditated symbolism?
On the audio commentary, Linklater implied it was ad-libbed, saying something about Downey "taking the line and making it his own."

Barris is hilarious in any scene in this, though my personal favorite is the bike scene.



"I can't be the first person to have difficulty taking you seriously, can I?" - Arvin Sloane

reply

Oh, I agree. The bike scene was great.














Willst Du, bis der Tod Euch scheide
treu ihr sein fur alle Tagen?
Nein!
Nein!

reply

RDJ totally made this film - every time I watch it I find myself just waiting for the next time he appears

Fave line would have to be in the truck when Arctor asks him what he wrote on the note - "I wrote come on in, the door's unlocked."


"My uncle once punched a man so hard his legs became trombones!"

reply

[deleted]

[deleted]

i think everyone loved barris.he was inteligent and paranoid as hell

'i kill people i like it' damon salvatore

reply