Claire Danes and Temple Grandin.Photos: Getty Images, Newscom
In Tropic Thunder's most talked-about � both positively and negatively � scene, Robert Downey Jr. draws a distinction between playing an autistic character and going "full retard," as Ben Stiller's Tug Speedman did in the now-notorious Simple Jack. "Dustin Hoffman," he says. "Rain Man. Looks retarded, acts retarded. Not retarded. Autistic, sure." That HBO announced Claire Danes's biopic of autism-rights advocate Temple Grandin the week of Tropic Thunder's release makes the cable net's PR team either totally foolish or evil geniuses. Danes is a capable actress, and Grandin's story � including her work designing more humane slaughterhouses � is legitimately interesting without the requisite saccharinity usually attending such fare.
The veridical question: Will the Grandin biopic win in break the "decelerate" barrier for serious actresses? Usually leading ladies in desperate search of legitimacy and/or awards follow the Charlize Theron formula of making one's normally gorgeous self count fat,
