Iron Man Kicks Off Summer

Oh yeah, summer is coming and that means one thing: goodbye brain, hello blockbuster!

I kid. I kid because I love. I love sitting down in a dark movie theater on a hot summer day and seeing what big fat spectacle is about to light up the screen. Just because something is geared to the big crowds, like Spider-Man, doesn't mean it's without a soul. I'm hoping Iron Man achieves that enjoyable mixture of pure pop fun which goes beyond the disposable.

My affection for Robert Downey, Jr. goes back to his very charming performance in Chances Are. You can see the trailer on YouTube here. So yes, maybe it is pretty gross that he plays a man who dies before his daughter is born, and then years later comes back reincarnated as a hot young Yale grad who romances her, while snagging a sweet reporting gig for The Washington Post. It came out when I was 12, he's adorable and funny in it, and so there.

I have never read an Iron Man comic in my life and only now do I know anything about the character, but I'm going to see that movie because of my twelve-year old self's love for Robert Downey, Jr. and because I think it's awesome how he's gotten past his drug problems and can now be known for being the gifted actor he is. The New York Times profiles him here.