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Iron Man

year 2008decade 00sdirector Jon Favreaugenre Actiongenre Science fiction

126 minutes

Cast

Selected cast credits · Film reference

Robert Downey Jr. Tony Stark
Terrence Howard Col. James Rhodey Rhodes
Jeff Bridges Obadiah Stane
Gwyneth Paltrow Virginia Pepper Potts
Leslie Bibb Christine Everhart
Shaun Toub Ho Yinsen
Clark Gregg Agent Philip Coulson
Bill Smitrovich General Gabriel
Sayed Badreya Abu Bakaar
Paul Bettany Jarvis
Jon Favreau Hogan
Peter Billingsley William Ginter Riva
Tim Guinee Major Allen
Will Lyman Award ceremony narrator
Tom Morello Guard
Marco Khan Guard
Ido Ezra Guard
Kevin Foster Jimmy
Garrett Noel Pratt
Ahmed Ahmed Ahmed
Gerard Sanders Howard Stark
Tim Rigby Viper 1
Nazanin Boniadi Amira Ahmed
Thomas Craig Plumer Colonel Craig
Robert Berkman Dealer at craps table
Stacy Stas Woman at craps table
Lauren Scyphers Woman at craps table
Dr. Frank Nyi Engineer
Marvin Jordan Air Force officer
Jim Cramer Himself
Donna Evans Merlo Woman in SUV
Reid Harper Kid in SUV
Ava Rose Williams Kid in SUV
Vladimir Kubr Kid in SUV
Javan Tahir Gulmira kid
Sahar Bibiyan Gulmira mom
Adam Harrington Reporter
Meera Simhan Reporter
Ben Newmark Reporter
Ricki Noel Lander Flight attendant
Jeannine Kaspar Flight attendant
Sarah Cahill Flight attendant
Stan Lee Himself
Justin Rex Air Force lieutenant
Zorianna Kit Herself
Lana Kinnear Stan's girl
Nicole Lindeblad Stan's girl
Masha Lund Stan's girl
Gabrielle Tuite Stan's girl
Tim Griffin CAOC analyst
Joshua Harto CAOC analyst
Micah Hauptman CAOC analyst
James Bethea CAOC analyst
Samuel L. Jackson Nick Fury

Iron Man | The Rewatchables

host Bill Simmonshost Van Lathan
Explore episodeClose episode

Producer credits not yet identified.

Most Rewatchable Scene

Captivity sequence; first forty minutes and Mark I escape

In the discussion (14)
Approx. transcript time · 00:35:43Read transcript
  • The opening six minutes immediately engage through Stark’s convoy banter, the attack and the backward introduction to his life.
  • The first Mark I suit escape is another nominated scene, distinguished from later flight tests.
  • Yinsen’s sacrifice and the crude suit breaking apart make the Mark I escape an especially enjoyable action sequence.
  • Beginning with action before the origin story is praised for quickly engaging audiences unfamiliar with a comparatively B-list comic character.
  • Pepper dismissing the Vanity Fair reporter establishes her authority; her trash-removal comeback is a favorite despite not being the ultimate scene choice.
  • Tony’s press conference is nominated.
  • Pepper replacing the chest device is funny and impressively convincing, with the intimate effects never feeling obviously artificial.
  • The new suit’s flight test, icing problem and crash through the floors are nominated.
  • The return to Afghanistan and near shoot-down are another nominated sequence.
  • Pepper downloading evidence while Obadiah approaches uses a reliably tense countdown device.
  • The final Iron Monger fight is considered less exciting than the beginning; Tony’s past is the real villain, making the external confrontation somewhat anticlimactic.
  • The entire captivity sequence is one final choice because a victim of Stark’s weapons saves him and changes his perspective.
  • The first forty minutes, particularly activating unfamiliar equipment, are the other preferred stretch.
  • The Fury after-credits reveal is belatedly nominated as the perfect extra pleasure after an already excellent movie.

What’s Aged the Best?

Ending; Howard chemistry; Pepper relationship; house; Fury reveal; music; spy gadget

In the discussion (13)
Approx. transcript time · 00:46:40Read transcript
  • The final I am Iron Man line was reportedly improvised by Downey.
  • Downey and Howard’s scenes sell an authentic friendship rather than merely asserting loyalty.
  • Pepper’s loyal care and patience are defended as a romantic comedy and true love inside the superhero film.
  • A counterargument challenges the fantasy of a woman waiting indefinitely while a wealthy playboy does whatever he wants.
  • The hero walking through a hot desert awaiting rescue is a reliably effective movie image.
  • Jim Cramer’s television reaction to a weapons company that stops making weapons is funny.
  • Stark’s lively, technologically responsive Malibu home is preferred to Wayne Manor’s inherited grandeur.
  • Bridges’s bald, bearded villain is enjoyed as a rare departure from his usual hero roles, with The Vanishing recalled.
  • The Nick Fury after-credits reveal and Avengers promise generated exceptional excitement and signaled a larger plan.
  • The heavy-metal guitar score gives the film distinctive energy compared with traditional superhero scoring.
  • The MCU simultaneously aged best through unprecedented growth and worst through later films becoming a chore.
  • The home, Jarvis and garage display outstanding rich-guy fantasy.
  • Obadiah’s incapacitating gadget is belatedly praised as an enjoyable spy-movie device.

What’s Aged the Worst?

Billionaire fantasy; sequels; later MCU; facial hair; product placement; MySpace; workplace advances

In the discussion (7)
Approx. transcript time · 00:54:54Read transcript
  • The MCU’s early achievement gives way to movies that increasingly feel like a chore.
  • This feels like one of the last movies where being a billionaire is uncomplicatedly cool rather than a sign of villainy.
  • Iron Man 2 disappoints; Iron Man 3 has an enthusiastic defender despite perceived fan resistance.
  • Stark’s unusually elaborate facial hair is criticized, with subsequent films’ toned-down version preferred.
  • Shameless Burger King and Audi placements age poorly but are also funny enough to count positively.
  • The MySpace reference dates the film.
  • Stark’s constant advances toward women, including his employee Pepper, feel conspicuously pre-MeToo and raise workplace-boundary questions.

The Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award

Marvel’s casting pattern; Clooney needed this role

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:03:59Read transcript
  • A provocative take claims Marvel stopped casting lighter-skinned Black men in major roles after Howard and his replacement by Cheadle; it is presented as an observation rather than a demonstrated hiring policy.
  • Mackie, the Doctor Strange role, Henry and Black Panther are considered while testing the claim; the speaker expressly does not believe Marvel is doing it deliberately.
  • Clooney’s mid-2000 s career is argued to need a blockbuster like Iron Man; a counterargument recalls a previous superhero film nearly ruining his career.
  • Clooney is considered able to play a damaged Danny Ocean with toys, although Downey remains better and Ocean is considered cooler.

Apex Mountain

Downey; Favreau; Apogee awards; Malibu houses

In the discussion (20)
Approx. transcript time · 01:20:03Read transcript
  • Downey receives a yes; Endgame is proposed but rejected because the original created his greatest new career leverage.
  • Favreau initially receives a yes.
  • Favreau’s jump from smaller films to A-list directing reinforces the yes; affection for Chef and Made remains separate.
  • Howard’s peak is placed earlier around Hustle & Flow and Crash.
  • Paltrow receives no.
  • Bridges receives no.
  • The Apogee awards receive a joking yes.
  • Ten Rings is assigned to Shang-Chi.
  • Ray’s Pizza is mentioned with Elf as another appearance.
  • Downey’s Hollywood comeback is considered among the greatest but initially not the largest.
  • Fraser is raised as a competing comeback.
  • Affleck’s Argo recovery is proposed, then challenged because Downey’s fall involved more than poor films.
  • Elizabeth Taylor is raised as an earlier comeback comparison.
  • Rourke’s Wrestler recovery is raised, with its life-altering significance questioned.
  • Bette Davis, Rita Hayworth and Taylor are tentative earlier-era comparisons.
  • Brando’s pre-Godfather recovery is considered a strong comparison.
  • Keaton is also raised.
  • Travolta is judged the strongest Hollywood comeback.
  • Comic-Con is a tentative Apex possibility, but Avengers is also offered; the convention’s later commercialization complicates nostalgia.
  • The Malibu house is the clear movie-house peak, possibly extending beyond Malibu to all film houses.

What Piece of Memorabilia Would You Want From This Movie?

Framed chest device; Obadiah’s sound device

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:37:11Read transcript
  • The framed device is wanted; its survival and later appearance are discussed uncertainly, while the inscription about Stark having a heart is both affectionate and a backhanded compliment.
  • The suit and house are obvious possibilities; the framed device receives agreement.
  • Obadiah’s incapacitating sound device is the other final choice.

The Coach Finstock Award for Best Life Lesson

Do not sell weapons; recognize Pepper’s devotion

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:41:25Read transcript
  • Avoid making weapons, or at least keep them to oneself rather than selling them.
  • Recognize Pepper’s devotion and settle the relationship; a response notes the later films do resolve it.

Who Won the Movie?

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:41:54Read transcript
  • The opening choice between Downey and Marvel develops into an explicit tie: Downey’s success is enormous, while Marvel creates a universe.
  • The separate invited response leans toward Downey given his starting position; the performance defines him for a younger generation.
Podcast choices
Speaker not identified
Robert Downey Jr.
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Marvel
Speaker not identified
Robert Downey Jr.