Standing in line to enter Theater number 3 about a half an hour before showtime, I notice the guy standing in front of us. He’s got a goatee and hairstyle almost identical to Robert Downey, Jr. I seriously had to do a double take.
“You didn’t grow out the goat just for the movie, did you?” Yes, I went there…asking a complete stranger, an adult no less, if he’s trying to look like Ironman.
He laughed, took one look at Hubby, and said, “He’s got one too.” Good point.
Find out that he texted his friend, “There’s this couple standing behind me who thinks I look like Robert Downey, Jr.,” because she tells us when she arrives to join him in line.
We have a few laughs and halfway through Ironman 3, when the guy in the van proudly tells Tony Stark that he totally styles his hair after him, I admit, I think the guy we met earlier went to this barber with a picture of Ironman. Girls do that all the time.
Anyway, I was thinking to myself, how do I write-up this little review without adding a bunch of spoilers, and so I decided to write about why I loved it without giving away the details. Sorry if I let one or two slip in.
First of all, I am a huge fan of the cast. Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper is witty and lovely, Don Cheadle, classic in his humor and heroism, Harley (Ty Simpkins), a sassy 10-year-old boy, and I enjoyed Ben Kingsley as the Mandarin.
As the movie progressed, I found myself especially drawn to Tony Stark’s character like I hadn’t in previous Ironman movies. After his “going to sacrifice myself to save the world” moment in Avengers, one might have thought he would come out stronger, braver, invincible even. But he’s surprisingly very vulnerable in Ironman 3, struggling with Anxiety Disorder, PTSS triggers kick in with the mention of New York [hmmm? a 9/11 reference no doubt], and he’s losing sleep over how to “protect the one thing I cannot live without,” referring to his love for Pepper.
But then wisdom comes from the mouth of babes, as Harley reminds him of his name. And helps Ironman climb out of his foxhole by doing what he was made to do. It’s a tough call—and I’m no psychatrist—but I appreciate the motivation to not get stuck in the role of victim. Both boy and man face this challenge as the movie unravels.
[Small spoiler alert!] The multi-robot arrival in the final battle, some say, is a subliminal plant to get kids thinking about their Christmas lists, and it very well might be, but I appreciated it for the message: the theme of my first book Swimming Through Clouds, available June 1st!
“Life’s a beautiful battle you don’t fight alone.”
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I went in for a little adventure, some action, and the love story. I came out satisfied. And you? Did you see it? Like it? Hate it? Holding out for Gatsby?What’d you think of the little “extra” after the credits rolled?
