"Iron Man" strong, but "Baby Mama" collapses

By PHILIP WUNTCH
Film Critic Emeritus

Let's first answer the most obvious question: Yes, it's as good as you've heard.

"Iron Man" stylishly rejuvenates the comic-book-superhero genre. But its success goes deeper than superficial style. The visually inventive film also has wit, heart and, rare for this increasingly paper-thin genre, strong elements of suspense. You know Iron Man will triumph over various forms of adversity, but how he manages it is always intriguing.

Marvel Comics, which produced the film, initiated the ironclad superhero in 1963. But by now, even non-Marvel connoisseurs know that the astonishing iron outfit hides the identity of billionaire Tony Stark, a sassy amalgam of Howard Hughes and Hugh Hefner.

Onetime boy-genius Stark now faces middle-age as a boozy womanizer. Upon his father's death, he inherited a vast munitions empire and enjoys being known as "the merchant of death." He gets ironic comeuppance when kidnapped by Afghanistan insurgents who favor Stark Industries weaponry. (Back in '63, the baddies were Viet Cong). His abductors order him to build a new weapon that will turn their leader into "the next Genghis Khan." Instead, the wily Stark invents a iron suit with enough hi-tech gadgetry to allow him to escape their evil grasp.

Upon returning home, he decides to use his personal skills and financial means to make the world a better place. Such a noble change of heart does not please his second-in-command, Obadiah Stain, the silken epitome of corporate greed.

With Tony Stark/Iron Man in virtually every scene, much of the film's success rests on Robert Downey Jr.'s performance, and he underacts magnificently. RDJ, as the smart kids now call him, knows exactly when to curb the histrionics. He succeeds at being sarcastic but not snide and blase but not boring. Even more difficult, upon his reformation, he's earnest but not stodgy.

His physicality, so memorable in the sometimes drab "Chaplin," receives an even more demanding work-out here, and he never falters. He's equally deft with throwaway comic lines, a skill also showcased in last year's unappreciated "Zodiac."

Like any blockbuster, "Iron Man" benefits many careers. For Gwyneth Paltrow, a strong supporting role proves a savvy career move. A post-"Shakespeare in Love" backlash penalized Paltrow for becoming an icon too quickly. But as Pepper Potts, Stark's loyal, intuitive Girl Friday, she delivers a warm and frequently glowing performance that should win new fans. The largely silent romantic moments between Paltrow and Downey have real chemistry.

For years, Jeff Bridges has joked about his curse of giving strong performances in films that failed to attract large audiences. "Iron Man" will vanquish that curse. As duplicitous Obadiah Stane, Bridges' has shorn his wavy locks of hair, which renders his armory of facial reactions all the more emphatic, while his natural, easygoing manner turns Obadiah into a truly deceptive menace. Terrence Howard does a good-sport turn as Stark's Pentagon liaison Rhodey, among the first to learn Iron Man's identity.

A primary beneficiary of "Iron Man"'s victory is director Jon Favreau, whose previous films only hinted at his current milestone. "Elf" was a surprise hit and indicated his skill at playful human interaction. "Made," an indie success, gave evidence of an edgier perspective. But "Zathura: A Space Adventure" proved once again that big budgets do not always mean big movies.

However, working with "Iron Man"'s immense crew, Favreau maneuvers terrific chases, soaring dogfights and imaginative escapes. The final showdown between Iron Man and Iron Monger, which some have dismissed as anti-climactic, is actually a splendid display of action strategy.

Like his star, Favreau proves equally skillful with intimate vignettes, and Stark's one-on-one scenes with friends and foes manipulate the viewer in all the right ways.

I saw "Iron Man" over the weekend with a paying audience. Although it had only been showing for two days, several moviegoers said it was their second or third time to watch the film. As for me, I can't wait to see it again.

"MAMA" PROBLEMS: "Baby Mama," this week's feel-good comedy, collapses in its third act.

Prior to that catastrophe, you can enjoy the performances of Tina Fey as a 37-year-old businesswoman who unsuccessful strives to have a baby, Amy Poehler as the brassy high-school dropout who agrees to be the baby's surrogate mother and Dax Shepard as Poehler's redneck common-law husband.

And you'll delight in the inspired comic antics of Sigourney Weaver as a patronizing surrogacy expert and Steve Martin as Fey's boss, a health-food tycoon who fancies himself a New Age guru.

So what goes wrong with "Baby Mama"? Greg Kinnear does. From his opening scene, his role as a small-time fruit smoothie entrepreneur is an obvious plot device, and Kinnear's smug performance helps not at all. As written, directed and acted, Kinnear's good-guy character leaves a hollow after-taste. And so, I am afraid, does the movie.

First-time director/screenwriter Michael McCullers balances his clunky direction with sharp dialogue for as much as 60 percent of the film. But once the action shifts to Kinnear's fruit-smoothie king, everything tanks.

But do plan on seeing "Iron Man" twice.