@Rosen: Yes, Michael Keaton was an odd superhero, that was the point.

Like romantic comedies, there are rules for superhero films (ie – the superhero must look like a badass). Bending these rules is the only way to get something interesting.

Iron Man can be a compelling character because he bends another superhero rule, he’s not a boyscout. He has serious character flaws (alcoholism, womanizing, ego to the point of stupidity) which give him depth… unless you twist them into perks, like in this film. He also has this aura of mortality… but that’s essentially meaningless in a static superhero universe.

The fight of the piece should have been on this point: A chunk of us comic nerds are secretly waiting for some literary deconstruction of heroism (like an Astro City film or something), we just watch dudes punched through walls to pass the time. If fans of romantic comedies are just waiting for an unhappy ending (one of a dizzying two options), well, that’s comparatively pathetic.

That being said, you’d probably enjoy “5×2,” a bittersweet romantic comedy out of France in 2004.

(I suck at this.)