Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man might seem to be just another superhero movie in the ever-expanding sea of that particular genre. However, it is much more than that. Over the years, it has turned into a cultural phenomenon, which revolutionized Hollywood forever.
One of the most important people who contributed to the movie is director Jon Favreau. Not only did he fight for Downey Jr.’s casting in the movie, but also made what can be easily labeled one of the best MCU movies of all time.
Apart from the fact that Favreau included pathos in the film, he also managed to insert a little joke of his, and it left Tony Stark obsessed with pizza from a specific outlet. Not to mention that this character detail is also a reference to Will Ferrel’s movie Elf and the sitcom F.R.I.E.N.D.S.
Jon Favreau Sneaked In This Reference from Elf and F.R.I.E.N.D.S. in Iron Man
If there was one thing that Jon Favreau focused on apart from making the movie as realistic as possible, it happens to be the director’s love for food. Hence, there was an inevitable reference to food from one of his other movies Elf, and even the sitcom F.R.I.E.N.D.S.
Favreau is widely known for his work on movies with smaller budgets and intimate settings. One of them is the Will Ferrell-starrer Elf, in which the protagonist Buddy has an insatiable appetite. Before his adventure in New York, he asks Santa Claus for some advice for survival in New York and also the way to the original Ray’s Pizza.
Additionally, in the third episode of F.R.I.E.N.D.S. of the second season, Ross and Chandler are seen arguing about which Ray’s Pizza is the authentic one, referencing the various Ray’s Pizza establishments in New York City. Although Favreau was not there in this episode, he got his chance to shine in several other episodes of the third season.
Despite the bigger premise of Iron Man, Favreau did not hesitate to make Tony obsessed with pizza from Ray’s Pizza. Upon his return from New York, Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges) visits Tony with a box of Ray’s Pizza as a gift. It was a cleverly inserted reference to the famous pizza from The Lion King director.
Jon Favreau Admits That He Puts Food References in His Movies
Favreau’s love of food has been very apparent in the projects he makes. Speaking about including food references on the Dinner Party Download podcast, he said:
People are constantly eating [in my movies], I’m sort of noticing. In Elf I added that whole wrinkle, as I was developing that script, about him stuffing his face, and how much elves eat. And then in Iron Man, he’s talking about flying Ray’s Pizza in from New York. It always seems to sneak into everything I do.
It is not that anyone is complaining, but we love to see a self-aware man. Another thing worth noting is that Favreau has also made an entire movie named Chef about a chef and his delectable edible creations.
Iron Man 2 is available for streaming on Disney+. Elf and F.R.I.E.N.D.S. are available for buying on Apple TV.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Ray’s Pizza connection between Iron Man, Elf, and F.R.I.E.N.D.S.?
Director Jon Favreau inserted a personal running joke into Iron Man involving Ray’s Pizza, a New York pizza chain with several locations that has been the subject of debates over which one is the “original.” That same joke about competing Ray’s Pizza locations appears in Favreau’s film Elf and was also featured in an episode of the sitcom F.R.I.E.N.D.S.
How does the Ray’s Pizza joke actually appear in Iron Man?
In Iron Man, the article reports that Obadiah Stane delivers a box of Ray’s Pizza to Tony Stark upon his return from New York, referencing the same pizza chain joked about in Elf and F.R.I.E.N.D.S. Jon Favreau, who directed Iron Man and also directed and starred in Elf, has said food-related references frequently appear throughout his projects.
Has Jon Favreau talked about why food shows up so often in his movies?
Yes. Speaking on the Dinner Party Download podcast, Favreau reportedly said, “People are constantly eating [in my movies]…It always seems to sneak into everything I do.” The article notes this pattern extends across his filmography, including his 2014 film Chef, which centers entirely on a chef and his culinary creations.
