Tropic Thunder
Directed by: Ben Stiller
Written by: Ben Stiller, Justin Theroux and Etan Cohen
Starring: Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black, Nick Nolte, Jay Baruchel, Steve Coogan, Danny McBride, Tom Cruise, Bill Hader

Last time we saw Ben Stiller on the big screen, he was starring in the Farrelly Brothers’ dud The Heartbreak Kid (which, as we all know, underperformed due to the release of Halo 3). Prior to that, however, he headlined Night at the Museum, a surprise comedy hit that earned an astounding $570 million worldwide! Although the guy has had some ups and downs, he can obviously still attract a crowd and has long-since proven that he is more than a one-trick pony. After calling up some big names and jumping into his first directorial gig since Zoolander, it was certainly looking like Tropic Thunder had enough momentum to become a mega hit rather than a mega miss.

I went in to Tropic Thunder feeling a little bit overwhelmed by all the marketing, however, and somewhat unsure about the subject matter. Isn’t a war movie spoof about 20 years too late? I was also worried about the gimmicky casting of new fanboy fave Robert Downey Jr. as a white man playing a black man. Then there was the matter of the dreaded Tom Cruise cameo, which everyone was raving about, and to me it just reeked of opportunism. But you know, I tried to go in with an open mind, and I ended up being pleasantly surprised.

Tropic Thunder opens with a handful of fake trailers for previous movies starring the various fictional actors, and although the fake trailer thing has obviously been done before (most notably in Grindhouse) it was a great way to introduce the characters and lampoon Hollywood right out of the gates. After this we find ourselves in the middle of a ridiculous, Michael Bay-esque action scene that ends up getting botched by a petty argument between Tugg Speedman (Ben Stiller) and Kirk Lazarus (Robert Downey Jr.).

They’re in the middle of shooting a Vietnam war epic, and director Damien Cockburn (Steve Coogan) is having trouble controlling both the egos of his actors and the production budget. The movie’s writer, grizzled war vet Four Leaf Tayback (Nick Nolte), proposes a solution: take the actors out of their comfort zone and throw them in the middle of a real combat environment. In doing so, however, they unwittingly run into some real-life militia in the jungles of Myanmar, introducing the prima donna actors to the true horrors of war.

Tropic Thunder is not really a spoof of war movies at all, but rather, a parody of Hollywood, and as such I think it works quite well. Each of the actors covers a different stereotype, from the macho action hero to the art house thespian to the low brow comedian, and everything in between. I do find it ironic that in attempting to parody a high profile blockbuster with big name actors, the movie itself is a high profile blockbuster with big name actors. And yet, this is just one of many layers of self-awareness that are tacked onto this movie, which make it seem either very clever or very hypocritical, depending on your point of view.

Make no mistake, Tropic Thunder is full of big names, some that are known for comedy (Ben Stiller, Jack Black) and some that aren’t known for comedy as much (Robert Downey Jr., Nick Nolte and Tom Cruise). It also balances them out with some up and coming actors like Danny McBride, Steve Coogan and Jay Baruchel. There are enough different faces in it that you never get tired of any one character, but the size of the cast never weighs down the film.

I do think that the acting talent provided by the big names helped bring this movie to another level though; Robert Downey Jr.’s performance has been mentioned by some as being “Oscar-worthy”, and while that might be giving him a little too much credit, it really does require him to adopt not one, but two personas, both of which are wildly different from each other. Nick Nolte was the perfect guy to play the intense military dude, and as for Tom Cruise, well, let’s just say that I have to agree with the people who thought he stole the show.

A lot of people have compared Cruise’s performance to his role in Magnolia, but it’s not just funny because it’s Tom Cruise being an asshole. In fact, it took me a few minutes before I even realized it was him. I think he was genuinely funny in the role, and I have to give him credit. Together with Matthew McConaughey, who plays Tugg Speedman’s agent, they really rip into the shallowness of Hollywood. Sure, it’s nothing particularly new (Entourage has been doing it for years now), but they really dial it up a notch in Tropic Thunder.

There have also been plenty of comedies with action elements this summer, but I think this one actually strikes the best balance of them all. It goes even more over the top than Pineapple Express, and unlike Get Smart it never loses sight of the primary goal, which is to make you laugh. The action sequences in Tropic Thunder reminded me of Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s brilliant Team America: World Police in terms of both authenticity and hilarity, and although there are plenty of well-scripted jokes, Stiller wisely understands that sometimes just playing it straight is the best approach.

Still, it’s certainly not a perfect movie, and there were a few things that didn’t work for me. The Simple Jack thing, regardless of all the controversy surrounding it, kind of got old after they kept going back to it time and time again. I wish Jack Black’s character had more to him than just being a heroin junkie, and like many big summer comedies, a handful of the best lines were spoiled by endless repetition in trailers and commercials. On the other hand, they were smart enough to hold back a lot of good stuff from the marketing too.

Overall, I have to say I had a great time with Tropic Thunder, and it is a rare comedy that manages to be both edgy and broad at the same time. If you want to go to the theatre to laugh and have a good time, this is probably the movie I would recommend above all others. It has more to offer than just celebrity cameos and shock value, but then again, those things certainly don’t hurt either! — Sean

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Recommended If You Like: Team America World Police, For Your Consideration, Hot Shots! Part Deux