Tropic Thunder (B or 3/4 stars)
A group of self-absorbed actors shooting an expensive war movie are thrown into peril when they encounter some 'real' bad guys in 'Tropic Thunder', an uproarious comedy directed by & starring Ben Stiller. When his movie studio cancels said war movie, the director refuses to stop shooting. (Mis)guided by the author of the book from which the film is based on, he sends his cast into Southeast Asia's jungle with minefields, praying mantis, & drug cartels abounding. You may think you're watching the tried-and-true 'movie-within-a-movie' premise ... but it isn't. Well, it is ... sorta. You see, it also reveals to ardent movie-goers what it's like to be a part of a Hollywood product. 'TT' has its dead moments. But overall, I haven't laughed this hard during a movie in quite a while.
So, just who are the actors playing in this fake/true story about a Vietnam War hero? Well, you got Tugg Speedman (Stiller), an aging action star who recently dabbled in 'Oscar baity' films like Simple Jack ... known to be one of the worst films ever made. You got Heroin addicted Jeff Portnoy (Jack Black). He's known for starring in 'The Fatties' movies (similar to The Klumps). You then have Kirk Lazarus (Robert Downey Jr.), a 5-time Oscar winning Australian method actor who is so serious about his craft that he receives pigment alteration to play a black man in this movie.
Rounding out the cast is a real black man, Alpa Chino (Brandon T. Jackson). He's a rapper who's also known for his 'booty sweat' carbonated beverage. And a young up-&-coming actor named Kevin Sandusky (Jay Baruchel) fills the last spot. The film-within-a-film, 'Tropic Thunder' is being directed by a bumbling man named Damien Cockburn (Steve Coogan). And Four Leaf Tayback (Nick Nolte) is the author of the book, 'Tropic Thunder'. He's the one who tells Damien that the only way to save his movie is to set up some hidden cameras, rig some pyrotechnics, set the cast free in the jungle ... and see what happens.
Over the next hour, the egomaniacal actors have to dodge bullets, survive the dangerous Asian jungle, & see if they can save this movie from being put on the shelf. It won't be easy, though. Tugg's lamebrain acting agent, Rick Peck (Matthew McConaughey) is having a tough time convincing the fat, profane studio head Les Grossman (Tom Cruise) that the film can be salvaged. Almost all of these plot points are hilarious. I loved watching the prima donna/pampered actors being thrown into the jungle; having to deal with the gun-bearing Flying D(w)agons, a local drug cartel. One of the more interesting aspects of 'TT" is that we never know when the actors 'in' the movie realize that they're NOT acting in a movie to begin with. i.e., do they really think the Flying Dragons are other actors?, etc.
'TT' is lewd, crude & brilliant. And even when it's not lewd or crude, it's often ingenious. Take for instance the opening fake commercials/trailers. It's hard to tell if they were real trailers or not. But Stiller makes them bizarre enough that you know the joke isn't on us. Everyone in this film made me laugh (a true rarity for ensemble comedies). Stiller is restrained, yet funnier than he has been for years. The 'good' Jack Black showed up here, his nerve-wracking character is something to behold. Robert Downey Jr. gets away with playing a black man because he's paired up here with an actual black man who does nothing but berate him about it (for laughs). Downey is also able to satire the very actors today who think they're so good that they can play anything. The funny thing is, I actually think Downey Jr. CAN play anything. And the most surprising performance comes from Tom Cruise as the balding, megalomaniacal mogul whose out for no one but himself.
But the film isn't perfect. My patience was tested near its end (practically wearing me out with its manic energy). Some scenes are not 'quite' as funny as the filmmakers/cast 'think' they are. In other words, much of the comedy is smart (tons of pop cultural references), but they're not always belly laugh funny; more of an appreciative nod to its intelligence. Entire scenes go by where nothing overly interesting or funny occurs. But when it was funny, it really was HYSTERICAL. 'Tropic Thunder' is a Summer flick that pokes fun at & has fun dissecting Hollywood, it's self-important actors, the fame that goes along with it, & big-budget productions ... such as 'Tropic Thunder' itself. Hurray for a great R-rated comedy (rarely are they great). I can't wait to see this again.
So, just who are the actors playing in this fake/true story about a Vietnam War hero? Well, you got Tugg Speedman (Stiller), an aging action star who recently dabbled in 'Oscar baity' films like Simple Jack ... known to be one of the worst films ever made. You got Heroin addicted Jeff Portnoy (Jack Black). He's known for starring in 'The Fatties' movies (similar to The Klumps). You then have Kirk Lazarus (Robert Downey Jr.), a 5-time Oscar winning Australian method actor who is so serious about his craft that he receives pigment alteration to play a black man in this movie.
Rounding out the cast is a real black man, Alpa Chino (Brandon T. Jackson). He's a rapper who's also known for his 'booty sweat' carbonated beverage. And a young up-&-coming actor named Kevin Sandusky (Jay Baruchel) fills the last spot. The film-within-a-film, 'Tropic Thunder' is being directed by a bumbling man named Damien Cockburn (Steve Coogan). And Four Leaf Tayback (Nick Nolte) is the author of the book, 'Tropic Thunder'. He's the one who tells Damien that the only way to save his movie is to set up some hidden cameras, rig some pyrotechnics, set the cast free in the jungle ... and see what happens.
Over the next hour, the egomaniacal actors have to dodge bullets, survive the dangerous Asian jungle, & see if they can save this movie from being put on the shelf. It won't be easy, though. Tugg's lamebrain acting agent, Rick Peck (Matthew McConaughey) is having a tough time convincing the fat, profane studio head Les Grossman (Tom Cruise) that the film can be salvaged. Almost all of these plot points are hilarious. I loved watching the prima donna/pampered actors being thrown into the jungle; having to deal with the gun-bearing Flying D(w)agons, a local drug cartel. One of the more interesting aspects of 'TT" is that we never know when the actors 'in' the movie realize that they're NOT acting in a movie to begin with. i.e., do they really think the Flying Dragons are other actors?, etc.
'TT' is lewd, crude & brilliant. And even when it's not lewd or crude, it's often ingenious. Take for instance the opening fake commercials/trailers. It's hard to tell if they were real trailers or not. But Stiller makes them bizarre enough that you know the joke isn't on us. Everyone in this film made me laugh (a true rarity for ensemble comedies). Stiller is restrained, yet funnier than he has been for years. The 'good' Jack Black showed up here, his nerve-wracking character is something to behold. Robert Downey Jr. gets away with playing a black man because he's paired up here with an actual black man who does nothing but berate him about it (for laughs). Downey is also able to satire the very actors today who think they're so good that they can play anything. The funny thing is, I actually think Downey Jr. CAN play anything. And the most surprising performance comes from Tom Cruise as the balding, megalomaniacal mogul whose out for no one but himself.
But the film isn't perfect. My patience was tested near its end (practically wearing me out with its manic energy). Some scenes are not 'quite' as funny as the filmmakers/cast 'think' they are. In other words, much of the comedy is smart (tons of pop cultural references), but they're not always belly laugh funny; more of an appreciative nod to its intelligence. Entire scenes go by where nothing overly interesting or funny occurs. But when it was funny, it really was HYSTERICAL. 'Tropic Thunder' is a Summer flick that pokes fun at & has fun dissecting Hollywood, it's self-important actors, the fame that goes along with it, & big-budget productions ... such as 'Tropic Thunder' itself. Hurray for a great R-rated comedy (rarely are they great). I can't wait to see this again.