Tropic Thunder

tropicthunder

Tropic Thunder
Directed: Ben Stiller
Starring: Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr., Brandon T. Jackson, Jay Baruchel
Trailer

Synopsis: Big movie stars take themselves so seriously in a Vietnam war drama that the director decides to just drop them into the jungles of Vietnam to fend for themselves, but doesn’t tell them that.

When I first read that Robert Downey Jr. was going to be playing a black man, I didn’t know what to think. It could be so dangerous and racist, but he handles it so well, that it is just hilarious. I really love how even when his character is asked why he is staying in character, he first says he stays in character until he does the DVD commentary, and then later, has no idea why he doesn’t break character. It was that level of satire that was so awesome about the movie. There are so many actors that take the method acting to heart so much, that it is insane.

That part was impressive with Robert Downey Jr., but it was also impressive for Ben Stiller as the director. I really can’t stand most of the movie he stars in, but this movie made me realize why I used to love The Ben Stiller Show. When he is making fun of the Hollywood industry and big star egos, he gets it, and knows how to make it entertaining for those that don’t have much of a clue of how the industry works. The beginning of the movie was more of a pure satire where the audience was watching the actual Tropic Thunder movie within a movie being made before the ridiculous behind the scenes is finally shown and the satire is not as subtle and more laugh out loud funny.

While my favorite character was Robert Downey Jr.’s character, I think some of my favorite parts came from Jack Black’s character while he was going through withdrawals while strapped to a tree and when Brandon T. Jackson got into it about the racial stereotyping being done by Robert Downey’s Jr. character and then doing his own Australian stereotyping with Kangaroo Jack while hopping away. Of course, the absolute best part of the movie was the cameo from Tom Cruise as the super sleazy movie producer. I had read he was in the movie, but didn’t know what he looked like until I saw the movie. I didn’t recognize him when he is first seen on a video screen, so it wasn’t until he was shown in person that I could not believe it was him. His sleazy dance is so over the top and awesome.

Rating: A

One Comment

Add a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.