Tropic Thunder

This is hands down Ben Stiller's best movie. It has great action, great dialogue, great acting, great music and great humor. This movie is filled with quotable lines and works very well. The performances I have to single out for praise are Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr, Jay Baruchel, Matthew McConaughey, and Tom Cruise. I feel like this movie approaches it's themes in a way similar to Blazing Saddles but Blazing Saddles has a lot more slapstick. The Tugg Speedman character is not as memorable as Derek Zoolander but this movie is far better than Zoolander is. This is my favorite Ben Stiller movie alongside Meet The Fockers, Zoolander, Starsky and Hutch, and Night At The Museum 1 and 3 but I still haven't seen There's Something About Mary. I honestly prefer Robert Downey Jr as Kirk Lazuras over him as Iron Man but they are both fantastic performances. Tom Cruise is awesome as Less Grossman. He owns his character that is very different from everything else he has done. I hope Ben Stiller is proud of this movie because to me this is his best one.

Tropic Thunder was met with acclaim and commercial success in 2008, and met with INTENSE controversy over Robert Downy Jr.'s now infamous blackface performance in the film (not to mention Simple Jack). Yet it was PART OF THE POINT the film was making regarding the lengths some creatives will go when making feature films that will impact the world further down the track.

Man: the world today feels like a totally alien place compared to 2008's landscape of global-warming preaching and 9/11 still being a very recent tragedy, and the Wii, PS3 and Xbox 360 being the then-cutting-edge game consoles, and gay jokes that would possibly be considered homophobic or some such rubbish (comedy's meant to be funny, not taken as literal demeaning mockery of real people). SO much has changed since the 2000s; fast forward to 2024 and so many of the film's jokes ARE triggering all the wrong people further proving the film's point and jokes.

It's kind of sad and funny that Tropic Thunder's mockeries of Hollywood have basically come true; today's industry is playing EXACTLY like how those fake trailers framed the industry (except for the lack of animation representation) what with the tired action franchises and comedy films, and of course mid-budget indies being awards-bait films. Ben Stiller knew what he was doing when he committed to directing this metafictional mockumentary of modern American Cinema.

It's funny stuff, and sadly something cinema of the 2020s seems terrified to tackle with 'crude nuance', ie South Park. Meta-comedies can be refreshing and necessary critiques for what they're mocking, and Tropic Thunder was a real treat for 2008's crowded blockbuster landscape (seriously 2008 was an ENORMOUS year for the movies).

Tropic Thunder gets 8/10 IMDb points. 4/5 stars. It's still a riot. Just don't show this one to easily triggered fellas (or you can still, what the hell).

Since god knows how many years it has been rotting in one of the corners of my watchlist; today was the day (finally) for me to put it out of that cursed, miserable place (yes watchlists can be a vicious place, trust me) and now I am thinking to myself why I didn't do it any earlier?

Now coming back to the film...

It is hilarious, it's one of those rare comedies that make you laugh out loud, make you crack up like a youngster. The Action on the other hand provides more than was expected of it. Some of the action pieces were stupendously done, could not have possibly asked for more.

Yeah, the middle segment did hold back the movie quite a bit, the charm was misplaced for a limited amount of time but it gets back on its feet not long after!

Moving on to the Performances...

To be honest, everybody was incredible, they all played their parts with utmost sincerity and dedication. Two of them, however, were the uncontested standouts, and I know you have already guessed the names, yes one of them is a barely recognizable Tom Cruise as one of if not the most ridiculous characters he had ever portrayed and the other one is RDJ as Kirk Lazarus.

He was the one who made my stomach hurt on so many occasions. His accent, his get-up, the way he conducted himself, and delivered his lines, every minute thing about this man was outright ludicrous and I fu@king loved it.

How far we've come in 15 years. This movie barks at and pokes at and makes fun of every genre, class, society, movie, race, etc. It's fantastic and gets better every watch. Probably because these jokes wouldn't fly today.

A comedy cloaked in a war movie cloaked in a war movie being made. Pure gold.

Cast is amazing. You'll catch more jokes the more you watch it.

Offensive? Sure. Don't come into this trying to be offended. If you're tough skinned, you'll still be offended. Comedy at its best should do this. It should poke holes. And make fun. Comedy should shine light on the dark areas. The best always have and continue to be.

I hope you enjoy, I always do.

Tropic Thunder is a 2008 parody film and is amongst the funniest films of the 2000s without a doubt.

The humour doesn't shy away from what is deemed to be politically incorrect nowadays, but looking past all that it's a very funny film.

The self awareness provided throughout is entertaining and the dialogues pack a punch. The all-star cast all embody their characters really well and do a great job at satirising the hollywood film industry.

The story, like a lot of other comedies is not the film's strong point, and some of the film's scenes aren't overly funny but many are.

So many great lines in here too. Worth a viewing.