Tropic Thunder

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.

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.

I saw this movie in theaters and fell in love with it. I've seen it many times throughout the years and have noticed most people either don't know or don't care for this film. After rewatching it yesterday, I just had to write about it.

The casting was incredible in my opinion. People think of Ocean's Eleven or The Departed as movies with dream casts. I think Tropic Thunder holds its own. Tom Cruise and Matthew McConaughey are solid minor/supporting characters. I'm not a fan of Tom Cruise, but I find myself quoting all of his Les Grossman lines consistently. Nick Nolte, Steve Coogan, Bill Hader and Danny McBride are great additions. Jay Baruchel is his usual self, Brandon T Jackson was a solid part of the mix and the three main leads really deliver. Special mention to RDJ, by far my favorite performance. It's ridiculous how many layers there are to his character. At some point he's an Australian actor playing a Black guy playing an Asian farmer.

Almost every single scene has a quotable line. The action is very well done and the story's so wonderfully over the top.

I think the biggest win is how well it has aged in my opinion. Movies like The Hangover were really funny when they came out, but I find there's no replay value. The jokes don't work well the second time around. The same goes for something like Deadpool. On the other hand, films like Borat, Anchorman and Tropic Thunder still make me laugh regardless of how many times I've seen it.

I wish Ben Stiller would go back to doing stuff like this. A Les Grossman sequel would've been absolutely incredible!

'Tropic Thunder' is the sharpest, nastiest, and most honest parody of Hollywood since Altman's 'The Player'.

If Doweny Jr. in black face, the script's use of "retard", or the politically incorrect humor offends you, you're missing the point.

Only Russel Crowe, Robin Williams, and Harvey Weinstein should take offense. The parodies of their personalities, their films, and their business tactics are downright cruel. (But, so, so true, and so brilliant.) I must credit every actor -- particularly Downey Jr. and Cruise -- for their performances, and for making their characters more than stereotypes for cheap laughs.

The more you know about Hollywood, the more you will appreciate the film. If not, just go and laugh at the genre. It takes balls to leave in a scene discussing how Blue-Ray conquered HD-DVD (and expect anyone to fine it funny). But it is funny.

To utterly relish the insanity, brush up on 'Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse'.

They got it so right. So, so, so right.