Tropic Thunder review

Like most of the movies I’ve seen so far this summer, I went into Tropic Thunder with high expectations. After all, as I’ve said before, according to the laws of comedic arithmetic, this movie couldn’t fail. With Stiller, Black and Downey Jr. heading things up they could not fail…

Well, I can breathe a sigh of relief, because it didn’t. Tropic Thunder managed to satisfy my craving for comedy while also satiating my desire to have Hollywood and the whole moviemaking process made fun of at the same time. The comedy is layered, sometimes imperceptibly, and it comes in waves – in between some .

For those who have managed to dodge the hype machine, the story unfolds as the film adaptation of a famous novel about the Vietnam war is about to run off the rails. Rookie director Damien Cockburn (played too briefly by Steve Coogan) is at odds with his cast that includes blockbuster has-been Tugg Speedman (Ben Stiller), method acting maniac Kirk Lazarus (Robert Downey Jr.) and dragon-chasing funnyman Jeff Portnoy (Jack Black), and decides that the best way to get a great performance out of them is to drop them in the jungle to create a “real” experience. Things go wrong when they turn out to be too real and find themselves treading too close to a heroin processing operation run by an army of entertainment-starved mercenaries.

Right from the start, I knew I’d come to the right place for some egg on Hollywood’s face as the film opens with a series of fake trailers meant to illustrate what each of the main characters are about. From the editing, to the choice of music, to the announcer’s voice in the background, these trailers play on Hollywood’s naked exploitation of their medium – and it keep on rolling from there.

Those who are familiar with the film from its press are well might be aware of the fact that Robert Downey Jr.’s character plays the entire movie in blackface – which I was sure was going to be the biggest hump the movie had to get over. Downey’s way over-the-top delivery, combined with a very self-aware script (and I suppose Stiller’s direction played a role too) made sure that I took what I saw as strictly hilarious, but I’d be quick to point out that I don’t think another actor could have pulled it off and ever hoped to get work again. When you look at it though, Tom Cruise’s character wore way more prosthetic makeup than Downey – and his satirical portrayal was way more biting.

Tom Cruise’s turn in this film was probably one of its worst kept secrets – but that doesn’t rob him of any of his hilarity. Cruise’s rampaging studio boss Les Grossman was one part Harvey Weinstein and one part David O. Selznick – and made the most of every second he spent on screen, whether it was getting key-grips to punch people in the face, to verbally lambasting heroin drug lords over the phone. His very presence in this film might even go so far to erase some of his off-screen antics – considering that Stiller’s Tugg Speedman is essentially as far as I’m concerned. Let’s hope this ability to laugh at himself might signal a turning point in Cruise’s career.

While many of the scenes, both action and otherwise, were send-ups of scene’s drawn from other war movies, they were funny enough to be enjoyed for their own sake. I suppose that’s what Stiller meant when he said that Tropic Thunder was kind of “it’s own thing“. While the soundtrack, dialogue and gunfights were supposed to be poking fun at the genre, they were same things that you were cheering for as they played out.

Danny McBride’s role as the special effects coordinator was just big enough for him, and I couldn’t be happier that he’s been spreading himself around the studio lot. In Thunder he offers up one of the more believable performances of a member of the Hollywood studio system – which strangely makes him the straight man, along with proud Canadian Jay Baruchel (playing the only actor in the troupe to have actually read the script and gone to boot camp), in this moviemaking madhouse.

I walked into the movie theatre like a 15 year old boy marching into the high school dance to get his heart broken – my expectations were so high, there was no way I was walking out feeling validated. Fortunately, there is much justification for my naive optimism. Stiller has put together a great comedy with plenty of added touches to give it some depth for further watching. Look out for Jack Black’s Nick Nolte mugshot (did I mention that Nolte’s in this flick too?) and Matthew McConaughey’s (did I mention that he’s in here too?)

The Verdict: I’d say this takes the title for the the funniest of this summer, not that Pineapple Express wasn’t also funny. But if you want to get the most out of it, there’s some required watching for you to do:

• Apocalypse Now (either the original or the redux will do)
• Hearts of Darkness (If you have to choose between this and Apocalypse Now, go with this one)
• Platoon (I just don’t think some of the jokes will be as funny until you see it.)

And while I generally don’t advocate seeing comedies on the big screen, the pyrotechnics involved in here make it worth the extra few bucks.