Tropic Thunder is still an excellent satirical action comedy over 15 years later. Ben Stiller who also directed the movie, Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr. Headline an all star cast including Steven Coogan, Jay Baruchel, Brandon T Jackson, Nick Nolte, Danny McBride, Matthew McConaughey, Bill Hader and Tom Cruise.
Washed up action star Tugg Speedman (Ben Stiller), drug addicted comedian Jeff Portnoy, and controversial Australian method actor Kirk Lazarus (Robert Downey Jr. Who was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor) headline the Vietnam War movie Tropic Thunder which is plagued by an inexperienced director Damien Cockburn (Steven Coogan) who is unable to control the prima donna attitudes of the actors as well as going overbudget and behind schedule. The foul mouthed and bad tempered studio head Les Grossman (Tom Cruise) gives Damien Cockburn an ultimatum, get the actors and movie under control and back on schedule or face having his movie cancelled. Former Vietnam Veteran Four Leaf Tayback (Nick Nolte) whom is the original author of which the movie is based on his memoirs, suggests dropping the actors in the middle of the jungle in Thailand and shooting the movie guerrilla style with weapons loaded with blanks and hidden explosives as well as a map to help find their way around. Alongside newcomer Kevin Sandusky (Jay Baruchel) and closeted homosexual rapper Alpa Chino (Brandon T Jackson), it forms as another way of the actors putting their inflated egos aside to find a way to work together. Unbeknownst to the actors, they are actually dropped into the middle of a drug war led by the Flaming Dragons. Tugg Speedman is kidnapped and held prisoner, having to re-enact his role as Simple Jack where he played a mentally handicapped character in a movie which was a box office flops and he received a lot of negative criticism. The actors try to figure out how to rescue Tugg and to make it out alive.
Ben Stiller was great as Tugg Speedman and the director of the movie. He based his experiences from the various actors he worked with who were involved in various 80's movies about the Vietnam War including Platoon, Full Metal Jacket and Hamburger Hill who had returned from a mock boot camp to get a feeling of being in war. Jack Black had a memorable role as the comedic actor who often appeared in movies that relied on toilet humour and wanted to depart from those roles. Robert Downey Jr attracted a lot of controversy for his role as Australian method actor Kirk Lazarus who underwent pigmentation alteration surgery to temporarily darken his skin for his portrayal of his African American character. Kirk Lazarus in true method acting style refuses to break character until he records the DVD commentary. To be honest I wasn't expecting Robert Downey Jr to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, although the late Heath Ledger posthumously won for his role as The Joker in The Dark Knight (2008). Aside from the rest of the all star cast, Tom Cruise was memorable in a complete departure from his usual charismatic roles as the profanity laced, bad tempered, balding and overweight studio head Les Grossman. Tom Cruise didn't receive top billing and kept out of the publicity, but his name appeared at the end of the name credits.
Tropic Thunder is still a memorable comedy however has been hampered by protests and controversy due to its depiction of handicapped characters and the depiction of blackface. Actor/Director Ben Stiller has stood by his defence saying that as a satirical comedy he has nothing to apologise for.
I first watched Tropic Thunder in the cinema during my travels across the USA in 2008 and I had the pleasure of watching the movie in New York. The audience applauded at the end of Tropic Thunder and as an Australian, it was a new experience for me and it was great to be a part of that. Tropic Thunder is still a popular, witty and funny movie years later.
8/10.
Washed up action star Tugg Speedman (Ben Stiller), drug addicted comedian Jeff Portnoy, and controversial Australian method actor Kirk Lazarus (Robert Downey Jr. Who was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor) headline the Vietnam War movie Tropic Thunder which is plagued by an inexperienced director Damien Cockburn (Steven Coogan) who is unable to control the prima donna attitudes of the actors as well as going overbudget and behind schedule. The foul mouthed and bad tempered studio head Les Grossman (Tom Cruise) gives Damien Cockburn an ultimatum, get the actors and movie under control and back on schedule or face having his movie cancelled. Former Vietnam Veteran Four Leaf Tayback (Nick Nolte) whom is the original author of which the movie is based on his memoirs, suggests dropping the actors in the middle of the jungle in Thailand and shooting the movie guerrilla style with weapons loaded with blanks and hidden explosives as well as a map to help find their way around. Alongside newcomer Kevin Sandusky (Jay Baruchel) and closeted homosexual rapper Alpa Chino (Brandon T Jackson), it forms as another way of the actors putting their inflated egos aside to find a way to work together. Unbeknownst to the actors, they are actually dropped into the middle of a drug war led by the Flaming Dragons. Tugg Speedman is kidnapped and held prisoner, having to re-enact his role as Simple Jack where he played a mentally handicapped character in a movie which was a box office flops and he received a lot of negative criticism. The actors try to figure out how to rescue Tugg and to make it out alive.
Ben Stiller was great as Tugg Speedman and the director of the movie. He based his experiences from the various actors he worked with who were involved in various 80's movies about the Vietnam War including Platoon, Full Metal Jacket and Hamburger Hill who had returned from a mock boot camp to get a feeling of being in war. Jack Black had a memorable role as the comedic actor who often appeared in movies that relied on toilet humour and wanted to depart from those roles. Robert Downey Jr attracted a lot of controversy for his role as Australian method actor Kirk Lazarus who underwent pigmentation alteration surgery to temporarily darken his skin for his portrayal of his African American character. Kirk Lazarus in true method acting style refuses to break character until he records the DVD commentary. To be honest I wasn't expecting Robert Downey Jr to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, although the late Heath Ledger posthumously won for his role as The Joker in The Dark Knight (2008). Aside from the rest of the all star cast, Tom Cruise was memorable in a complete departure from his usual charismatic roles as the profanity laced, bad tempered, balding and overweight studio head Les Grossman. Tom Cruise didn't receive top billing and kept out of the publicity, but his name appeared at the end of the name credits.
Tropic Thunder is still a memorable comedy however has been hampered by protests and controversy due to its depiction of handicapped characters and the depiction of blackface. Actor/Director Ben Stiller has stood by his defence saying that as a satirical comedy he has nothing to apologise for.
I first watched Tropic Thunder in the cinema during my travels across the USA in 2008 and I had the pleasure of watching the movie in New York. The audience applauded at the end of Tropic Thunder and as an Australian, it was a new experience for me and it was great to be a part of that. Tropic Thunder is still a popular, witty and funny movie years later.
8/10.