A successful but not entirely memorable production.

Rating: Null/10 (6 October 2008)

The all-star cast comedy has become somewhat of a relic over the past decade, and yet despite the reasons for this dwindling output, it would seem that Tropic Thunder, long-lost brainchild of lead star Ben Stiller, in turn adopts both the positives and negatives of such movies. Featuring a wide array of talents and styles, as well as an explosive mix of action, comedy, satire and ironic drama, Stiller has done well to create an extremely silly, but strangely effective comedy blockbuster of sorts that, well, rocks. However, too many cooks it is said, spoils the broth, and that's more than evident here. Spending too much time driving the plot forward rather than devoting much needed time to each of the main characters, Tropic Thunder feels stunted and rather disappointing in regards to the opportunity that it had at its feet. Although we have an array of talented actors, who all give wonderfully original performances of their own, nobody sticks out and all feel underused. Despite this major misstep in the writing process however, the majority of the feature remains entertaining, thrilling and fun to watch; given a little extra padding and depth (not to mention a little more Coogan) to pad out the flamboyant story, Stiller could have created a stellar piece of comedy, but instead ends with a successful but not entirely memorable production.
Taking place mostly in the woodlands of Vietnam, just outside of a movie-set in which four big-name stars are shooting an epic war movie, Tropic Thunder tells the story of how these four actors end up in a hilarious battle for their lives that some believe is all part of the movie they are shooting. At its core, the satirical edge of Stiller's script isn't subtle; poking fun at Hollywood throughout the entire proceedings, watching Tropic Thunder is essentially a two hour tour-de-irony in which the movie industry is taken as lightly as can be. From the pampered movie stars to the passively aggressive producers and inept, meek director, there's hardly a stone left unturned here, and there's plenty to laugh at if you love and in turn love to laugh at the industry. This is not to say that there isn't a story present here; weary of their uncertain predicament, the actors turned soldiers find themselves on the end of gunfire and conflict not just from local druglords, but from within their own group. Driven by ego, the big shot actors don't necessarily enjoy each others company, and as such some of the movie's most comical moments occur when this rivalry boils to the brink. There's never anything remotely shocking or new present here, but it's evenly paced and of decent enough quality to satisfy any need for silly entertainment.
Although the plotting and thick crust of satire is potent however, the sense of character and the personalities which deliver all the moments of conflict and irony aren't quite as well rounded. Being portrayed by a fine cast of actors, who incidentally are playing actors, the main cast are great to watch interact with each other, yet their own individual selves are never given any real moments to truly shine. As a whole, each of the individuals feels more like a gimmicky façade; a caricature that never gets to play around with what makes him inherently comical or interesting. Sure enough each character has his own thing, and each gets to play with it a couple of times, but in attempting to focus on all five leads plus a few extras, Stiller too often neglects his palette and forgets to take advantage of what he has in front of him. Nevertheless, on pure face value, Tropic Thunder can at least be said to have some naturally amusing caricature characters; Black is Black as overweight crack-addict gross-out comedy star Jeff Portnoy; Stiller is Stiller as cocky and obnoxious action-hero star Tugg Speedman; and Downey Jr. is perhaps the most entertaining as Oscar-monger Kirk Lazarus who went as far as to change the pigment of his skin to fit his role for the shoot.
With supporting members such as Steve Coogan, Brandon T. Jackson and an almost unrecognisable Tom Cruise, the mix of Hollywood names here is potent enough to dispel the sour taste left by the underwritten nature of their respective characters. In the end however you get the feeling that all of this could have merely been a small piece of a much larger pie; Tropic Thunder is loud, dumb and indulgently ironic, plus it has enough big names to pull in the audiences, yet it also feels a little underwhelming. Such is the problem with all-star cast movies in general, if it's not the severe imbalance of pace and characterisation against plotting that a director may have trouble with then it's the hype that is garnered prior to the screening. To be fair, all involved do a brilliant job here, and the performances are lively enough to sustain the script's sometimes lumbering pace, yet lacking somewhat in the rich characterisation that such a film requires in order to satisfy, Tropic Thunder isn't quite as impressive as it could have been. Regardless of its flaws however, there is no denying the simple entertainment value inherent in the movie; fun, abrasive and downright hilarious on quite a few occasions, Tropic Thunder may not be the best comedy of the year, but it's certainly worthy of your attention.

A review by Jamie Robert Ward (http://www.invocus.net)