Full of great characters and non-stop laughs

Rating: 9/10 (17 August 2008)

I don't think I've laughed this hard during a movie in years. I initially thought it was just going to be a stupid movie with a few laughs, like Get Smart was. But I was wrong. Tropic thunder is a hilarious film full of great characters and ridiculously funny moments.
The plot, as you probably know, is about a bunch of actors : Tugg Speedman, an action star whose career is going down the toilet, a rapper named Alpa Chino (say it), an Australian method actor named Kirk Lazarus (Robert Downey Jr. in another great performance), a heroin addicted comedic actor named Jeff Potnoy (Jack Black), and a rookie actor, who is also the only one to attend boot camp named Kevin Sandusky. After just 5 days of shooting, director Damien Cockburn (Steve Coogan) cannot handle how self-absorbed the actors are. So Four Leaf (Nick Nolte), who wrote the book the movie is based on and also claimed to be part of the war, decides to throw them out in jungle with cameras placed everywhere.
It's a lot funnier than it sounds. Every moment in the movie is genius. From the interaction between Lazarus and Chino, Tugg being kidnapped by the "Flaming Dragons", and Jeff's constant heroin needs, there is never a dull moment in the film.
The acting is surprisingly great. First off, since everyone is talking about it, the Tom Cruise cameo. He's barely recognizable, but he's also pure genius. It's not really a cameo, since he appears many times during the film. It's great stuff. Another stand-out is Robert Downey Jr. as Lazarus. He steals almost every scene he's in, and also does a great Australian accent. The rest of the cast is good too, and I actually liked Ben Stiller.
All in all, it's great summer entertainment. Definitely one of the funniest movies in a long time, and possibly the funniest of the year.