Great Movie!

Rating: 10/10 (17 August 2008)

Tropic Thunder is one of those comedies where it helps if you have some prior knowledge of Hollywood as an industry (it's really just a big business after all) and war movies. SO if you've never seen Apocalypse Now, Heart of Darkness, Platoon, First Blood, or Rambo, you're unlikely to get the fact that this is the ultimate "war movie" movie (thank you Roger Ebert). War movies are just one side of the coin. On the other side of the coin we have the tall tale of the Hollywood machine; actors, directors, producers, agents, key grips, pyro guys, and endless re-writes. This is Tropic Thunder.
I can honestly say that I have been waiting for this movie since high school. I've always wanted to see someone make a movie about all the inner workings of Hollywood and turn it on its head. "Tropic Thunder" ends up being a light hearted tribute and scathing satire of the American film industry, its excesses, and its stereotypes.
And so the adventure starts by introducing the three type casts of cinema; the action guy, the funny man, and the prestigious award winner. The take on each and every one of these is dead on. Tugg Speedman (Ben Stiller) with the action one liners. Jeff Portnoy (Jack Black) with the fart jokes and playing multiple characters in a film about an obese family a la Eddie Murphy. And finally, we get Kirk Lazarus (Robert Downey Jr.) as a multiple Academy Award winning Australian actor. The only things surpassing his critical acclaim are his "bad boy" antics. He inhabits every character he plays, and according to him, doesn't leave character until after they record the DVD commentary.
Like most action stars, Speedman takes a stab at more serious acting work in a film called "Simple Jack." Now we all know that playing the role of a person of lesser intellect is a one way ticket to an Academy Award, right? But like Lazarus explains, you never go "full retard" if you want that Oscar. Dustin Hoffman was autistic in "Rain Man" and Tom Hanks was a little slow in "Forest Gump," but no one ever goes full retard and wins an Academy Award. Unfortunately for Tugg, he went full retard for his portrayal of Simple Jack, a retarded farm boy that can communicate with farm animals. In the end, it would be Jack that saves his life.
I don't want to go any further into detail with the stereotypes but let me say that this movie had it all. There was a great balance between taking pot shots at Hollywood and all the war movie-isms. The make believe Viet Cong, the poppy farms, an almost unbearable jungle to trek through, hostages, saving hostages, and my personal favorite, the scene where everyone is ordered to get to the "bird" but somehow one guy gets left behind. This is one comedy that was genuinely funny and really delivered. It's the best movie since The Dark Knight. Go see this one now!