This movie is great! This movie is a classic!~ This movie must be watched!

Rating: 10/10 (15 August 2008)

This movie is brilliant. It's more than a comedy; it's about actors who are forced to face the truth about themselves and in the process experience personal growth and achieve personal happiness. Also, Brandon Soo-Hoo's performance is outstanding. He should have won all kinds of awards. However, the strongest performance was Jack Black's. He shows what a truly great actor he is. The four principal characters are a composite of humanity. They use acting to cover up their insecurities and avoid dealing with their issues. One actor believes that nobody cares about him; another, that he is personally inadequate; another, that he is worthless; and the fourth, that he is a hypocrite. How these characters deal with their issues is what this movie is about.
This movie is one of the greatest comedy movies ever made in the history of Hollywood and all of movies. This movie rocks! This movie has it all. The laughter is nonstop! Ben Stiller is at his very best. He is hilarious. Jack Black as Jeff Portney is incredible. He proves once again that he is among the top comedy actors. His skit, Fatties II, is a classic. How can one not laugh at that? But the highest and most extravagant accolades must be reserved for Rbbert Downey Jr. He lifts comedy to new heights of laughter. His take off on method acting is uncanny. His performance is amazing. Of course, let's not forget Tom Cruise and Mathew McConaughy. If these guys aren't meant for comedy, then what are they meant for? Tom Cruise's take off a the pushy, arrogant Hollywood producer is a classic. No one could have done that role better than him. THIS MOVIE IS GREAT!!!!!
This movie has an interesting premise. What happens when the movie becomes real ... and the actors don't know it? It could work as a comedy, and here the results are mixed, but that is not surprising because it is primarily an action movie interspersed with some comedy scenes. Ben Stiller is quite amusing in as Simple Jack, which is a parody of Rain Man, but it is Robert Downey Jr. who steals the show with his incredible performance as a white guy playing a black guy who gets so caught up in the role that he is on the verge of a having a mental breakdown. This movie is further proof that Robert Downey Jr. is one of Hollywood's great actors. Give him a role, he will make it happen. What's next for Mr. Downey? Perhaps a musical? If so, you know he will be great. Jack Black was also wonderful and the rest of the supporting cast, particularly young Brandon Soo Hoo, give excellent performances. If you're looking for a comedy with lots of laughs, this may not be the movie for you. But if you want to watch an action movie with some excellent and at times amusing performances then this movie is for you.
Additional comments: I am revising my rating upward from 6 to 8. This is a good movie, with interesting performances, and with moments of humor that add to the movie without detracting from the action. The three lead actors are excellent and the story is unique.
This is not the first movie from the movie-turns-into-real-life genre. Three Amigos, The Purple Rose of Cairo and the French Lieutenants's Woman also have similar premises.