Well done Mister Stiller

Rating: Null/10 (6 September 2008)

I had the pleasure of seeing this fine film today and wanted to set my observations down while they are still fresh. This film has been getting a little bit of "flack" for not being politically correct. Actually I find a lack of PC in a film quite refreshing. Yes some are offended by Robert Downey Jr. playing a black man and by the hilarious conversation he and Stiller have about playing a retarded person in a film. My advice is simply leave your brain and conscience at the cinema door and just relax and have a good time. Stiller has been a favorite of mine ever since I saw meet the parents. He has this goofy, everyman quality about him that is perversely appealing. He is wonderful at comedy and I would like to see him do drama. He has had a bit of a turn-down in his career recently and I hope this gets it back for him because he does an awesome job in this film as actor and a very fine director as well. This film is really sort of a satire on hypocrisy. The actors playing macho soldiers who cannot do without their cocaine and cell phones, the so called hero who was a cook in the Coast Guard etc. I also wanted to give kudos to both Robert Downey Jr. and Jack Black. Jack Black has also been a favorite of mine since I saw Saving Silverman. He is talented at both comedy and drama, just look at the great job he did in Shallow Hal. Downey is a true Hollywood comeback story. I am so happy he conquered his personal demons and found its best to get "high" in your work. Oh heck, everyone here does such a great job that its hard to tell who steals the show from who. Oh and last but not least lets not forget Tom Cruises hilarious cameo as a foul mouthed studio executive. All in all this is a great film and I give it four stars and two big thumbs up.