Tropic Thunders.

Rating: 9/10 (3 September 2015)

Tropic Thunder (2008): Dir: Ben Stiller / Cast: Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black, Tom Cruise, Matthew McConaughey: Offensive yet hilarious satire of Hollywood egos and a corrupt studio system based on politics. Studios threaten to cancel a big budget war film until they are flown to a war invested jungle to complete filming. Problem is that they believe it's part of the movie. A triumph for director Ben Stiller who surpasses earlier work, which includes Zoolander and Cable Guy. He plays action star Tugg Speedman who desperately needs a hit film and finds himself drugged out of his mind. Robert Downey Jr. steals scenes as Australian actor Kirk Lazarus who through surgery emerges as the African American Sergeant. Jack Black plays comedian Jeff Portnoy who specializes in fart jokes but his downfall seems to be his struggle with drugs. He becomes so dependent that even when he attempts withdrawal he cannot tolerate the condition. Then there is the scene stealing executive producer played by Tom Cruise who sports a bald cranium and a profane attitude centered around getting the film made, and he is great in every scene he is in. Matthew McConaughey as Tugg's agent also stands by with Cruise yet expresses more concern. While the film plays well as a comic action war film, it also presents a satire view or insightful look into the closed doors of Hollywood studios. Score: 9 / 10