A perfectly fine comedy that does the job.

Rating: 8/10 (20 December 2008)

Tropic Thunder is not your regular comedy. Nor is it your regular Ben Stiller comedy. Sure, it is crass and offensive at times but it also is massive and dripping with pyrotechnics and an all-star cast.
The basic plot revolves around three Hollywood archetypes- the fading action hero ( Stiller ), the comedian whose looking for some dramatic cred ( Black ) and the critically adored method actor ( Downey Jr. ) who are all participating in one of the most over budget and bloated productions- so much so that the production company threatens to shut the director ( Steve Coogan ) down. Said director though gets an idea from the eccentric author ( Nick Nolte ) who inspired said movie and takes the cast out into the jungle to shoot the footage 'guerilla style', inadvertently tumbling across the Golden Triangle in the process.
Tropic Thunder could have been a real controversial flop- the film alludes to people with learning difficulties and blackface makeup, but the film manages to tread a line between bad taste and satire that works OK for the most part. Stiller and Black offer up performances that are not particularly new, but are suited to their parts. But it is Robert Downey Jr. as Kirl Lazarus, the Australian Award Winner, who really makes the film come alive. Some of his lines are truly hilarious and he delivers them with such verve that you can't help but laugh. Couple this with great cameos from Tom Cruise as a studio head Les Grossman and Bill Hader as his sycophantic assistant and you can forgive Black and Stiller for acting a little flat.
Tropic Thunder is by no means a perfect movie but it is highly entertaining and fun.