So whip smart it is dumb.

Rating: 8/10 (13 August 2008)

A movie so whip smart it is dumb. So good at mocking these excessive Michael Bay, Tony Scott type action flicks that it is one unto itself down to the cinematography, the editing of picture and sound with those "emotional" choirs and slow mo death falls, to blowing the flip out of everything.
Tropic Thunder is one of the better comedies I've seen in a long while and I don't like Ben Stiller much, and here he is writing, directing and starring. And doing a bang up job in two out of those three departments. Performance wise he feels a little off, doesn't fit in with the rest of the gang as well, in terms of "are the actors fitting these kinds of roles, these stereotypes? Are they believable?". Stiller isn't a Stallone action guy, nor a Tom Cruise. In fact I would have preferred Cruise in Stiller's role, though he is very good (I mean evil) in the role he does play.
Still... Stiller is decent and funny as action door knob Tugg Speedman. If it weren't for the way Stiller plays him, which is goofier than everyone else, the film probably would be very misunderstood, and not play as much of as a broad comedy as it can be. But the operative words are "can be" because Tropic Thunder is a focused film in many ways, despite it being loud and all over the place (For that is one of the satirical points it is making). The characters arcs of shedding tired stereotypes for quite possibly just as stereotypical ones is great.
People are talking about Downey Jr. a lot, as he's playing a white dude who is playing a black dude in the movie within the movie. And he is amazing, playing up tired images of black people, pointing at the utter ridiculousness of it all and channeling some Russel Crowe and Daniel Day Lewis to boot. But this is rally an ensemble piece. Everyone plays their part, has their say, and never are they better when all together as a team (hey it's like a lesson they have to learn in the movie!)
Jack Black, Jay Baruchel and Brandon T. Jackson in fact fit their roles perfectly, so effortlessly. Baruchel, basically playing himself (if you know his previous roles) ironically stands out as the young unknown geek actor who is kind of supposed to be in the background. And finally a role has been written for Black that really does something for him. Yes he is the annoying, loud, fat drug addict, not too far fetched for someone like Black, but it works playing to his strengths. Jackson, while not as a standout for his humor, is almost the moral compass of the group, and here is the rapper turned actor who markets an energy drink called Booty Tang. And you gotta love Matthew McConaughy as the agent for "Tuggernuts".
While the film is incredibly successful at mocking everything within Hollywood and thus our culture at large, (and offending many I am sure) there are no real clear standout moments for me. Odd I know, but again the film is so good at being what it is spoofing that it is kind of not funny at times, looking so sleek and being so loud and even "Oscar bait-y", and in a way that is kind of awesome.