Dummies' guide to Hollywood film making

Rating: Null/10 (25 August 2008)

My summary line is probably a real title in the "dummies' guide" series of self-improvement books, but this movie is a horse of a different colour.
Through a brilliantly ridiculous plot of five actors' adventure (or rather misadventure) from stumbling into a real war zone while making a war movie is Indochina, this movie exposes all aspect of "the ugly movie makers", using the blackest of black comedies. On the simple fun side, it spoofs (but nothings like these cheap summer spoof movies) everything in Hollywood from the spilled guts in "Saving Private Ryan" to the famous landmark of Devils Tower in "Close encounter of the third kind". More importantly, all the manipulative, cold blooded, ruthless, loathsome, despicable aspect of the movie business is dressed up in such outlandish black comedy that they make you laugh where you should have flinched, get nauseated or gag with detestation. That is the exceptional achievement of this movie.
Visually, the cinematography of the spectacular, lush tropical landscape and the explosive (both literally and figuratively) action sequences are second to none. The script provide lively dialogues, some with real class, such as "going from white dwarf to a black hole" in describing an actor's rapidly declining career. But it's the performances that put this movie on the map of the memorables. Characterization is so rich that you may find yourself hardly able to notice anything else. And then there's the cast: principals, supports and cameos! The three main roles (3 of the 5 actors stumbling unwittingly into the territories of a drugs gang in the Indochina peninsular) display three distinct levels of characterization.
At the simplest level is Jack Black's portrayal a stereotyped funny guy  fat, farting fully drugs-addicted. These the rawest form of humour  nothing wrong with it, and Black is good at it. One level deeper is Adam Sadler as a different kind of idiot, a fading actor with an identity problem. But unlike some of Sadler's more standard fare, this one comes with a shade of ambiguity that is just right  it's never sure whether he is playing the fool or a real fool.
Best, however, is Robert Downey Jr. who has become the hottest property in Hollywood after his miraculous comeback in "Iron Man" (just consider the commotion caused by his mere 2-minute appearance at the end of "The incredible Hulk" (2008)). The audience would be looking for RDJ in the character he plays but they better not blink. First, he plays an Australian star actor named Kirk Lazarus taht was purportedly written to target Heath Ledger but with the great actor's untimely death, eased somewhat towards Russell Crowe. However, we are not witnessing so much Lazarus' "real" life, but rather him playing a character in the (war) movie in this movie. Having fun yet? Hang on. This Lazarus, a method actor who has achieved just about everything and wanting a new challenge, engineered a complete physical and ego metamorphosis to play a black guy in this movie-within-a-movie. I have lost count of the layers, but if you want to look for all of these in RDJ (and they are all there), better not blink.
The other two members of the lost actors/troops are played by Jay Baruchel and Brandon T. Jacksons, not big names (you may recognize them vaguely from "Knocked up" and "8 miles" respectively) but good actors who have nothing to be ashamed of in the company of the 3 stars. Talking about stars, in some of the key supporting roles are Nick Nolte, Matthew McConaughey, Steve Coogan and an all-but-recognizable Tom Cruise, all playing roles from somewhat eccentric to grossly exaggerated, as befitting this black comedy. As to star cameos that you may miss if you blink (another reason for not blinking), watch out for John Voight, Mickey Rooney, Tobey Maquire and Anthony Hopkins (who is not even credited).
While over-the-top at times (depending on the viewer's point of view), this movie is full of energy and fun, and not lacking in subtle sub-texts. While the cast is indisputably impressive, some hold the view that watching Robert Downey Jr alone is worth it all.