Ben Stiller blossoms: A great take-off on war movies and Hollywood in general full of tongue in cheek humor

Rating: 8/10 (13 August 2009)

Although Tropic Thunder is a take-off on adventure films, and maybe of reality TV, perhaps some commenters didn't realize it is a comedy. I don't think it is among the greatest comedies of all time, but it is at least at the top of the next tier.
This is not a comedy to take your children to. It is a true adult comedy. Despite being chock full of violence and special effects, it is not a slap-stick comedy. There is a scene of farting, but it is not the farts that are intended to titillate; instead it pokes fun at the concept of people finding farts funny. Most of the humor comes from Ben Stiller (who wrote, directed, starred and produced Tropic Thunder) exaggerating the violence, blood and gore of war films. (If someone should watch Tropic Thunder thinking it an adventure movie, they won't be disappointed by the pyrotechnics.) He also pokes fun at the movie industry's political correctness regarding racial stereotyping, retardation, and homosexuality.
I thought the opening "previews of coming attractions" were very clever and had me fooled at first. I watched "Tropical Thunder" on HBO and was at first uncertain whether the previews were part of Tropic Thunder or real HBO ads.
I never was a fan of the string of highly successful but somewhat juvenile comedies ("Meet the Parents", "Meet the Fockers," "Night in the Museum," "There's Something About Mary") that Ben Stiller has been cast in. But I got the idea that he probably had a lot more than that to offer when I saw him in "Keeping the Faith" (although this came out before all but one of the others I've mentioned, I didn't see it until later.) Kirk Lazarus tells Tugg Speedman (Stiller) that Hollywood gives Oscars to films about retarded people who are not totally retarded ("Rain Man," "Forrest Gump") but shuns films about pure retardation ("I Am Sam").
I recommend not reading too much about "Tropic Thunder" before you see it, or you will miss one of the treats at the end when the cast is disclosed. Without advance information you'll never believe who played some of the roles. As a director, Stiller must have inspired his cast because he got nothing but great performances from them all, although only one received an Oscar nomination.