Tropic Thunder - review, 8/10

Rating: 8/10 (29 April 2018)

A movie about a group of actors subjected to the mercy of the jungle and an organised band of heroin traffickers isn't a typical pitch for a comedy, but man, it really, really works.
It's the hilarious performances of the star-studded cast that make the movie so great. The film is blessed with the likes of Jack Black, Matthew McConaughey, Tom Cruise, Ben Stiller and Robert Downey Jr. (as well as many more), all of whom were perfect for their roles; Tom Cruise as a bald, foul-mouthed studio executive and Robert Downey Jr. as a white Australian / black soldier (no, that isn't typo) are by far the funniest performance of the movie, almost every scene the each of them were in had me crying.
One thing I will say about the movie, and this isn't a fault per say, is that it goes into maximum overdrive with the gore, action and explosions, and isn't concerned about treading over toes when it comes to what some may perceive as more sensitive topics such as mental retardation and race; the jokes made are obviously not malicious but if you're looking for a clean comedy or have a (very) low tolerance for those kinds of things then you won't enjoy the film. You have been warned.
Tropic Thunder is just oozing layers of satire and parody, is jam-packed with an A-list cast, explosions and manages to find that balance between obnoxiously crazy and obnoxiously safe with great success. Easily one of the funniest and most enjoyable movies I've seen in a while, just fantastic.