Great fun; Best American Parody in Recent History

Rating: 9/10 (16 December 2008)

This is a very funny movie that should tickle the funny-bone of fans of any war films, and any other comedy fans. Ben Stiller proves himself as being a better director than his previous attempt with Zoolander and Tropic Thunder is one of the best comedies of 2008.
We have a solid primary cast between Stiller, Black, and Downey Jr., but good old Robert Downey Jr. manages to steal most of the scenes from his co-stars as the white actor playing the black platoon sergeant ("I don't drop character until the DVD commentary").
There are plenty of star cameos, but the best (and most unexpected) comes from Tom Cruise, who plays a foul-mouthed, fat corporate executive. His cameo was originally intended to be kept a secret, but it was impossible to keep this appearance from leaking to the internet. Let me tell you, this man may want to move into comedy considering his current negative status among the public. He was SOLID in this movie. I would have never expected Tom Cruise to pull a role like this, but he did and he actually was incredibly funny in most of his scenes. The audience at my theater applauded when the credits showed his name.
Other notable appearances are by Nick Nolte, as a Vietnam Veteran, and Matthew McConaughey as the Ben Stiller character's agent. Tobey Maguire also makes a humorous appearance at the beginning of the film.
Overall I was tickled, and surprised by this very well-balanced cast of notable actors. Every actor in here gets off some good jokes, and in different styles of comedy. This film had lots of different types of jokes, ranging from parody, satire, drug addiction, slapstick, and just plain silly antics. This film had everyone in my audience laughing at one point or the other, through its many references.
I felt this redeemed a long string of horrifically bad American made parodies. I never liked the work of Matt Stone and Parker with their shows such as 'South Park', and don't even get me started on this 'Disaster Movie' nonsense. Only notable films I could spot were made by the Brits, with such brilliance as Shaun of the Dead, and Hot Fuzz. Tropic Thunder isn't as good as those two films, mind you, but it certainly beats out all recent American made parodies. I never felt offended, or attacked by this film. It set out to entertain, and it entertained me from start to finish.
Tropic Thunder is great fun!