The acclaim this film is getting is understandable, but I don't completely agree with it.

Rating: 6/10 (17 August 2008)

Note: This may or may not be spoiler-ish, but I like to check the box just to be safe. Let's get the controversy out of the way first. I have worked with cognitively impaired individuals a lot in the past, and I will say that Tropic Thunder did go slightly overboard with that. The jokes were mostly unfair and rather condescending. It was made worse by the fact that the whole aspect was used as a plot device.
On the other hand, I just read another review here that raised a good point about Hollywood's precarious relationship with that demographic, and I can see how this movie maybe intended to make fun of that more than anything else. I just feel the role it played in the plot could have been just as easily (and probably more humorously), accomplished by some other means.
Now to the rest of the review. Given the cast and Stiller's level of involvement with the movie's performance AND production, this movie should have made me laugh more than it did. I'd still call it a lot of fun. Robert Downey Junior did a remarkable job, in my opinion. I suggest we leave it to the African Americans to judge whether or not that was an appropriate portrayal, people! Now, I may be alone here, but I also think little Brandon Soo Hoo's performance was a highlight. He convinced me he belonged with his cast-mates, and given the big names, that's an incredible feat for a kid that age!