If the studios released movies onto DVD or Blu-ray at the same time that they came out in the theaters, I’d be telling some of you to just go out and buy this. Tropic Thunder had me on the verge of peeing in my pants. It’s not for everyone, but for the right folks, it kicks ass.
I happen to be one of those people — I am their target audience. I had me laughing to the point of not breathing a few times. This Ben Stiller written, Ben Stiller directed, and Ben Stiller starring movie is awesome.
Robert Downey Jr.
Stiller, Robert Downey Jr. and Jack Black play three prima dona movie stars who sign on to make a war movie about a POW raid. The book was written by For Leaf Tayback, played by Nick Nolte who looked like he just made bail after getting another DUI but actually does a pretty good job. Stiller, Downey and Black play a washed up action hero; the serious method actor; and the coked-out fart-joke comedy guy who was a one hit wonder 6 times.
But better performances came from Danny McBride (from Pineapple Express) and Tom Cruise, he who went nuts and danced on Oprah’s couch a while ago. Hopefully you’ll agree with me that good performances would be expected from Stiller and Downey (as good here as he was in Iron Man) and Black (much better here than in Nacho Libre!), but Cruise and McBride are great in this movie — Cruise will likely be remembered as stealing this film from the stars of it. (And it’s too bad that the web is void of pictures of him as he appears in this film — the closing credits are brilliant.)
Black, Downey, Stiller, Alpa, and Kevin
Anyway, the three prima donas and their two other co-stars (Alpa Chino and Kevin) get dropped off in the jungle with a script and are told to live the film. Robert Downey Jr. as a black guy — classic. Jack Black finding a mountain of drugs. Jack Black tied to a tree. Alpa China plugging his sponsors at any chance he gets (Booty Sweat and Busta Nut Bar). Stiller doing his best Brando imitation.
It’s not a movie for kids. But it is funny as hell. In all seriousness, Stiller and friends were probably sitting around, watching Platoon and other war movies, smoking dope and laughing it up when they write this. It’s awesome. This movie could have failed for 35 different reasons — but it didn’t.
August 16th, 2008 at 11:22 am
You do know that Schofield Barracks (where you will be working in month or so) is the home of “Tropic Lightning,” right? It totally cracks me up every time I see the sign. Even before I saw anything about the movie I thought “Man, Tropic Lightning, that sounds like a Chuck Noris movie, or a fruity version of Mad Dog.”
August 16th, 2008 at 1:58 pm
A fruity version of Mad Dog.
Great, I needed to hear that. Talk about ear worm…