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E-mailTropic Thunder
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4.0 | |
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5.0 (1) |
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| Director | Ben Stiller |
| Writer | Ethan Coen |
| Cast | Robert Downey Jr. • Jack Black • Ben Stiller |
| Genre | Comedy • Action |
| Year | 2008 |
| Rating | R |
A group of self-absorbed actors set out to make the most expensive war film. But after ballooning costs force the studio to cancel the movie, the frustrated director refuses to stop shooting, leading his cast into the jungles of Southeast Asia, where they encounter real bad guys.
Editor reviews
| Rating: | 4.0 |
Reviewed by Chad LangenFebruary 13, 2009
#1 Reviewer
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Similar in product to the recent “Pineapple Express” this Ben Stiller directed picture combines seemingly opposite elements being overt violence and outrageous comedy all in one box titled “Tropic Thunder”. If you even so much as attempt to take this film seriously, chances are you’re going to have a miserable time. Poking fun at the film industry in general, whether it’s A-list actors with big egos or producers having only one concern being to make money and lots of it, though blatantly silly it’s a true representation of what goes on behind the cameras.
It’s a joy to watch a group of talented actors making utter fools of themselves while at the same time, showing tremendous dedication and absolute heart for their work. As if “Tropic Thunder” doesn’t have enough side-splitting humor on its own, we’re given the pleasure of witnessing a cast and crew who are having just as much fun as we are. While it may not look it, the actors have undergone challenging preparation for their dynamic roles. We’ve certainly come to expect nothing less from Jack Black and Ben Stiller as going completely ballistic with their roles, Robert Downey Jr. definitely gives his fellow cast mates a run for the spotlight. Not only are the makeup effects that transform him into an African American man spectacular, but Downey Jr. goes full force in giving his character the appropriate accent and personality. Another great addition as far as the cast is concerned is a cameo by an actor who’s face you most likely won’t recognize until seeing his name in the end credits.
Taking into consideration just how ridiculous “Tropic Thunder” is, the story-line is surprisingly compelling and never once fails to entertain. Had the script intentionally been written to make no sense whatsoever, the film would have worked because every aspect of the film is entirely non-sense, but it works on a grand level.
My biggest complaint is the profanity. At times, certain dialogue containing the most familiar of curse words seem forced and take away a great amount of credibility from the actors uttering the phrases. The film is graphic enough in its violent nature thus there’s nothing holding it back from an R-rating. For this reason alone, the fowl language is irrelevant and the one-liners would have been just as effective without the potty words thrown into the mix.
Overall, "Tropic Thunder" is an outrageous comedy with hysterical one liners and diverse content that will please fans of multiple genres. Aside from the overly used potty humor, this is definitely a must see!
User reviews
Average user rating from: 1 user(s)
| Rating: | 5.0 |
Reviewed by Craig FrielJuly 16, 2009
Top 10 Reviewer
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I'd like to begin by saying I've never been fond of Ben Stiller movies. The majority of the time he plays the same role. Movies like THERES SOMETHING ABOUT MARY, ALONG CAME POLLY and MEET THE PARENTS show him as the character he seems to be stereotyped by – An unlucky nice guy looking for love and things keep going wrong for him. When word first broke that he was to star in and direct a war movie my initial thought was to give it a wide berth but when trailers first started to come out I quickly realized this wasn't his usual 'safe' movie.
The movie sees 3 big actors Tug Speedman (Ben Stiller), Kirk Lazarus (Robert Downey Jr.) and Jeff Portnoy (Jack Black) team up to shoot the most expensive war movie ever produced. All 3 actors have had success in their own fields, Speedman as the action hero, Lazarus the method actor and bad boy and Portnoy the comedian with a massive drugs problem. When their crucial end shot goes wrong their director Damien Cockburn (Steve Coogan) aided by the real Four Leaf Tayback (Nick Nolte) decides to drop the actors in the middle of a jungle where the heroin-producing Flaming Dragon gang quickly finds them . They are then pitted into a real-life situation where they must become the people they had set out to portray in order to survive.
TROPIC THUNDER easily comes in as one of my own personal favourites for this year. The humour was excellent throughout and at times my sides were actually hurting from laughing. I heard before I watched the movie that a lot of people had decided to boycott it or some of those who did go see it gave it negative reviews due to the politically incorrect issues raised. This was actually one of my main reasons for watching TROPIC THUNDER. Movies like this and TEAM AMERICA do poke fun at some hot topics but in my opinion this is a good thing. I hate it when people tip toe around a subject or treat it as if doesn't exist.
A special mention must goes to some of the actors in the movie too – I've mentioned I've never been a fan of Ben Stiller but I loved his role in this movie even if at times he tends to over act. Jack Black too can sometimes have a tendency to over act but again played his part well. In my opinion Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Cruise stole the limelight in this movie. Downey Jr. was brilliant as a black man while Cruise was almost unrecognizable as the eccentric studio-head. His role reminded me a little of the part he played in MAGNOLIA. It's was good to see him taking a break from the hero role.
Ultimately TROPIC THUNDER won't be for everyone. There are a lot of people who take these issues seriously and that's fine & They're best to avoid the movie but for anyone who's not easily offended TROPIC THUNDER is for you. In my opinion it's the best comedy of the year by a mile so far this year.
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