Tropic Thunder 2008
It seems like people either loved or hated this movie. I thought that overall it was adequate and some parts were very funny. Jack Black is kept on a fairly short leash instead of letting him go crazy like he usually does (this is good since he usually goes crazy in exactly the same unfunny direction). Ben Stiller plays it fairly straight instead of the sneering idiot that he usually would use for a role like this. Robert Downey Jr.’s role as an Australian playing a black guy, while not really funny for long, is still sort of fascinating to watch. He’s a good enough actor that they have to keep reminding you that he’s not black and he gets some great lines about the craft of acting.
Others are wasted. Steve Coogan doesn’t do anything all that funny as the director. Nick Nolte is there and it’s kind of neat to have him there, but he doesn’t get anything all that funny. Ditto Matthew McConoughey as Stiller’s agent. Tom Cruise plays a weird role as a studio boss and seems to have fun with it. Lesser known supporting actors are pretty solid.
Probably the best part of the movie are the fake trailers at the beginning which serve to introduce the actors who will be in the movie. Tropic Thunder has fun skewering Hollywood and Vietnam movies and is enjoyable, if more than a little crude. B.
Written: 06 Dec 2008