Bullet-Point Review 

It has been a very long time since I’ve looked forward to a comedy film and when thinking back, I can’t remember the last comedy I wanted to see.  Recently Forgetting Sarah Marshall caught my interest but that was honestly only because of Kristen Bell and I haven’t even seen it yet.  When I first heard that Iron Man star Robert Downey Jr. would be playing a black man in a new Ben Stiller comedy I became immediately interested.  When the news elevated to seeing the first trailer and some photos I found myself becoming very excited to see Tropic Thunder.

Tropic Thunder brings us a group of actors portraying roles in a big-budget war film that was thrusted into a real situation where their lives are really in danger.  Using their skills as actors, they become the soldiers they portray to survive and create the greatest war movie ever.  Tropic Thunder is directed and stars, Ben Stiller as Tugg Speedman, Robert Downey Jr. as Kirk Lazarus, Jay Baruchel as Kevin Sandusky, Brandon T. Jackson as Alpa Chino and Jack Black as Jeff Portnoy with some big time funny cameos that I’ll touch on below.

Likes:

• The most important thing that comedy films must set out to do is make people laugh.  Tropic Thunder does this.  I had several laugh out load moments and a bunch of giggling moments.  So in short, Tropic Thunder is a funny movie.
• The comedic acting portrayed by the principle cast is very funny and well done in most parts, most notably Robert Downey Jr. who portrays a black American solider during the Vietnam era.  
• It isn’t touched on all that much but Ben Stiller as a director wasn’t that bad.  The direction of Tropic Thunder along with Stiller’s capability as a comedic actor is well done for the most part.
• I love the cliches of this film; The extreme method actor who does just about anything to become the role he is portraying; the over-acting action star that makes you laugh because the action cliches are so true; the rapper trying to become an actor, in which I hate in real life; and the drug using comedian that’s washed up in his own right.  I’d love to give you examples but I don’t want to spoil the film.  Those of you who’ve seen the film and are movie buffs would notice these things.
• Probably the funniest part in this film is Tom Cruise.  Yes, the immortal Tom Cruise.  He plays the big time studio exec. Les Grossman and I have to say every time he’s on screen it’s hysterical.  I heard that Tom Cruise is good in this movie and seeing it for myself was a joy.  He basically plays on his own craziness and it honestly works.
• Along with Cruise is Matthew McConaughey who plays Tugg Speedman’s agent Rick Peck and he’s just another funny element in this film.  He’s so McConaughey in his acting that it’s great.
• Overall this film had several non-speaking cameos like Jon Voight, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Lance Bass from NSYNC which in itself is another funny element.

Dislikes:

• I can’t stand Jack Black.  There isn’t any reasoning behind it, I just can’t stand him and I didn’t like seeing him in this movie.  I was hoping that I wouldn’t mind him in Tropic Thunder but my overall dislike for this actor couldn’t be taken away.
• The middle towards the end of the film became somewhat less entertaining.  It’s funny at most parts but the story becomes less interesting and becomes kind of lame.
• Why is Nick Nolte a washed up nobody?  Really… Nolte isn’t funny and his character is stupid.  Nolte is a mess and they should have gotten a better actor.  Seriously, Nolte is the same in every movie he works on and he looks like he walked right out of the first Hulk movie and right on to this film.
• The leader of the drug runners, Tran played by Brandon Soo Hoo is lame.  The actor is fine and he did a fine job with what he was given but overall, the character was lame.  I didn’t find him funny or entertaining, I found him very annoying and just wanted him off the screen.

I’m going to buy Tropic Thunder when it comes out on DVD because I really do like this movie.  It made me laugh and it’s fun.  With it’s great cameos and supporting characters; with Robert Downey Jr.’s hysterical portrayal of a Vietnam solider I think it’s safe to say that Tropic Thunder gets a 7 out of 10.

-Phil