Name: Tropic Thunder
Genre: Satire Comedy
Certificate: 15
Rotton Tomatoes synopsis:
“…A desperate director named Damien Cockburn (Steve Coogan) trying to make a Vietnam war movie drops his pampered actors into the heart of the jungle. Cockburn’s stars include Stiller as an action hero who’s starting to make bad career choices, Jack Black as an insecure low-brow comedy star going through heroin withdrawals, and Robert Downey Jr. as an Australian Oscar winner so lost in his “craft” he underwent a procedure to become black for his role. In the jungle, they remain under the delusion that they are still being filmed even after they encounter a dangerous gang of druglords. The film’s basic premise has popped up several times since Hollywood’s 1970s golden age in films such as THREE AMIGOS! and GALAXY QUEST. Where those films simply blanketed a classic Overconfident Bumbling Idiot comedy showcase with a pop culture lexicon, however, TROPIC THUNDER could have only been made, as on-the-nose at is, by people who have been working in the Hollywood system for years, making cutting observations along the way. Simply put, this raucous satire knows big-budget filmmaking, the delusional narcissism of actors, and even the good points of those actors–perhaps why they’re celebrated–like the back of its hand.”
DT’s Rating: 8/10
Review:
I’ve been wanting to see this for a while, but never got around to it, but now I’ve finally seen it I’ve gotta to say it’s well worth a watch. The first ‘trailers’ of the film showing the characters in their past acting roles were great parodies that made me giggle and opening scene in itself is a hilarious Vietnam War film parody. I remember being forced to sit through Apocalypse Now for hours on end, and I’ve never been a war-movie fan personally, so I loved the piss-take. As the film carried on to become a satire of hollywood, again it was right on the button, and was funny all the way. The actors (the real ones, I mean), were perfectly cast, and countless well-known faces popped up. Steve Coogan was in his element playing the socially awkward somewhat of a loser of a director pushed to the edge and Tom cruise was oddly awesome, donning a fat-suit and balding cap to play the s**t-scary-and-crazy millionaire who was funding the film. Robert Downey jr (who is consistently awesome in his films anyway) was brilliant in the somehow confusing and controversial role of a method actor who blacks up for the part, to the point where it was difficult to even be sure it was him. Ben Stiller, of course, was the central role, but the comic actor was right on form as usual, and had me in stitches through most of the film, bringing the spirit from the great dodgeball characters, yet with a tad more maturity. Jack Black was again in his element – while he’s often typecast as these kind of characters, he doe sit for a reason: he can play them well. Finally the supporting cast were all great in their own ways. The film story was entertaining – a blend of goofy at times and very clever and sharp in others, such as the surprisingly insightful discussion between Downey jr and Stiller over the dangers of an actor playing ‘full retard’ as opposed to the oscar winning ‘rainman’ or ‘forrest gump’ talented retard.
In short? A very entertaining film I’d recommend
Trailer: ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4VVTEMzj1E
Quotes:
Alpa Chino: That's the theme song for the Jeffersons!
Kirk Lazarus: Man, just cause it's a theme song don't make it not true.
Tyra Banks: You have no real family, you're on the wrong side of 40, you're childless and alone. Somebody close to you said: "One more flop, and it's over."
Tugg Speedman: [pause] Somebody said they were close to me?
Kirk Lazarus: Man, I don't drop character 'till I done the DVD commentary.
Tugg Speedman: The dudes are emerging...
Kirk Lazarus: [in black voice] He's right, you know? I'm NOT Sergeant Lincoln Osiris...
[rips off fake hair to reveal blonde hair]
Kirk Lazarus: [in Irish accent while taking fake sideburns off] ... nor am I Father O'Mallie...
Kirk Lazarus: [in low growl voice, while removing fake beard] ... or Neil Armstrong...
[Removes contact lenses to reveal blue eyes underneath]
Kirk Lazarus: [in natural Australian accent] I... I think I might be nobody.
Kevin Sandusky: Wow! The insecurity level with you guys is ridiculous!
