TROPIC THUNDER

Director: Ben Stiller
Stars: Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black, Tom Cruise, Nick Nolte, Brandon T. Jackson, Jay Baruchel, Matthew McConaughey, Steve Coogan, Brandon Soo Hoo
Year: 2008

Rating: R

The opening of this often-hilarious film probably threw a lot of moviegoers off-course when originally seen in theaters (it might, in fact, make even a DVD viewer blink and think twice); via a serious of satirical trailers from various big-name studios, featuring the main actors/characters that inhabit this film, we're first given a first-hand introduction to both the craziness of Tropic Thunder ... and the willingness of Hollywood to beautifully lampoon itself:

First off, there's Tugg Speedman (Ben Stiller) - a Rambo-like action star so buried in his own sequels, he's failed to notice both how bad he is an actor ... or that his star status at the box office is waning. Contrasting the action hero, there's Aussie actor Kirk Lazarus (Robert Downey Jr.), a five-time Oscar winner who takes every role he plays so damned seriously ("I don't drop character 'til I done the DVD commentary), he remains in character 100% of the time throughout shooting (Lazarus' trailer, for a Brokeback Mountain-like Catholic priest flick costarring Tobey Maguire, is one of the funniest parts of the entire movie). Then there's Jeff Portnoy (Jack Black), a drug-addicted buffoon who's made a fortune with a serious lowbrow comedies featuring a fat, farting family (in which he plays every family member, a la The Klumps) ... and even a commercial for a vile-sounding drink called Booty Sweat features millionaire rapper/hip hop artist Alpa Chino (Brandon T. Jackson) showing off a small fortune in bling.

Each of these actors, plus newcomer Kevin Sandusky (Jay Baruchel) have all just been flown over to Vietnam to star in the action-packed, big budget, Platoon-esque war drama Tropic Thunder. It's a dream cast headed by a serious British director (Steve Coogan), financed by a big studio, and promises to be THE film event of the year, worthy of all kinds of Oscar buzz as ... especially as it's based on a book written by Vietnam war veteran Four Leaf Tayback (an even-more-grizzled-looking-than-usual Nick Nolte), who's also along for the ride.

Until it becomes very obvious, very early on, that the clash of egos is going to make the shoot anything but easy. In their big dramatic scene together, Tugg Speedman (Stiller) can't cry on cue, and this lack of acting talent both greatly offends and amuses the uber-serious actor-artists Kirk Lazarus (Downey) - an actor so serious about his craft, he's had his caucasian skin surgically altered to play a black man for the film (Downey is seriously brilliant in this movie; truly Oscar nomination-worthy). Their disagreement halts shooting just in time for a series of explosions, set off in the jungles, perfectly lights up the skies, via the special effects department ... and just in time to NOT be caught on camera. Only a week into production, and the film is already behind schedule and well over budget - prompting director Damien Cockburn (Coogan) to get called into a video conference meeting with studio head Les Grossman (a bald, paunchy, foul-mouthed, Diet Coke-guzzling, nearly unrecognizable Tom Cruise). Cockburn gets his abused and threatened at the meeting, both verbally and physically by Grossman (via a crew member whom Grossman has punch the hapless director in the face) - and is given an ultimatum: get your crap and your cast together before the film tanks entirely, or else.

Desperate to get the clash of egos under control, Cockburn is forced to consider the advice of war vet Four Leaf Tayback himself ... who suggests that dropping all five of the lead actors into the real jungle, with real dangers and without their assistants or cell phones, as hidden cameras film everything reality-TV style, might just break the high-spirited movie stars, and bring them back to the real world as a team instead. Cockburn, in pure desperation, goes along with the plan - and about five minutes after a helicopter drops him and his stars off in the jungles of Vietnam, even when Cockburn accidentally steps on an old landmine and is blown to bits, Tugg Speedman still thinks it's all just part of the magic of movie-making ... even as his fellow actors start to realize they are in the middle of some serious, war-like sh*t, indeed. And when a secret enclave of drug-producing smugglers - headed by a mean little pre-teen named Tran (played to perfection by the very talented Brandon Soo Hoo) - get wind of their presence, and set out to get rid of the intruders before they can tell anyone of their operation, everything goes kind of nuts as the actors can't tell what may or may not be real around them, and at first try to stick to the script ... even as the weapons they hold are really only fake props meant for the cameras.

There's something to offend everyone here - the film is, as was well-publicized during its theatrical run, not exactly the most politically correct motion picture ever produced - but there's no denying that there are a lot of laughs to be had here, especially in the second half of the film. Ben Stiller (an actor whose work I've never particularly admired) does a good job as an action hero who might just be losing it mentally, and Jack Black has some very funny moments as the crass Portnoy (not the least of which is when he's slung over a donkey in his underwear). Brandon T. Jackson and Jay Baruchel (especially Jackson) also have some great moments, especially when Alpa Chino is reminding Jack Lazarus (Downey) that he isn't really African-American ...

But it's Robert Downey Jr. that is really the highlight of the film, acting-wise. He, and Tom Cruise - both of them so enmeshed in their characters and the comedy, it's easy to forget who they really are (Downey more so than Cruise, though both do an excellent job) - really light up the screen and get the laughs, every time they're on it. Brandon Soo Hoo, as 12-year-old drug dealer/leader Tran, is also a young actor worth watching; he's already very talented, and honing his craft. Even Matthew McConaughey - in a small role as Tugg's agent, who's determined to get his client TiVo in the jungles of Vietnam - has his own moments of wicked fun here.

But again - Tropic Thunder is not for the easily offended, or politically correct. If that's not you, then there are some seriously hilarious laughs coming your way with this film, and definitely see it. It's an excellent comedy - maybe not, to me, one of the best films of the year (as some critics are touting it to be) ... but a great ride, nonetheless. **** - Reel Awesome