Theatrical Review of Tropic Thunder

Tropic Thunder theatrical poster

Theatrical Review
By William David Lee
FIRST ONLINE Jul 27, 2008

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As a part of this year´s Comic-Con festivities, Paramount held several advanced screenings for their upcoming release "Tropic Thunder" at Horton Plaza in Downtown San Diego. DVD Town´s William David Lee attended one such screening.

I honestly can´t remember the last time I saw a comedy that was so relentlessly over-the-top and anarchic as "Tropic Thunder." Perhaps, the first "Naked Gun" film or maybe I should stretch my memory all the way back to "Airplane!" or "Kentucky Fried Movie." "Tropic Thunder" is more than just a jab at Vietnam War movies, but also takes numerous pot shots at actors and Hollywood in general. We´ve got greedy financiers, clueless directors, self-centered talent agents, and, of course, egotistical movie stars. Therein lies the main drawback to the film, it is definitely going to be TOO much for many viewers. "Tropic Thunder" dials it all the way to eleven and never tones the volume down. It´s loud and almost cartoonish. You´ll loudly groan in disbelief or disgust.

Ben Stiller stars as…well…the star, Tugg Speedman, action hero extraordinaire. Once an instant ticket to box office success, Speedman finds his fame waning. His latest big-budget blockbuster, "Scorcher VI: Global Meltdown" flopped. "Simple Jack" in which Speedman attempted more serious fare by playing a mentally handicapped individual was met with much derision. Speedman hopes to revive his sagging career by mixing action and drama in a war epic based on best-selling book based on the true-life story of Vietnam veteran Lt. Four Leaf Tayback (Nick Nolte) who lost both his hands during the conflict. Tayback himself serves as the film´s consultant. Stiller´s co-stars include Kirk Lazarus (Robert Downey Jr.), a five-time Oscar winner from Australia. Lazarus is infamous for the great lengths he´ll take to become his character. In order to play the African-American Sgt. Osiris, Lazarus has undergone a pigment alteration procedure to become a black man. His baby blue eyes replaced by contacts and his blonde hair covered by an afro wig. The third star of the picture is Jeff Portnoy (Jack Black), an overweight comedian with serious drug problems. While Lazarus could be seen as a dig on Daniel Day-Lewis, Portnoy is a poke at troubled, overweight actors like John Belushi and Chris Farley with a little bit of Andy Dick tossed in for good measure.

Portnoy´s heroin addiction isn´t the only trouble plaguing the controversial film within a film. The picture is helmed by first-time director Damien Cockburn (Steve Coogan) who is in way over his head. Cockburn is dangerously behind schedule and ridiculously over-budget. Even worse, he´s only four days into production. Seeing that his life story is being flushed down the toilet by an incompetent director and overly demanding actors, Tayback convinces Cockburn to shoot the film "guerrilla-style." Cockburn takes them into the jungle where he´s rigged the trees with hidden cameras and explosives. They´re to act as if everything they see is real. Unfortunately, Cockburn steps on a stray landmine and is literally blown to pieces. Even more unfortunate, the actors (particularly Speedman) still believe it is all part of the movie. Speedman doggedly sticks to the script even when the cast comes under attack from a band of drug dealers known as the Flaming Dragon.

The cast of "Tropic Thunder" also includes Brandon T. Jackson as rapper Alpa Chino who doesn´t take kindly to Lazarus´s blackface routine; Jay Baruchel as Kevin Sandusky, the only cast member to have actually read the script and attended training camp; Danny McBride as the film´s overzealous pyrotechnic specialist; and Matthew McConaughey as Speedman´s talent agent who refuses to allow his client to go without TiVo. McConaughey stepped into the role after Owen Wilson backed out following his much-publicized suicide attempt.

"Tropic Thunder" is definitely Ben Stiller´s most ambitious project. Stiller not only stars in the film, but he also serves as the director, producer, and one of three co-writers. Stiller´s writing partners are Etan Cohen ("Idiocracy") and actor Justin Theroux who makes his screenwriting debut with "Tropic Thunder." Theroux´s writing obviously impressed Robert Downey Jr. as he was hired to write the much-anticipated "Iron Man" sequel.

Stiller apes several Vietnam War movies with the obvious references being "Platoon" and "Apocalypse Now." "Tropic Thunder" even features the staple of any good Vietnam movie, the classic 70´s rock soundtrack. Yet, "Tropic Thunder" isn´t anything like the idiotic dreck churned out by the "Insert Movie Genre Movie" machine. It doesn´t rely on lazy, random pop culture references. Instead, the film lampoons the movie making process by not just breaking the envelope, but by ripping it into pieces, burning it, and urinating on the ashes. Right away, the audience is thrown into the insane proceedings by a trio of hilarious mock trailers shown before the film begins proper. The award-winning film starring Lazarus is a must see and features a cameo I will NOT spoil for anyone. In fact, "Tropic Thunder" is filled with side-splitting cameos that should be seen to be believed, including a certain A-list star who is nearly unrecognizable as a fat, balding foul-mouthed investor.

Honestly, the main reason to see "Tropic Thunder" and the main source for the film´s buzz has been Robert Downey Jr. as a black man. Or should I say a white man pretending to be a black man? Downey has seen his career skyrocket thanks to the enormous success of "Iron Man." His wonderful performance in that superhero movie is followed up by a riotously entertaining turn as an actor who goes way too far. Yes, it is controversial, but is it offensive or racist? Not at all. The point of the movie is to point out how ludicrous the acting process is. Downey owns this role just as he did Tony Stark. My only complaint would be the man does his part so well, I found half of his dialogue nearly incomprehensible. Stiller acclimates himself well enough. The role is different from the usual put-upon men he plays in movies like "Meet the Parents" or "Night at the Museum" and more like the wacky roles from "Mystery Men" and "Zoolander." The rest of the cast is mostly underutilized or bring nothing new to the table, Jack Black and Nick Nolte in particular.

"Tropic Thunder" may be a wild film, but it is also a wildly uneven one. It does nothing subtle or low-key and it will not be to everyone´s tastes. There were times when I laughed loudly in the theater or applauded at an excellently pulled off gag. There were other times when I found the zaniness grating or stupid. The plot is quite scattershot. It feels as if the writers could come up with the big jokes, but had difficulty stringing them together with a cohesive story. "Tropic Thunder" is a case where the film´s parts are better than its sum.

I´d give "Tropic Thunder" a 6 on the DVD Town scale.

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