"Tropic Thunder" movie review

As the summer movie season winds down, we take a look at one of the last big tent-pole releases of the season. Ben Stiller stars in and directs Tropic Thunder (R), the story of a group of actors filming an epic Vietnam War movie that end up in real enemy fire with drug runners. Jack Black, Brandon T. Jackson, and Robert Downey, Jr. costar.

Andy: In a summer that was a tad weak on quality comedies, Tropic Thunder ends up being one of the better options. It is not an amazing piece of film, and perhaps it doesn’t even live up to its potential, but at times it is as smart and self-aware as it is funny. The gags cover a large range of topics, but are most consistent when they are mocking the film industry itself, from actors to directors, to studio heads.

Ryan: Sometimes one just leaves the theatre thinking—that movie should have been better. That’s the case with Tropic Thunder. The buzz out of Hollywood had this movie pegged as the comedic event of the summer. And by looking at the trailers, the cast and Stiller’s direction that build-up seemed justified. But Tropic Thunder doesn’t deliver like one would expect it too. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a bad film or even a mediocre film. In fact it’s a quite clever film with many laughs. It just lacks that “can’t miss” quality.

Andy: Tropic Thunder has an impressive ensemble cast, but the clear star is Downey, Jr. His portrayal of Australian actor Kirk Lazarus playing a black Vietnam War soldier provides the most laughs, particularly when costar Brandon T. Jackson is sharing the screen. Downey’s performance is as ridiculously multi-layered as the line he speaks in most of the movie’s advertisements about being a dude disguised as a dude playing another dude.

Ryan: While Tropic Thunder is not quite the movie it set out to be, I liked a lot of things in the movie. From the faux-trailers at the beginning of the film to the unexpected cameo by one of Hollywood's biggest stars (Tom Cruise), the satirical elements in Tropic Thunder are first-rate. Anchoring those satirical notions is Robert Downey Jr.'s performance as an African-American platoon leader. In a role that could have completely backfired, Downey Jr. gives a brilliant performances that parodies the extremes of method acting. His performance alone makes Tropic Thunder worth watching.

Andy: Tropic Thunder does have some specific missteps. First and foremost is the overuse of Tom Cruise in what should have been an impressive cameo. Instead, his character keeps turning up, and he gets less funny each time. It’s as if Stiller and company were so pleased with themselves for getting Cruise to do their movie that they kept putting him back on screen, even when it hurt the vision and continuity of the film. Nevertheless, Tropic Thunder holds up well enough to earn a B+.

Ryan: Part of my problem with the movie is how it meshes together the smart sardonic moments in the film with the irreverent comedy that Stiller is known for. This mixture has worked well in the past for Stiller—think Zoolander--but with Tropic Thunder the blending of those two comedic ideas makes for some muddled moments. At various intervals in the movie the film has a real uneven tone that prevents it from being a truly great summer comedy. Final grade: B-.