Review: Tropic Thunder

By FORCH F. FORTIER

Pound for pound, Robert Downey, Jr. is one of the greatest actors alive today.

No more is that last statement evident, than in the 2008 film, Tropic Thunder.

Downey (Iron Man) stars alongside Ben Stiller (Meet the Parents) and Jack Black (School of Rock) in a comedy, directed and written by Stiller himself, which spoofs films such as Platoon.

The premise of the movie is that Tugg Speedman (Stiller) is starring in a movie called “Tropic Thunder”, based on the [alleged] real life story of the same name, written by John “Four Leaf” Tayback, played by Nick Nolte (Hulk).

The film opens [after a series of histerical mock-trailers, featuring the “actors” of Tropic Thunder] with a dramatic scene from the movie, and after a few moments, we pull back to them shooting. Speedman and Kirk Lazarus (Downey) are having issues with the scene, and the director: Damien Cockburn (Steve Coogan) can’t keep his actors in check.

After a few moments, we see that the production of the film is at a standstill, partly due to the fact that a key explosion went off without the cameras rolling, and the producer, Les Grossman (Played brilliantly by Tom Cruise) is not pleased.

So Tayback and Cockburn come up with a plan. The plan is to take his five key actors: Speedman, Lazarus, Jeff Portnoy (Black), Kevin Sandusky (Jay Baruchel) and Rapper Alpa Chino (Brandon T. Jackson) into the jungle and shoot the film guerrilla-style, keeping the prima-donna actors in check, without any comforts, such as a cell phone.

After Cockburn steps on a landmine, and blows himself up, the actors are let to fend for themselves. Thinking that they’re still shooting the movie, they go about business, and fall into the middle of a heroin-producing facility.

There are some real great plusses to the film. The first is Downey’s performance as Kirk Lazarus. The character is a method actor, who undergoes an experimental skin pigmentation operation to play the African American lead of the film. Downey plays him so well, that for a time you’re almost convinced that he was really black. Sure, it’s offensive, but it’s all in good fun, and Downey’s such a great actor that he pulls it off without it being too over the top.

The trailers at the beginning of the movie also are a great part of the movie. They set the pace for the film, and they serve as character development. Each of them are touched upon in the film, which does ensure that they’re not there for the sake of filling time.

Stiller’s direction of the film is very good as well. You can tell that it is his film; Stiller has a very signature style about him. As well, as the fact that he has amassed a number of friendships in the business, that he’s able to get a bunch of top tier stars to have parts in the film.

Kudos to Tom Cruise. He is an actor that I cannot stand in many of his performances, but in this, he was a masterstroke. Playing in a fat suit, bald cap and swearing up a storm, Cruise was brilliant, and you’ll rarely ever hear me say that, if ever.

I enjoyed this movie a lot, and anyone who is a fan of Stiller should watch this movie.

I give Tropic Thunder 8 out of 10.