Tropic Thunder

Year: 2008
Director: Ben Stiller
Cast: Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr, Jack Black, Brandon T. Jackson, Jay Baruchel, Nick Nolte, Steve Coogan, Danny McBride

When I first saw Robert Downey Jr impersonating a black man in the trailer to this film, I thought it was hilarious. That's when I knew I had to see this.

Tropic Thunder, directed, co-written by and starring Ben Stiller, makes fun of the Hollywood movie-making machine. It focuses on a big-budget war movie being filmed on location in Vietnam, a movie that is plagued by budget problems and cooperation between the director and his cast.

The director, Damien Cockburn (Steve Coogan) is having trouble controlling his pampered and whiny set of actors. They are Tugg Speedman (Stiller), a fading action star in desperate need of a hit film; Kirk Lazarus (Downey Jr), an award winning Australian thespian who is an extreme method actor; Jeff Portnoy (Jack Black), a fart type comedian with a heroin addiction; Alpa Chino (Brandon T. Jackson), a rapper turned actor with a really familiar sounding name; and Kevin Sandusky (Jay Baruchel), a rookie actor. Since Cockburn can't get them to follow his direction, the film's writer Four Leaf Tayback (Nick Nolte) suggests that they drop the actors in the deep forests and film them guerilla style.

Cockburn agrees and the plan is put in motion, but once there, he suddenly gets killed after stepping on a landmine! Speedman thinks it's all an act just to get them to film the scenes right, even when they get fired upon by heroin dealers hiding in the woods. Speedman insists that they continue, despite objections from Lazarus and the others. Finally, the rest of them leave Speedman on his own when they get lost, and the latter ends up getting captured by the dealers. The four actors end up having to come up with a plan to save Speedman, who is forced by the dealers to reenact scenes from one of his flop films for their entertainment.

Did I already say that this film is funny? Yeah, OK. Now, Stiller's brand of comedy isn't exactly my favourite, because he either plays an earnest guy trying miserably to impress a girl, or a dude who fails to get anything done right despite his best efforts. But here, Stiller tones down that aspect and comes up with a story that succeeds in poking fun at showbusiness and everything it stands for. His Tugg Speedman is a guy who'll do anything to get his job done, thanks to his desperate situation, and he does it in pure Stiller fashion.

Black is severely underused here, but Downey Jr rocks as the Australian actor who stays in character all the time. You'd find yourself forgetting that it's Downey Jr playing a black man, and he does it very well indeed, from the voice right down to his mannerisms and some stereotype elements regarding African-American people. He deserves an Oscar nod for this. Watch out also for special appearances by Matthew McConaughey as Speedman's agent and Tom Cruise in a fat suit as the studio boss, Les Grossman. Cruise is particularly funny as the foul-mouthed studio head who dances to Flo-Rida & T-Pain's 'Low'. Priceless.

All in all, this is one super hilarious comedy worth watching more than once. I'm certain you'll love the mock Oscar ceremony at the end of the film, where you'll see some of Hollywood's finest in quick appearances. Recommended. (4/5)