Directed by:
Ben StillerCinematography:
John TollComposer:
Theodore ShapiroCast:
Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black, Jay Baruchel, Brandon T. Jackson, Nick Nolte, Danny McBride, Steve Coogan, Matthew McConaughey, Tom Cruise (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
During the filming of a big-budget Vietnam epic, the self-absorbed stars signed up to the project behave unreasonably, resulting in a four million dollar explosion going off with no cameras shooting - and rendering the whole project unviable before it has even begun. The director of the film, Damien Cockburn (Steve Coogan), decides to leave the spoiled actors in the middle of the jungle - and, in an attempt to salvage some footage from the wreckage of the doomed project, installs hidden cameras to follow their escape. The actors are left with only a map and a scene listing to guide them to the helicopter waiting at the end of the jungle. Along the way they encounter a series of obstacles including land mines and an international heroin-dealing ring. (Paramount Pictures AU)
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Reviews (11)
Very wacky and with a bold humour that is very close to my heart. On the plus side, the casting is great, some of the actors were unrecognizable (Tom Cruise wtf? ! I also had a problem with the black Robert Downey Jr.), the plot is fine and fresh, the lines are crazy and Ben Stiller steals the whole movie for himself, after all, he directs it. I believe it was incredibly fun to make. Great line from the movie: “I'll cradle the balls, stroke the shaft, work the pipe, and swallow the gravy. Get it over here, buddy. Let's do this.”
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I like Ben Stiller as an actor, but perhaps even more so as a director because he always manages to bring out the right essence in a film. In this case, it's a fantastic critique of actors, executed in such a way that it's truly entertaining. Great actors were chosen for all the roles, but Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Cruise are simply unforgettable.
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An excellent comedy - just my cup of tea. Stiller rammed an incredible number of snappy lines, hidden surprises and a marvelously cussing Tom Cruise into Tropic Thunder. Even though the real powerhouse is Robert Downey Jr. who really lives his role of a guy who plays another guy and I personally hop that he gets an Oscar for it, which would be a crowning glory for this picture. P.S.: In the end I felt sorry for Jon Voigt. You could see just how much he wanted that gold statuette.
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Stiller knows very well that making a parody doesn’t mean making one-to-one copies of one scene after another, but rather about well scattered nods and making sure that the movie works as a whole. You need to be skilled enough to shoot it at least as well as the original. This “anti" Hollywood Tropic Thunder was no disappointment in that respect. But, as hard as it tries, it just isn’t funny. It simply tries too hard and turns out unnatural. It’s like Stiller missed his fellow Frat Packers and their chemistry and interplay. Maybe it should have set out on the journey to absolute absurdity that we know from Zoolander or Dodgeball rather than this rather vulgar normality.
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Jack Black’s comedic potential is completely unused here; his character could have been played by any unknown comedian and the film would not have suffered for it. Ben Stiller is funny only when he plays “the guy he played in another movie”. Robert Downey is cool only thanks to his black accent. For every one good joke in 20 minutes, there are ten forced or downright unfunny ones. The only thing that stands out and hits the bull’s eye here is Tom Cruise. I like crazy comedies, parodies, war movies and criticisms of Hollywood, but sorry, I like my steaks done right.
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