Tropic Thunder

Tropic Thunder presents four actors trying to film a war movie. These actors run the gamut of Hollywood: aging action stars, funny men desperately trying to earn respect as actors, method actors who go overboard for a role and so on. When problems have the production in trouble, the director decides to direct a guerrilla movie in which his actors don't know what is coming. When something goes wrong and the actors are actually in danger, most of them are so self involved that they don't even realize they are no longer playing at games. The group of actors has its run in with local drug lords in the jungle and try to survive.

Beyond its send up of the action flick, the movie is also heavily focused on sending up Hollywood itself. The actors are all as initially conceived one dimensional. They have ridiculous agents and there is the studio head who is a gruff s.o.b. who swears and yells and threatens to succeed. There is Tugg Speedman (Ben Stiller) whose action films are not grossing as much any more and whose attempt at critical praise was panned. There is Jeff Portnoy (Jack Black) who made a career on fat suits and fart jokes and has a massive drug habit. He too is looking for some critical praise. And then there is the multiple award winning method actor in extreme Kirk Lazarus (Robert Downey, Jr.) who has undergone a medical form of black face to play an African American soldier.

Each of these portrayals has the makings of humor and certainly the trailers that represent their careers at the opening of the film are over the top but quite humorous. Sadly the promise fizzles out quickly. Much praise has been thrown out for Tom Cruise (called unrecognizable in his makeup) as the obstinate head of the studio. I was at best uncomfortable in most of his scenes (too be sure it could have been the point) and after seeing Cruise's interview with Matt Lauer, imagining him as an asshole isn't much of stretch and so I'm not terrible impressed with his ability to play one.

In fact the whole attempt to satirize the movie industry seems to have been done better by others. Bowfinger was loads of fun. Wag the Dog even had a fair amount of Hollywood satirizing going on. This film doesn't feel like its satirizing Hollywood but rather a hollow image of what the filmmaker thinks we the viewers think Hollywood is. (Got that?) Most of what had potential for humor is sucked out by crude jokes, stupid humor or at its worst focusing the scene on the wrong thing. Notably is the discussion between Downey, Jr and Stiller about playing mentally handicapped people in movies that is interesting but ruined by the repeated and unfunny use of the word "retard."

The movie degenerates pretty quickly especially in the final act as explosions and action set pieces are played up and the actor dilemmas get increasingly ridiculous and uninspiring. Attempts to ground the potential mindfield of the Downey, Jr's character is a real African American constantly pointing out the absurdity of Downey, Jr's portrayal. At times this works and at times it falls as flat as most of the movie. I can scarcely recall laughing at all in this "comedy". Mainly I was just bored and felt it insulted my and the movie goer's intelligence.