Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Movie review - Tropic Thunder

An ensemble cast under the *care* of a first-time director are in Vietnam filming a war movie. Featured in the cast are action star Tugg Speedman (Ben Stiller) whose career depends on this movie's success after an ill-fated shot at *serious* Oscar glory, Jeff Portnoy (Jack Black) a drug addict who specialises in comedies a la The Klumps, Kirk Lazarus (Robert Downey Jr) a thespian in search of constant challenges, Alpa Chino (Brandon T Jackson) a rap star trying to break into acting, and unknown newbie Kevin Sandusky (Jay Baruchel). After the actors' egos clash, a huge stunt going awry, and with the Executive Producer (Ton Cruise) breathing down his neck, the Director (Steve Coogan) decides to take his stars into the jungle for some make-or-break shooting. Alas, things go wrong here again and the stars find that the movie they're shooting becomes real when they stumble into Golden Triangle territory.

This movie is serious funny. The laughter starts from the beginning with a bunch of fake ads and trailers and continues into all out laughter. Now I've read a bit about people protesting that this movie is racist and degrading to the disabled. And I say that those people haven't actually watched this movie because the bits that may be interpreted as *discriminatory* are actually commentaries on the way such things are treated in/by Hollywood. It's true - when actors have played non-able-bodies roles, they tended to be reward with trophies and nominations - I can think of about 5 right off the top of my head, and black actors usually are cast in secondary roles. So there.

In a movie where everyone plays their part well, the main problem is that a number of the roles are underwritten or a bit obvious. The absolute, absolute, ABSOLUTE star is without a doubt Robert Downey Jr.
He may not have been in that many movies in the last few years, but his role as Kirk Lazarus, the 5-time Aussie Oscar winner who goes deep into method acting and never breaks character is CLASSIC. It not only shows how great an actor he is but also that he doesn't take himself too seriously. Do not miss his trailer for *Satan's Alley* where he and Tobey Maguire show us how much they can do with facial expressions and mood lighting/music. His accent is also pretty good!

Despite all the glowing things I've written, there are some provisos to enjoying Tropic Thunder. If you are not familiar with Vietnam War movie genre, in particular Platoon, Apocalypse Now, and Full Metal Jacket, as well as the stories surrounding the filming of them, it may greatly hinder your understanding of why it is so funny. There are also some scenes that go on too long to the point that they almost lose their funniness. You'll know them when you see them

While certainly containing a fair share of stupid for the sake of stupid moments, Tropic Thunder is good fun, especially if you're a fan of Viet war movies.
7.5/10

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