Tropic Thunder

During its premiere, I avoided Tropic Thunder by assuming it would be too much of a dejected commercial blockbuster that I wouldn't enjoy. When I saw it on TV later, I had to admit that I had unfairly judged Tropic Thunder to some extent, because it is an entertaining film, made and acted with ease. I can give it three stars with a clear conscience, but unfortunately, I won't go any higher. The film is funny, but not smart, simply because Ben Stiller doesn't have that type of personality. He is a comedian who doesn't aim higher than making the audience laugh and doesn't care about criticism or analyzing the system. It is not a sharp satire, even though it has the potential and knowledge of the film industry to do so. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest was such a satire in its time or more recently Wag the Dog. Stiller prefers sometimes well-functioning, sometimes cheap, straightforward gags. If the film works well as a whole, it is thanks to the star-studded cast, who are clearly enjoying themselves and making fun of their celebrity status. Tropic Thunder parodies specific scenes from films like Apocalypse Now or, especially, Platoon. But at the same time, it is a parody of the manners of favored acting aces and their perpetual dilemma between lowbrow consumer production, which sustains them, and the desire for artistic self-realization and appreciation from professional critics. In the second half, I felt that the film lost not so much its pace, but rather its charm and wit. Much more could have been pulled from all that mystification and confusion... Overall impression: 65%. (05/12/2011)

Big American bullshit crammed with star names and wannabe cool catchphrases, barely half of which manage to entertain as originally intended. As for the actors, there really are no complaints, Stiller enjoys his role, Downey as a black man (sorry, as a nigger) is a treat in itself, and it's all topped off by Tom Cruise in his best role since Collateral. Unfortunately, as dynamic as the film is plot-wise – and even the action is good – it's awfully flat, with nowhere to latch on tightly, and the over-engineered humour bores rather than entertains. Tropic Thunder was supposed to be an unbeatable hit, but it's only a mediocre and unnecessarily bloated parody that plays at being more than it really is. 55% (05/03/2013)

I wasn't expecting this film to be anything special, and it wasn’t, but I had fun. The cast was great, except for Jack Black of course, I’m not a huge fan of his. Those who stood out in particular were Robert Downey Jr. as Kirk Lazarus/Sgt. Osiris and surprisingly Tom Cruise, whose hairy Les Grossman with lumberjack arms was probably the funniest role I've ever seen Cruise play. The story had momentum, it was funny, which isn’t a given with comedies, and there were plenty of one-liners, so I have nothing to complain about. (18/02/2018)

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. (19/09/2008)

I like Ben Stiller as an actor, but perhaps I like him even more as a director because he always manages to bring out the best in a film. In this case, it's a great critique of actors, executed in such a way that it's genuinely entertaining. Great actors were chosen for all roles, but you simply can't forget about Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Cruise. (07/04/2015)