The R-rated comedy has been back in the movie mainstream for the better part of this decade. However, comedy star Ben Stiller has not been a big part of it. With the exception of his first hit There's Something About Mary, Stiller has been the posterboy for the PG-13 comedy. His only other widespread R-rated release, 2007's The Heartbreak Kid, was a huge flop. Although very successful, Stiller's films since "Mary" have been missing the edgy humor that continues to grow in popularity with today's mature audiences. Stiller's recent success with films like Night at the Museum, Madagascar, and Meet the Fockers, pointed towards an Eddie Murphy type redirection in his career. It appears though that Ben Stiller is not ready to drink the Disney Kool-Aid. With Tropic Thunder, Stiller has resharpened his comedic talents back to "Mary" form.
Tropic Thunder is not only the title of this film but also the faux film being made by the characters. Prima donna actors from different backgrounds are pushed into a "real-life" situation while trying to make the greatest war movie of all time.
Like a lot of current-day comedies the story is merely a vehicle for the jokes, so the film goes "all-in" with amazing performances. In this case the gamble pays off. Stiller is once again solid in the starring role of fleeting action star Tugg Speedman. Jack Black is convincing in a darker role than he usually portrays, and Jay Baruchel (Knocked Up) and Brandon T. Jackson (Roll Bounce) are entertaining as the only real sane characters in the film.
Of course about 99 percent of the hype surrounding this film was concerning the role of Kirk Lazarus, played by the resurgent Robert Downey Jr. Lazarus is a five-time Oscar winning actor that goes so deep into his characters that he's lost site of his own identity. For "Tropic Thunder" Lazarus takes the role of an African American sergeant so seriously that he actually has a medical procedure to darken his skin. Even when the actors are aware that the situation they're in is for real, Lazarus refuses to break character. Downey is just hilarious in this role, showing off his great comedic prowess that many people forget he possesses, e.g. Back to School, Saturday Night Live. Downey is mesmerizing in every scene he's in, the audience hangs on every word and I found myself constantly trying to look for the real Downey, however it was very difficult.
The only performance that equaled or even surpassed Downey's Kirk Lazurus was that of movie mogul Les Grossman portrayed by none other than Tom Cruise. Cruises appearance in the film probably shocked people in two different ways. The first is that he was capable of such an over-the-top vulgar and funny character; the second is when viewers actually realized it was Cruise they were looking at on screen. Without his voice to give it away, Cruise is almost unrecognizable in this role. Adding to the shock value, not only does Grossman have a strong fondness for hip-hop dancing but also every line Grossman spews is vulgar and reprehensible. Cruise is able to maintain a funny yet uncomfortable type of tension with this character throughout the film.
Ben Stiller has directed a number of films including Reality Bites, The Cable Guy, and Zoolander, but this is easily his best directorial performance. Considering the sheer amount of big-time movie stars that appear in this film, Stiller did a fantastic job carving out the proper amount of attention for each character without leaving any in limbo.
Tropic Thunder does its job in the laugh department although there is a noticeable collapse in the story where the "real" danger becomes even more ridiculous than the fake movie they're shooting. As a whole the story takes on very familiar nonsensical breakdown as it moves along. Not unlike There's Something About Mary, Tropic Thunder starts out with a somewhat stable although exaggerated sense of reality, but as it moves forward real-world rules are bent to accommodate ludicrous situations.
Although not quite up to par with "There's Something About Mary," Tropic Thunder does give back some of the credibility Stiller has lost to the "Apatowverse" and shows that he's still capable of reaching a mature audience.
Acting: 8.5
Writing: 7.5
Directing/Editing: 7.0
Captivation: 7.0
Replay Value: 7.0
Total Score: 7.4
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