DNfromMN - Movie Review - Tropic Thunder

This is DNfromMN's last move review. He is moving to an area of the country that doesn't have advance screenings. Although I have told him privately many times, I just want to also take the time to thank him here in front of everyone and hope you will do the same. No one asked him to do to the reviews. Sure, he loves films, but to have to sit there and pay attention and take notes and then write it up is not something he had to do. I'm really grateful for all of his hard work on them and I hope you are as well.

TROPIC THUNDER
Release Date: 8/15/08

The Story: Action Star who wants to be taken seriously (Ben Stiller), Comedian (Jack Black), multiplatform rap artist (Brandon T. Jackson – who?), the Oscar-winning actor who dyed his skin black to play a black man(Robert Downey Jr.), and the Up-and-Comer (Jay Baruchel from Knocked Up) are teamed up to film the story of a Vietnam no-man-left-behind mission. When the film’s finances may get pulled, the director (Steve Coogan) throws his team of actors into a real situation to film the movie guerilla-style. That is, until the real guerillas show up.

The movie starts with some fake previews to introduce the characters. Apparently gay jokes are still funny. At least the audience I was with found them funny. And some of them were (when someone goes into great detail what gay acts he would perform to achieve something, that’s funny. Calling a movie about a priest who struggles with being gay “Satan’s Alley” – GLAAD will be calling.) Don’t worry, I’m not ruining all of the gay jokes… maybe 25% of them.

Personal irritation aside, the movie’s funny. I was laughing through much of it.

Robert Downey, Jr. gives a second memorable performance this year. Yes, in blackface, and yes, he talks in a meesuh-yessur Jar-Jar-Binks kind of voice. I think the point is to shock, but it comes full circle, and is salvageable.

Jack Black is still stuck playing Jack Black, but for some reason, he wasn’t as distracting as I’ve found him in the last few movies I’ve seen him in. He is a supporting character in this, and I think that helped.

Brandon T Jackson – where’d this kid come from, and I can’t wait to see his next movie.

The one that surprised me though, was our favorite shirtless wonder, Matthew McConaughey as Ben Stiller’s agent. Honestly, he made me laugh every time he was on screen. Far more interesting than Ari Gold, in my opinion.

The other notable performance is something that might be spoiled in other reviews, but I will only hint at. The actor who plays the author of “Tropic Thunder” is so spot on perfect, that when you see him/hear him at first, you’re thinking, ‘No way. Too perfect.’ Note: this is not that A-list scientoloass you saw walking around in a fat suit last year, that guy plays a variation of past characters, and while good, just wasn’t as impressive.

What It’s Worth: $8.00. As much as I liked it, it also bothered me. There were things that were great, and things that were awful. I wouldn’t recommend it to everyone. However, if you like any of the people in it, it’s worth seeing. (At the screening I went to, the final reel was missing, so I don’t know how it actually ends. They tried to fix it, but started up the film from the beginning again. And I didn’t like it enough to sit through it a 2nd time.)