UPDATED!! Jubba Judges Ben Stiller's TROPIC THUNDER ‘Many Degrees Of Awesome’ -- And Five Others Concur!!

I am – Hercules!!
Longtime contributor “Jubba” and five others contribute here new reviews of the Aug. 15 release “Tropic Thunder,” directed by Ben Stiller (“Zoolander”) from a screenplay by Stiller, longtime Mike Judge collaborator Etan Cohen (“Beavis & Butt-head,” “King of the Hill,” “Idiocracy”) and actor Justin Theroux (“Mulholland Drive,” “Six Feet Under”). Stiller and Theroux's co-stars in the comedy, about on-location Hollywood actors who find themselves in a shooting war, include Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black, Bill Hader, Jay Baruchel, Steve Coogan, Matthew McConaughey, Tom Cruise, Tobey Maguire, Mickey Rooney and Nick Nolte. No downturned thumbs among this crop of "Tropic" reader/critics! "Jubba" speaks:

I just got back from the Toronto advance screening of the upcoming comedy "Tropic Thunder". AICN has been kind enough to post some of my past reviews (ie. The Strangers, Where/World is Bin Laden, Dungeon Siege's Crap Movie) and I thought I'd take the time to share my thoughts on this one. I don't want to get into any real spoilers and I'll be able to get my opinion across fairly easily. To sum it up: this movie kicks all kinds of ass and is many degrees of awesome. If you want to stay completely spoiler-free, just know that this movie is laugh out loud funny from start to finish and is packed full of great cameo appearances and solid performances. I'm not even going to mention the plot here because if you've seen the trailers, you already know more than enough. If you haven't seen the trailers, try your best to avoid them and prepare to be blown away at the theatre. From the moment the fake trailers started playing to introduce the characters from their previous (fictitious) movies, our audience was laughing and there were only a couple of lulls during the 105-or-so minutes. The three main actors (Stiller, Black, Downey Jr) all get big laughs throughout the movie. The best part of the funniest scenes is that they aren't based on gags, one-liners, or pop culture references. The laughs come from the actors being funny as the characters they are playing…the scenes are funny, the dialogue is funny, and the performances are strong enough that some of the biggest laughs are from the vocal nuances and facial expressions. Every actor turned in a solid effort here, but Robert Downey Jr. was the highlight for me. He had some of the best lines and the way he played a white man acting as a black man was genius. The trailers don't do his character justice – he's really just that good here. One of the best scenes happens when Downey is talker to Stiller about who gets rewarded at the Oscars and why – it had our audience cheering. I'm not a fan of some past Stiller characters (Zoolander, Starsky/Hutch) because, for me at least, it felt like he expected the audience to laugh without really giving them a reason to. This time, he gives you plenty of reasons. He's funny, energetic and is actually giving depth and life to his fictional character. His character goes on a personal journey in the film, the climax of which is one of the funniest things I've seen in a long time. Jack Black's character worked for me so well because he's not just playing the usual "Jack Black" in some new comedy. He takes over his character and really comes through in every scene he's in – though he does seem to have less screen time than the others. He's got some really, really funny stuff going on this time around. And then there are the cameos. Theare aplenty and they are almost all funny, with the exception of Tom Cruise who eventually overstays his welcome as a Paul Giamatti-ish movie producer. Matthew McConaughey, Nick Nolte, and Tobey Maguire are among the MANY big name actors who appear in some capacity. The surprises are well worth being kept secret, so I won't go into any more detail. The classic rock soundtrack and vibrant cinematography echo the many Vienam films that have been made and there are several direct shots taken from movies such as Platoon and Apocalypse Now. There are big action sequences that are packed full of comedy and lots of explosions if you need that sort of thing to keep you interested. There are surprise moments that catch you off guard and twists that keep you guessing as to what direction the characters will take next and it all works in the context of a fantastic comedy. So, I haven't given much away here and I hope most of you can get to see this when it's out. It's by far one of the funniest movies I've ever seen and for all the right reasons. I was disappointed that the torture scene with Stiller from the trailers wasn't in the final cut of the film and the baby polar bears were replaced with baby humans – but that's the kind of stuff I'm sure we'll see on the DVD and no reason to fault the film as it stands. It's just all kinds of awesome. I'll be in the talkback if this gets posted to answer questions and/or elaborate on anything I said above. -Jubba

The team of "Ryanatcollege" and "Jack Mehoff" says:

We just came back from a Tropic Thunder screening in the Bay Area and want to give you guys a review since we are both big fans of AICN(except for the terrible, terrible color scheme). In short, this movie is pretty entertaining as both a comedy and an action movie. In case you still don't know, Ben Stiller (who directed), Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black, Brandon Jackson, and Jay Baruchel all play actors, playing soldiers in a movie about 'Nam. The filming is not going well, so the director decides to place them in a jungle with hidden cameras and various pyrotechnics set up to create action sequences. Of course, actual guerrilla forces in the area want to capture the American intruders, leading to real situations that mimic the script the 5 guys need to follow. Mild spoilers follow. The big three (Stiller, Downey Jr., and Black) all play their roles well, but Downey stands out as an oscar-winning Australian actor who has undergone surgery to play a black sergeant and is easily the main reason to see the movie. No doubt inspired by Mr. T, everything he says is hilarious (intentional or not). His speech on 'his people's' oppression the last 400 years (given while awkwardly embracing an actual black man) is as hilarious as it is wholly offensive. Stiller plays a semi-played out action star who is looking for a career boost. His last role was of a mentally retarded farmboy in a movie called 'Simple Jack' in which he, according to Downey, overplayed the retarded-ness of being retarded (which is supposedlywhy it flopped - an interesting observation that actually makes sense thinking back to both Radio and I am Sam). Stiller's character is kind of similar to his roles in Dodgeball and Heavyweights and his best scenes include the one from the trailer where he licks the insides of a decapitated head and another where he performs a live-version of Simple Jack. Also, another thing we really enjoyed was how this explosion at the end impacted Stiller - easily the best of it's kind since MI:3 - you'll see. Black basically plays comedian famous for playing multiple characters in stupid comedies that can fart... so basically, he is simply a white and fat Eddie Murphy. Black is probably the weakest of the big three since his character doesn't get too much to do until he begins to go through heroin withdrawal. Watching him bite the head off a bird which stole the last of his heroin was awesome. One of the film's funniest parts includes watching him offer a blowjob to whoever releases him (so he can get heroin), detailing exactly how he'd "stroke the shaft", "cup the balls", and "swallow the gravy". Fans of Judd Apatow and specifically his short-lived tv series "Undeclared" will enjoy seeing Jay Baruchel. Meanwhile, Jackson plays "Alpa Chino" - a black actor/rapper there to give Downey shit. He was hilarious and the cameo related to him was probably the film's best. The other surprise actors you all probably know, but they aren't really cameo parts. They end up with quite a bit of screen time and it's thoroughly enjoyable. Still, it's a shame Owen Wilson couldn't be there, because you know the part of the manager was specifically written for him. The fake commercials and trailers before the movie were really funny and set up the characters pretty well. Anyone who has seen war movies like Platoon, Apocalypse Now, and Saving Private Ryan will really enjoy the homages to those flicks. All in all, Tropic Thunder was a pretty solid movie. The middle of the movie is a bit slowly-paced, but it doesn't drag. Everyone will say this, but it is true: between this and Iron Man, Downey Jr. is really on his game this summer. Now, just a week until TDK... (for those in the bay area, we'll be at the Metreon from 12pm on for the first 12am IMAX showing. Feel free to make fun of Ryan while there - he'll be the one watching batman TAS & begins on the laptop, in Batman costume of course). 8/10

"MichaelBaysDarkKnightScript" says:

Hi Harry & Co., Long time reader, first time reviewer! I just want to start out by saying that I'm sure this review will suck and everyone will tear me apart on the message boards. Ok, I got that disclaimer out of the way. I literally just got back from a viewing of Tropic Thunder in Boston (7/8/08 at 7:00pm). Going in I wasn't expecting too much. Ben Stiller sort of lost me with Night at the Museum and lets face it Jack Black can be fairly annoying. However, I did thoroughly enjoy Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny. Ok enough stalling...I'll try and make this review short to minimize the shittiness of it and avoid any major spoilers. The tone of the movie is set right from the beginning when you see the first trailer show up. It isn't a real trailer but one for Ben Stiller's character Speedman. Unfortunately, the theater I was at fucked up the sound and I missed what was said in this trailer. It's your stereotypical action movie trailer. This is followed by Jeff 'Fats' Portnoy's (Jack Black) trailer. This movie is called something like The Farts part 2.. It's an obvious shot at Eddie Murphy. The next trailer is for Kirk Lazarus (Downey) and it's called Satan's Alley or something close to that. It's Kirk's Brokeback Mountain but set back in the day. Oh, and Tobey Maguire is his nut gobbler. So anyway Nick Nolte's character, who the movie is supposedly based on, gives the director (Steve Coogan) the idea of shooting the movie guerilla style. Did I mention that this movie has so many ridiculous lines that when you walk out of the theater you'll be saying shit like, "take a step back and fuck your face", "I will snap your cock off and shove it up your ass", Ow, my ass" among many others. Sorry, it's very difficult to remember a lot of specifics because I was laughing so hard throughout the movie. I don't mean during sections, I mean the WHOLE fucking time. So essentially Ben Stiller plays a retard or maybe I should say Speedman plays a retard. Anyway, everyone else sort of figures out that shit is fucked and decides to leave dodge. Speedman is committed to the role and wants to finish the movie, even if he's alone. His panada encounter is priceless. Speedman gets captured and his actor buddies find out while trying to get to the helicopter. They decide to try and save him. You get the idea. Downey is awesome as "the dude who's playing the dude who's pretending to be another dude." This movie is basically the dirty words that you and your buddies will say to each other but don't dare repeat in public. For some reason there was an old couple at this screening and they walked out about a quarter of the way through the movie. It's filthy, really fucking filthy...filthier than Harry talking about Hayden Panettiere.(insert awkward silence/cricketts) Oh, and the movie is racist too...what fun!!! There really isn't a topic that is spared. I know that I've said a lot and haven't really said anything at this point so I'll wrap this up...I appreciate the patience. I hate Tom Cruise...I mean hate, hate, hate, hate. It's probably because of the whole Scientology thing..yeah I'm judging. With that said, his role in this movie is quite possibly the best part. I actually don't go into a blind rage when I hear his name now. There's a dance scene that tore the roof off the theater. This is one of those moments I hope no one has spoiled for them, along with a scene of Jack Black tied to a tree. So what's the verdict? I went in expecting nothing and almost pissed myself laughing ( literally, I had way too much pepsi). I actually checked a couple of times to see if I squirted a little out. Tropic Thunder is more then I could have hoped for. (Plant, plant, plant...there I took care of it for you) On a negative note, I'm not sure how much this movie will hold up to multiple viewings as a lot of the humor is shock humor. You really can't believe what they are saying. I hope that it holds up though. The plot was thin but then again it was a movie starring Ben Stiller ( I believe he wrote it as well..or has some writing credit). There were a couple of parts that fell flat..typically though these were just areas to bridge the gaps between the insanity to follow or furthering the plot. The last thing I'll say is that there is a very good reason this movie is rated R. Harry, if you use this call me MichaelBaysDarkKnightScript.

"Columbusgold" says:

Hello all at AICN! I am a long time reader and fan of the site, but this is my first time writing in, as I was able to catch an early screening in Columbus, Ohio this evening for Tropic Thunder. I will be brief in my thoughts and relatively spoiler-free, though I am assuming most faithful readers know the major actors who cameo or have roles. In short, Tropic Thunder works quite well and there are many, many laugh out loud moments. The audience I saw it with seemed to eat it up and I have a feeling this will be a crowd-pleaser. The movie earns its R rating and is not afraid to poke fun at normally taboo subjects for a mainstream comedy. In fact, at a couple points during the film, the girl sitting a couple seats down from me said to her boyfriend, "This is just wrong", specifically when we see Stiller's character's scenes in "Simple Jack" (however, she was laughing hard as she said it). So, here's a few quick takes on what I liked best about it: - Robert Downey, Jr. It seems to be his summer and Tropic Thunder will keep that going. Early in the film, we see him as Kirk Lazarus, the Australian actor (of course, he's in method actor mode for most of the movie) and he seems to be channeling Russell Crowe in a brief snippet when he's talking to "Access Hollywood" or "Extra". It is a brilliant performance. - Tom Cruise. I wasn't sure how it would work out with him in the film and I figured he'd just be in one scene. He's actually in quite a few and it is a legitimate supporting role. His entertainment mogul character with an affinity for profanity-laced tirades and Diet Coke (hmmm... don't I recall Harvey Weinstein always drinking Diet Cokes in a book I read recently?) is something to behold. The shock factor of hearing some of the filthy things come out of TOM CRUISE's mouth is hilarious and tonight's audience absolutely loved his character. If CrTheuise needed to show audiences that he has a sense of humor, he's done it. - The film seems to have a great time parodying war flicks such as "Platoon" and "Apocalypse Now", but it is clearly done with a lot of affection. Ben Stiller is remarkably adept at directing action sequences. You almost wonder how he'd fare if he ever directed a serious action movie. - There are also a number of other cameos that I won't spoil that I didn't know about going. All I'll say is there's a shot of some Oscar nominees (cameos galore!) that had me rolling. With comedy, I've discovered that, for me, it's tough to truly assess how great one is until you've seen it two or three times. My love for certain comedies seems to grow on subsequent viewings. This is true of Zoolander and Superbad and Office Space and Lebowski and on and on. I can tell you that Tropic Thunder worked very well the first time around and I have a feeling my affection for it will grow when I see it again. Thanks for listening to my thoughts. Please call me "columbusgold". Can't wait to hear all your thoughts when it opens next month. Best wishes!

"Faesforce" says:

What up AICN crew: Long time reader, sometime talkbacker (okay, its been a few years), and first time review sender-inner. I was lucky enough to score a pass to an advance screening of Tropic Thunder here in Columbus at the lackluster Lennox AMC. Just wanted to throw you guys some brief thoughts about the flick (damn your eyes Jubba for beating me to the first review!) Let me start off the review by saying that I recorded the movie in 30-second snippets on my cell phone - TAKE THAT YOU PARAMOUNT RENT-A-COPS! But I jest. Speaking of jesting, this is something the film accomplishes smashingly. Like Jubba said, if you saw the trailers, you already know too much. I thought the flick was hilarious, and judging from the reaction of my fellow somewhat strange smelling audience members, they thought the same. Of course, all of the performances were great, and every character had a few laugh out loud lines of dialog or scenes for themselves. The real joy for me was seeing actors in scenes together that you just normally wouldn't see, be it Bill Hader's assistant to Tom Cruise's (yes, he is a scene stealer in this) movie exec (and if you read this sight on a regular basis, that's not spoiling anything), or my favorite, Danny McBride's special effects nut with Nick Nolte's screenwriter nut. Awesome. And this is prolly the only flick you'll ever see with McCoughnahey (yeah, you guys spell check it) and Cruise sharing the screen. I give props to Stiller on his directing as well; while clearly he is emulating all of the Vietnam war flicks, and action cinema in general, that we saw as kids, he really does seem to have a knack for action. I always thought it would be interesting to see Stiller take a stab at a serious film (remember WAAAY back in the mid-nineties when he was attached to A Simple Plan!?), but for now, I'm glad he's stickin' with the comedy. And with this flick, he reminds me of a kind of comedic Tarantino, taking all of those war and action films and creating an homage to them; sure, he's making fun of the tenants of those movies and stealing scenes outright from them, but you can tell it is definitely with a lot of love for the source material. Anywho, it's this simple - the movie is highly entertaining, with more laugh out loud moments than any comedy I've seen in recent memory. Which is about a week for me. Seriously, I highly recommend it. Thanks gang, and if you use this, I'm faesforce (and I apologize for speaking paranthetically so much). Latah.