So, here’s the thing. I hate Ben Stiller. I really, really don’t like him, nor do I like how he always plays the dopey guy with bad luck (There’s Something About Mary, Meet the Parents, Along Came Polly, Night at the Museum, The Heartbreak Kid) And you know what? I hated Zoolander. The last part I liked Stiller in was The Royal Tenenbaums, and that had minimal Stiller.
So you can imagine my surprise when I saw Tropic Thunder — written, directed and produced by, and starring, Stiller — and loved it. It might be one of the funniest movies I’ve ever seen, and it’s most definitely the comedy flick of the summer.
Now calm down all you Pineapple Express fans. Both films tip-toe along action and comedy. What makes Tropic Thunder so brilliantly funny, however, isn’t just situational comedy (which Pineapple works off of) but the off-the-map acting and the fact that each actor (both in the movie and in real life) is forced to play such an uncharacteristic role and does so with perfection.
Tropic Thunder opens on the set of director Damien Cockburn’s (a frustrated Steve Coogan) movie Tropic Thunder, which is based on the memoirs of Vietnam vet Sgt. John “Four Leaf” Tayback (Nick Nolte). Cockburn’s movie is facing serious setbacks — he’s losing time, his explosives keep detonating (mostly because of tricky-finger effects wizard Cody Keith Underwood, played by the hilarious Danny McBride) and what’s worse, his actors are out of control. “I’m working with a bunch of prima donnas!” he screams in rage. They’re constantly stopping scenes, demanding re-writes and challenging the story. What is supposed to be one of the biggest movies of the year continues to fall apart.
Cockburn’s prima donnas are supposed to fit into the roles allotted to them in Tropic Thunder’s script. Tugg Speedman (Stiller) stars as “the action guy” who just wants people to take him seriously for once. Jeff Portney (Jack Black) channels Chris Farley as “the comedian,” an over-priced, spoiled funny guy who provides comedic relief. Kirk Lazarus (the unbelievable Robert Downey Jr.) steals the show as “the serious actor,” so serious that he underwent a controversial procedure to play the platoon’s black lieutenant. Alongside the big names are Alpa Chino (Brandon T. Jackson), the rapper trying to break into the movie biz, and small-timer Kevin Sandusky (Jay Baruchel), the only guy who actually went to boot camp for training.
In order to break the spoiled actors out of their comfort zones, Cockburn takes the cast and drops them in the middle of Southeast Asia, attempting to shoot the entire movie guerilla style. But when the actors get lost and Speedman gets captured by jungle drug lords, the cast snaps into action.
A little far-fetched? Most definitely. But this is one movie where an improbable plot takes a backseat to the best part of this movie — the acting.
Tropic Thunder is a movie that not only parodies actors, but acting as well. We all know Hollywood has become so overloaded with “types” and “suits” and “serious acting” that it’s hard for actors and actresses to break away from pre-conceived molds. What makes Tropic Thunder work so well is that the whole notion of acting — a trade that has become so loaded — is put in the spotlight. In the end, each actor (in real life and in the film) challenges stereotypical roles and pushes himself to create something refreshingly new and funny. The result is awesome on everyone’s part. Kudos to Downey Jr. for having fun with a part that definitely raised some eyebrows. Baruchel also stands out as an excellent straight-man who becomes the real action hero of the movie.
And the action is something you won’t want to miss out on. Shot by two-time Academy-Award winning cinematographer John Toll, the film looks, feels and sounds like a real action movie. Even the soundtrack gives it that chaotic war-time feel.
As much as I hate to admit it, Stiller finally did something I like. His decision to partner with writers Justin Theroux and Ethan Cohen definitely paid off. Stiller even got Tom Cruise to play a foul-mouthed, overweight studio executive who is so ridiculous you can’t believe it’s really him. And if that’s not amazing, I don’t know what is.
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