You know those moments when you are trying to tell somebody
else a deliriously hilarious joke and you cannot stop laughing to tell it
right? Well, that is exactly what I am confronted right now, thank God that
writing hides my giggles.
What I want to tell you about is the tremendous Ben Stiller
gig opening this week-end, “Tropic Thunder.” In “Tropic Thunder”, sardonic
speech targets those self-absorbed Hollywood
actors going at great lengths just to win prestigious awards. Because that’s
what “Tropic Thunder” is all about: some despicable patterns some actors follow
and their award-driven motivation.
Ben Stiller makes a terrific multilateral job in this movie.
He co-written - alongside Justin
Theroux and Etan Cohen -, directed and co-produced the satire, but also stars
in it, too. Though it might have been a perfect occasion to worship himself,
Stiller shares the moments and the momentum with his fellows.
The comedy is
gripping from the very first minutes to the very last. “Tropic Thunder” is a
movie in a movie, or the story of a fake movie; and just like “real” gig, its
debut is marked by commercials and trailers of the star’s forthcoming movies.
Therefore, we laugh out loud watching the ad of the “Booty Sweat” energy drink
featuring the rapper-turned-actor Alpa Chino (Brandon T. Jackson).
“Scorcher VI’s” action movie star Tug Speedman (Stiller) had his shot at the
Oscars with his mentally-disabled title character in “Simple Jack” (no success,
though). Funnyman Jeff Portnoy (Jack Black) goes on with a new flatulence
sequel of “The Fatties 2.” Oscar’s favorite Australian actor Kirk Lazarus
(Robert Downey Jr.) is to star in a medieval “Brokeback Mountain-esque” monk
drama. He goes that far that he undergoes an aesthetic surgery to change the
pigment of his skin, in order to make him more persuasive in the role of a
black guy. His unreal stubborn accent will drive everyone crazy, especially
when the cameras are off and there’s no need of fooling around.
These are the leading actors starring in the war drama which
is jaw-droppingly budgeted and behind the schedule. The stars are
exasperatingly behaving like primadonas in the South Asian setting, bringing
director Damien Cockburn (Steve Coogan) on the brink of his patience. Cockburn
is also tyrannized by studio head Les Grossman (even if you have been living in
a cave for the last two weeks, you already know he is played by a very hairy,
I’d say furry Tom Cruise) and meets with the Viet vet who authored the memoirs
which inspired the movie, Four Leaf Tayback (Nick Nolte). Left with no other
choice, Cockburn chooses the “guerilla-style” for shooting the film.
The tech mastermind, Cody (Danny McBride) is to produce fake
explosions and the stars, hopefully, will act more persuasively, all recorded
with hidden cameras. All takes another turn when a drug gang chases them with
real bullets, mistakenly believing they are agents.
There are moments when everything is so crazy that seems cut
from a dry-humored story, and they do nothing else but produce abdominal
muscular fever to the viewers. So, enjoy!
Movie Type:Comedy
MPAA Rating: R for pervasive language including sexual references, violent
content and drug material.
Directed By: Ben Stiller
Cast: Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr., Jay Baruchel, Nick Nolte
Released: August 13th, 2008 (wide)
