It has been a hard year for Hollywood star Tom Cruise but the good times may be back again – at least briefly, with the release of Ben Stiller’s new movie, “Tropic Thunder.”

A movie that happens to feature Tom Cruise in one very unexpected role: that of a bald overweight movie mogul who dances. It’s supposedly very funny and a far cry from those odd days when Tom Cruise’s sense of humor was on a different wavelength from yours or mine.

But praise is building up for his original cameo as a gaudy, disrespectful, bald and big-bellied exec. Ben Stiller, who also co-wrote the script, said the dancing portion was Cruise’s idea. So was some of the physicality.

“He [Cruise] said, ‘I really want to have some big, hairy hands,’” Stiller said during a press day for the film, as quoted by People.com. “I actually didn’t have to sell him on anything,” the director added.

Tom Cruise and Ben Stiller have had comedic collaborations before, occasioned by the MTV Movie Awards, where Stiller pretended to be Cruise’s stunt double in “Mission: Impossible.”

Less successful laughs followed though in the years to come. Cruise’s couch-jumping moment on Oprah’s show in 2005 generated giggles but the uncomfortable kind, as viewers tried to understand what was going on. His theory that psychiatry is no good and that Brooke Shields’ post partum depression needed no pills did not help build a case for him either.

While his public image suffered, his glory at the box office started to fade, as 2006’s third installment in the “Mission: Impossible” franchise failed to attract the hordes of visitors the previous films drew and consequently made significantly less money.

His projects at the resurrected United Artists have fared no better. Political thriller “Lions for Lambs” boasted direction from Robert Redford and a stellar cast including himself, Meryl Streep and Cruise. It did poorly at the box office and critical reviews were mixed.

The second UA project is also political and also dramatic. It stars Tom Cruise as a Nazi general who courageously plots to assassinate Hitler towards the end of the war and ultimately loses his life. The cast includes Bill Nighy, Stephen Fry, Eddie Izzard, Tom Wilkinson and Kenneth Branagh, among others.

“Valkyrie” will be released in February 2009.

Long before that, however, moviegoers will have a chance to see Cruise’s eccentric appearance in “Tropic Thunder,” which hits theaters Aug. 13. The comedy stars Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr., who has also won praise for his portrayal of an African American character.