A film crew is in Southeast Asia filming a Vietnam-war memoir. It's early in the shooting, but they're already behind schedule and over budget. On the day an accident befalls the novice director, the cast and crew are attacked by a gang of poppy-growing local drug dealers, except the cast and crew don't realize these aren't actors who are stalking them. The thugs kidnap Tugg Speedman, an actor whose star seems on the decline, and it's up to the rest of the ragtag team to band together long enough to attempt his rescue. But will Tugg want to leave?
Genre(s): Action, Adventure, Comedy, War
Runtime: 107 minutes
Rating: 7.2/10 (87,547 votes)
Release Date: 13 August 2008
Country: USA, Germany
Languages: English, Mandarin
Company: DreamWorks SKG
Sound: SDDS, Dolby Digital, DTS
MPAA: Rated R for pervasive language including sexual references, violent content and drug material.
Director(s): Ben Stiller
Producer(s):
Stuart Cornfeld – producer
Matt Eppedio – associate producer
Patrick Esposito – post-production producer
Eric McLeod – producer
Ben Stiller – producer
Brian Taylor – co-producer
Justin Theroux – executive producer
Writer(s):
Ben Stiller – (screenplay) &
Justin Theroux – (screenplay) and
Etan Cohen – (screenplay)
Ben Stiller – (story) &
Justin Theroux – (story)
Cast:
Jeff Kahn – Snooty Waiter – Fatties Trailer
Robert Downey Jr. – Kirk Lazarus – Hot LZ
Anthony Ruivivar – Platoon Sergeant Shot in Head – Hot LZ
Jack Black – Jeff Portnoy – Hot LZ
Jay Baruchel – Kevin Sandusky – Hot LZ
Brandon T. Jackson – Alpa Chino – Hot LZ
Ben Stiller – Tugg Speedman – Hot LZ
Eric Winzenried – Chopper Pilot – Hot LZ
Steve Coogan – Damien Cockburn – Vietnam Crew
Valerie Azlynn – Damien's Assistant – Vietnam Crew
Music: Theodore Shapiro
Tagline: The movie they think they're making… isn't a movie anymore.
Recommended Links
Archives
Enjoyed Downey – a great bit of "acting" here, ditto for Tom Cruise.The rest of the cast was the focus – the only focus. I still have noidea what this film is about – and maybe that's what Stiller intended.The movie inside the movie concept? The plot: (as I understood it)movie actors making a Vietnam era film in Vietnam. Production goes awryand the director moves the action without a production crew into thejungle. Allegedly hand held cameras were set to capture the action. Thereal jungle holds other problems – child drug lords???? That's where Ilost interest. However, Stiller and Downey kept something of what Iguess is a satire alive.
Sometimes I will watch a film again – and maybe with Tropic Thunder thesecond time around will be better?
I've read a good number of the negative reviews of this movie, and itdidn't surprise me at all that a lot of people didn't get it. There area LOT of people who don't understand or get parody, at all, andeverything truly funny in this movie was parody.
Even the cheap gags (such as the fart trailer) were parody of moviethat use nothing but cheap gags for laughs. The "gory parts" wereparody of movies that thrive on violence and gore.
They made fun of several types of themed movies, plus actors, plusagents, plus directors, plus producers, plus fanatic fans, plus bigstunts … it goes on and on.
Robert Downey Jr. was absolutely brilliant as a serious Austrailianactor playing a hard bitten black soldier so thoroughly that hecouldn't ever force himself out of character. ("I don't drop characteruntil after the DVD commentary". LOL) His masquerade as a local …speaking a Chinese dialect with a black accent is just classic comedy.
I haven't seen this much parody packed into a movie since "Dewey Cox",another deeply funny parody.
If you just wanted to stare slack jawed at a screen while the directorspells EVERYTHING out for you until a movie is done, you won't likethis movie at all.
If you don't object to being challenged to LISTEN to the dialog, andmentally make the connections between each element of this movie, whatits making fun of, and how, then you'll hurt your sides laughing. I'mgoing to have to watch it a second time, at least, to get all thereferences, because I'm sure that I missed many follow up lines while Iwas laughing at the one before it.
A good litmus test for this movie was my wife, who will not laugh at amovie filled merely with potty humor … at all. She didn't know whatto expect, and was frowning at me that I still had this playing afterthe faux trailers at the beginning, and especially after the gratuitousgore in the opening filming sequence. THEN some dialog caught herattention, and she started paying attention. Before long we were bothhowling, frequently. After the movie, she looked at me and said, "I didNOT expect to be laughing at that movie so much!"
The sequence where Robert Downey chides Ben Stiller for an earlier rolewhere he went "full retard" is, honestly, some of the best comedyrepartee since some newsroom scenes in "His Girl Friday".
Crude at times? Check. Violent at times? Check. Funny ALL the time?Check.
Sure, this isn't the funniest movie Ben Stiller has been in, but Istill thought it was pretty good. Robert Downey Jr and Tom Cruise stealthe movie with 2 great characters. Downey plays an Oscar winning actorwhom really gets into his roles. In this war movie, he's gone blackboth in skin color and the way he talks. It's funny. And Cruise playsthe head of the movie studio and all he does is cuss and be an *sshole.It's very funny.
The movie is about this group of actors whom are in Vietnam to film amovie. In order to make it more realistic, the director takes theactors into the jungle. They have cameras and explosives already setup. So, the actors believe it's part of the movie, however, there is agroup of drug dealers that are really shooting at them and capture afew of them. Stiller, is Tug Speedman, sort of washed up action starwhom is playing the lead. The way he talks in character is very funny.Jack Black is the dope head whom is suffering withdrawals in thejungle. Some unknown is Alpha Chino, a rapper whom raps a rather dirtysong: I love the *****.
The director steps on a mine and Tug thinks it is fake and picks up hishead and does all this gross stuff. It was gross but I found myselflaughing. Another funny scene was Kirk telling Tug don't go retard allthe way, that's why you didn't win the Oscar.
Matt Mcconhay plays Tug's agent, has some funny scenes. But Nick Noltewas better as the crazy war vet that wrote the book Tropic Thunder. Butwe learn Nolte's character isn't telling the whole truth, which wasfunny. "You grew hands."
FINAL VERDICT: I thought it was good. Certainly not for kids and notfor people whom take things too seriously. But if you like comedies, Irecommend this one.
This isn't Citizen Kane, Quiz Show or Gone with the Wind. It's notovertly cerebral nor is it going to win an Oscar.
It is, however, a truly brilliant film in its own right. One whichtakes a critical and hilarious look at Hollywood and all itsinhabitants, insecurities, superficiality and social quirks and rollsthem all into an extremely well-produced and accessible film, set witha backdrop of popcorn-style action.
Every character, from the 'stars' of the movie-in-a-movie to Tom Cruiseas the truly amazing Les Grossman and Matthew McConaughey as theovergrown frat boy agent was performed pitch-perfect. And as othershave said, Robert Downey Jr. absolutely stole the show. He was quitesimply a phenomenon as a 'dude, playing a dude, disguised as anotherdude'. The jokes are funny and well timed, and the humor is absolutelyunflinching in its disregard for political correctness.
I have to say, however, that it took me a couple of viewings for all ofthis to really become apparent. I went into my first viewing expectingsomething funny and worthwhile, but was not prepared for what I got.After my second and third time I really began to appreciate how trulyclever this film actually is. It helps if you have some understandingof Hollywood and the movie business in general… I could honestly seea good deal of the humor going over some heads (which probably accountsfor some of the bad reviews here), as well as foreigners, who probablyjust don't understand this type of humor at all.
Either way though, its definitely my opinion that Tropic Thunder is oneof the best films of the 21st century thus far. Watch this movie.
I don't know if I can use the required ten lines to express a threeword summary as listed: Awful. Simply Awful. For starters, I have toadmit that I don't like Ben Stiller. Never have. Probably never will. Ididn't "research" this movie before I watched it so I was unaware thathe co-wrote, co-produced, directed AND "starred" in it. Now I REALLYdon't like him. I have always admired Nick Nolte. Nick, why did yousign-up for this turkey? My significant other and I have usuallyenjoyed Jack Black but Jack, you really STANK in this. Crude,adolescent, bathroom humor just isn't funny. This one is definitely oneto AVOID.
I am astonished at how many people like this movie, I was bored frombeginning to end laughing a handful of times (I counted) and couldn'twait to get out of the theater.
The movie is about these actors who are doing a very good job makingthis war movie so the director decides to put the actors in the realjungle and film them after the director dies so does the movie. Justabout nothing happens after this point that's remotely funny. TomCruise's character was terrible all he does is yell and curse.
I really wanted to like this movie but in the end hated everythingabout it, biggest waste of money I've ever spent at the theaters. Manypeople I know feel the same way about this movie. Go rent Dumb andDumber.
This film is terrible. Maybe if you're 11 years old, it's entertaining,but it was so boring and insulting to my intelligence I couldn't standit. I tried to watch it again because it was on cable and I thoughtmaybe I was too harsh the first time I saw it, but upon the secondviewing, I was reminded of how awful it was and couldn't continuewatching it.
It is impossible to believe that the Ben Stiller character is so stupidthat he'd believe he and his fellow actors were being filmed by hiddencameras in the jungle. Jack Black's character had one dimension and wasannoying and boring. Nick Nolte was underutilized as was Danny McBride.This is a story not worth telling. Everything is predictable andboring.
Ben Stiller is an excellent actor and should stick to acting, notdirecting.
I KNOW WHO I AM! IM A DUDE PLAYEN A DUDE DISGUIZED AS ANOTHER DUDE!! my fav. part of the movie its a funny yet well…. its hilirious. this movie brings out everthing good out of the cast and just brings joy to our veiwers. better bring this to the hospital you will be seeing people running out of thier and wondering why thier pants are wet!!!!