Flick Picks

Tropic Thunder

By Ian Stark

A good portion of Ben Stiller's admirers got nervous - for good reason - when Night at the Museum became a hit. Perhaps it was that pinnacle moment for Stiller, that time when a cutting-edge talent starts making (gasp) family films...from George Carlin to Richard Pryor to Eddie Murphy, many of the giants who had pushed the limits and demonstrated new insights sooner or later seem eager to transform from an angry young man to well-paid family fun-guy. And with Museum so popular (and soon to be sequel-ized), many thought that Ben was bailing on being a bad-boy...but luckily - at least for now - that fear can take a rest.

Yes, the actor who raunched it up in There's Something About Mary and in last year's atrocious remake of The Heartbreak Kid returns not only to funny adult form but also returns to the role he has always shined in: the director. It was his accomplishments behind the camera that truly demonstrated his ability to find what was going wrong, or at least being wrongly accepted, in culture. It started in his short-lived but genius Ben Stiller Show, then the Generation X snapshot Reality Bites, followed by the miscast but wicked Cable Guy and then his poke at faux-fabulousness in Zoolander. It is that "poke" that is his gift, as he is able to skewer pop culture from the inside, gut-punching many who feel that celebrity is a state of entitlement, while simultaneously zinging himself for occasionally dabbling in such pomposity.

But in Tropic Thunder, Hollywood receives a new, 21st Century kick in the pants from Stiller, as he roasts virtually all of the male actors in the industry. It starts with Ben as Tugg Speedman, a fading action star who feels compelled to prove he's more than just aging muscles. His first attempt to escape his pigeonhole involves him playing a mentally handicapped man, áá la the Oscar turns in Rain Man and Forrest Gump. However, while Hoffman and Hanks shined, Speedman's try at such material just goes oh-so-wrong. Desperate to return to glory, he agrees to co-star in a group movie set during the Vietnam War.

Tugg's not the only one looking to up his image, as he is joined by Jeff Portnoy, a dumpy soul played by none other than Jack Black - who in real-life is as (unfortunately) trapped in playing one type of role as his character is. Here he riffs on Eddie Murphy, as he needs to dominate his films and fill them with gross-out humor. But what promises true credibility for the two unhappy actors is that they get to work with the legendary Kirk Lazarus, a multi-Oscar winning Australian thespian who is rightfully filled out by Robert Downey Jr. Lazarus takes his parts seriously...very, very seriously. As DeNiro put on 60 lbs. to play Jake LaMotta in Raging Bull, Kirk also affects his body to own roles, and, for him, Tropic Thunder is a special challenge - he's playing an African-American. (Oh, we'll get to that in a minute!)

The cast and crew head to Vietnam to film, but upon arrival, the director of the film-within-a-film is unable to get things right, as the egos and celebrity tics perpetuated by Speedman, Lazarus and Portnoy become impossible to corral. So - in a move that is part artistic and part sadistic, he dumps the incorrigible cast into the real jungle to fend for themselves, leaving them nothing but guns loaded with blanks and a script to follow. Therefore, when actual drug-cartel guerillas start shooting at them with real bullets, the shallow, self-absorbed cast of Tropic Thunder is left with no alternative - they have to act their way out of it...make that act badly out of it.

The plot to this movie is inconsequential (an ever-growing trend these days) - but who cares? This is about watching Stiller and crew pick apart the industry, while his industry-mates gleefully participate. Co-written by Justin Theroux (better known as an actor) and Etan Cohen (a writer who specializes in spearing the dopier side of American culture), this movie goes for the jugular time and time again; perhaps this way these people can justify the fact they otherwise happily participate in the lofty celebrity caste? Regardless, every level of moviemaking gets ripped, which is really the only fault Thunder has.

In most TV and film projects, being too far "inside" is often shunned, as the average person doesn't really know (or care) what it takes to create a show or a movie. Here, good portions of the jokes are directly pointed at on-set antics and happenings, definitely a risk on Stiller's part. But luckily, everyone is so darn funny in this movie that almost every line has something humorous about it, even if it's referring to activities that only electricians and cameramen might relate to.

And yes, there is the Lazarus thing. With his hair, skin, voice and affect changed to make him an African-American, it seems virtually impossible for Downey to escape controversy - yet he nails it. His ability to take such a risk and make it work is yet another testament to the man's immense talent. While almost any other actor would have probably blown it, the only stereotype implied here is that there are a lot of successful people in Hollywood who have no idea when to say "when," especially in the misfired attempts many try to prove true skill as an actor. Luckily for us, Robert Downey Jr., exists in real life and can actually back up, never ever having to fear such limits.

Ian Stark is a frequent TV and radio commentator on the film industry, and consults with private organizations on their collections. He is widely published on film and other arts/culture topics.

Adult Jokes and Violence
Downey Jr. on a Tightrope
You'll Be "Cruising" For Cameos

Back to Contents