Tropic Thunder (2008)

My Review

“Tropic Thunder” is a satirical action comedy movie about a group of actors attempting to make a Vietnam War movie. When the production descends into chaos, the studio threatens to cancel it, and the frustrated director drops them into a real Southeast Asia jungle, with “drama” and “comedy” arising from there. Director Ben Stiller attempted to put together a comedy film, and succeeds maybe five percent of the time. Most of the picture is consumed with intense and aimless action from a very poorly written screenplay by Stiller, Justin Theroux, and Etan Cohen. The film has atrocious production values from every conceivable angle.

The cast delivers terrible performances, including Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr., Nick Nolte, Bill Hader, Matthew McConaughey, Tom Cruise, Brandon T. Jackson, Brandon Soo Hoo, Danny McBride, and Steve Coogan. There are cameo appearances by Tobey Maguire, Tyra Banks, Martin Lawrence, Jason Bateman, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Alicia Silverstone, and Jon Voight. Downey was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, the film’s sole Oscar nod.

Since there is no accounting for taste, the garbage-filled “Tropic Thunder” was a big box office hit for producer Ben Stiller, DreamWorks Pictures, Red Hour Productions, and Paramount Pictures. It was filmed in Kauai, Hawaii.