Tropic Thunder

Amid a wave on controversy Tropic Thunder opened in US cinemas to a lot of criticism. Firstly there was the issue of casting Robert Downey Jr. To play a black actor, then something nobody expected a protest by disabled people and campaigners over the apparent over the top uses of the term “retard” and the portrayal of people that have disabilities. And when you thought nothing more could happen, the Tom Cruise backlash began, with one of the worlds most recognised actors took on an unusual role, was it good? Or was his performance just plain awful?

After a series of bungles on the movie Tropic Thunder, the final one being a massive explosion of special effects while the camera is not rolling; director Damien Cockburn (Steve Coogan) has pressure put on him movie mogul by Les Grossman (Tom Cruise) to make the movie work. In a conversation with Four Leaf Tayback (Nick Nolte) the hero the movies story is based upon, Four Leaf suggests a controversial way to get the movie made and with realism.

In the middle of the jungle a group of once A-Listed actors led by Tugg Speedman (Ben Stiller), Kirk Lazurus (Robert Downey Jr.) and Jeff Portney (Jack Black) are dropped off with the movies director Damien to bring the movie in on a lesser budget. Unbeknown to all however, they have landed in the middle of a real war.

Tropic Thunder follows in a string of pretty mid range comedies from actor/director Ben Stiller, the only real laugh in this movie I can’t tell you about; beyond that it’s just mainly Stiller, Black, and Downey goofing off for the benefit of the audience. While it is far from funny though it’s not a bad movie, it’s at times relatively enjoyable but certainly in my view does not fit into the category of comedy; I guess if I had to categorize it I’d create a new one “Drama-With-Smiles”. In respect of story there are no airy scenes where you find that you’re watching for something off screen to happen, it all flows along at a good pace.

You cannot question the money sunk into this movie neither can you question the special effects, which are as great as any big blockbuster movie to fall out of Hollywood over the last few years, think Die Hard 4.0 and the latest Rambo offering and you’re not far off, the movie’s opening effects being some of the most spectacular action effects we have seen in a movie so far this year.

The movies main momentum however is its cast going through the motions in for some very new ground. Robert Downey Jr. Is great as the perfectionist actor who in order to achieve true believability has a revolutionary surgical procedure that turns him from fair skinned Australian actor, to tough talking black American Kirk. His character never fails to please and essentially is the movies biggest star, he certainly achieves just slightly more screen time than the apparent lead Stiller. Stiller rather unsurprisingly turns out his usual one acting style type of performance, there is nothing her to separate him from the Fockers, or anything since. Jack Black is quite literally just there, as a drug addict actor who continues to fall from grace.

It’s the un-credited actors that provide the most interest in the movie. Tom Cruise’s apparent cameo is far from being so, in fact he gets more screen time than Jack Black; the performance however is neither good nor bad, as the slightly overweight Les Grossman, Cruise’s appearance is really quite bizarre, he looks almost like he might be an unknown actor in disguise, trying to play Tom Cruise who in turn is in disguise, anyone who watched Epic Movie will know exactly what I’m talking about. It seems that the watchword for Cruise was stupid, and in the words of Forrest Gump “Stupid is as stupid does!” Cruise exits the movie in the most stomach turning, hands over your eyes disturbing dance routines that really needs to be seen to be believed, thank God he is only 3 months away from Valkyrie a role that will arguably save Cruise’s recent declining career.

Nick Nolte is great as the slightly deceitful war veteran forced into war by accident. While the movies unsung hero is Matthew McConaughey as Speedman’s agent Rick Peck who spends much of the movie back in Hollywood fighting with Grossman to get a TIVO player promised in Speedman’s contract; an issue of ultimate importance to Peck, but one never once addressed by Speedman. There are a series of cameos also that include Jon Voight, Tyra Banks, Alicia Silverstone, Lance Bass, Jason Bateman, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Mickey Rooney, Tobey Maguire and Amy Stiller.

Of the controversy surrounding the movie, the disabled attributes are no worse than anything we have seen before, in fact played down considerably from another Stiller movie There’s Something About Mary. In fact one of the most winning facts of the movie is that this factor is present, as a frequently referenced career downturn of Speedman who’s previous movie saw him play a man with learning difficulties, a sign of our rather pathetic over politically correct world however means that this relatively minor issue will be overplayed by doogooders trying to make a cause up about nothing, sadly its these exact same idiots that eventually as a hole will win over in Hollywood and see movies like this and Something About Mary pretty much outlawed in the future. Of the issue regarding Robert Downey Jr. It’s completely justified and anyone with an issue over this really should get a life, it’s carefully done, and with the maximum of respect.

Tropic Thunder is one of those movies that should you encounter it on a night at home in front of the television you would be relatively pleased, but have to pay out money to see it at the cinema, or buy it on DVD you may well feel robbed. Tropic Thunder is not a great movie, but its far from being a bad one, those wanting to see the old Stiller back however, settle for his continued blows with Larry David in the award winning Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Tropic Thunder is in UK cinemas from 19^th of September.