Tropic Thunder: Comedy & Controversy

Last night I headed out to Bellevue (there were no Seattle showings anywhere close to me...what the hell?!) to see the midnight showing of the release of the new movie directed by Ben Stiller...TROPIC THUNDER. For those who have yet to see the trailer, here it is:


Tropic Thunder is the story of a bunch of big time Hollywood actors trying to make a movie about the Vietnam War. When the man behind the financing of the film gets angry with the director for his failure to keep the film on budget and on time (the movie is already a month behind schedule after one day), the director decides to go rogue, and film the movie in the actual jungle...not on set but in "the shit," as they call it in the film. However, once they get dropped into the jungle, the actors find themselves in something much more dangerous...an actual fight for their lives. Action, gore (it is a Vietnam War movie of sorts, afterall...), and comedic moments galore ensue.

The film itself is a satire on great Vietnam War movies of the past, with obvious allusions to Apocalypse Now, Platoon, and Full Metal Jacket. It stars Ben Stiller as Tugg Speedman (the biggest action star in the world who is on the backside of his career), Robert Downey Jr. as Kirk Lazarus (an multi-Academy Award winning bad boy Aussie), and Brandon T. Jackson as Alpa Chino (a rapper who is attempting to move over to acting). Jack Black is also one of the main character, playing Jeff Portny (a drug addled comedic actor famous for portraying every character in his series of films called The Fatties). Here is a clip of his character in action:

Well, folks, youtube is rejecting this video, so let's go with RDJr in action instead:



And I certainly can't forget to mention Nick Nolte playing Four Leaf Tayback, the Vietnam Veteran who wrote the book upon which the film they are all making is based. I could go on forever, as each character in the film could be discussed at length, but I will simply say there are also important roles played by Jay Baruchel (from Almost Famous and Knocked Up), Steve Coogan, Bill Hader, and Matthew McConaughey.

The biggest highlight in terms of actors in the film is Tom Cruise's Portrayal of Les Grossman, the financial backer and executive producer of the film being made. Ever since Tom Cruise has become an open Scientologist, I have lost all respect for him. I haven't particularly wanted to see his films, and really wished he would just go away. And yet his role in this film made it so I couldn't help but like him. His character is absolutely hilarious. Maybe this will create a new career path for Mr. Cruise, as he moves into the Comedy genre.

While there has been some concern over Robert Downey Jr.'s character, who is a white man who darkened his skin to play a black man, most of the controversy has come from the way the film treats the mentally challenged. The main thrust of the protest has come from the fact that Ben Stiller's character was the star of a flop movie where he depicted a mentally challenged individual.

People are primarily offended that this fictional film becomes a tool to make fun of the mentally challenged, and have condemned the rampant use of the word retard. The film deals with Stiller's character having played a mentally challenged individual head on in this scene:

In response to the protest, Dreamworks has pulled the Simple Jack Website off the internet, and it is not even available through the use of google's cached sites. Here's the thing, though...I am not exactly sure why this one issue has been so jumped on. Why isn't the media also attacking the stereotypical depiction of Asians? Or the lack of any resolution to the discussion that takes places even in the film as to why a white man is playing a black man? This movie is offensive in a lot of areas...that does not mean it is not funny. Especially when you consider what Jack Black has to say on the subject...

The jokes are all in context of what some actors are willing to do to win an Oscar...That is a longstanding joke in Hollywood — that certain types of roles, like the one joked about in the film, help put you in the minds and eyes of the Academy voters and to what lengths some actors will go to bring one of those gold bad boys home.

All controversy aside, I enjoyed this film quite a bit. Sure, a lot of the humor is stupid and offensive, but as a whole I found myself laughing quite a bit more often than I expected. The movie did not try too hard to constantly make joke after joke to the point where it becomes forced, something that a lot of comedies are failing to do these days. It is not the funniest film I have ever seen (no way can it live up to the likes of Superbad, 40 Year Old Virgin, or The Jerk), and probably isn't even the funniest movie this summer (I actually enjoyed Step Brothers a bit more), but between the comedy, action, and gore...it is one you should definitely check out. With films like Tropic Thunder and the works of Judd Apatow, it looks like R-Rated comedies are on a comeback...and I, for one, couldn't be happier.