DVD Re-View: Tropic Thunder
Tropic Thunder Unrated Directors Cut DVD
Starring: Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr, and Jack Black
Run Time: 1hr 47 mins
In the weeks leading up to the release of “Tropic Thunder,” the movie certainly garnered it’s fair share of negative attention. The film was criticized for the way it was promoting itself, a controversy surrounding a website that was based upon a “movie” that was referenced in the film itself. The “movie” was called “Simple Jack” and it was basically a mock of “Forrest Gump” that starred Ben Stiller’s character. The site was criticized, called demeaning to people with mental handicaps. In addition to that controversy, many people were up in arms about Robert Downey Jr playing an actor who got so involved in portraying his characters that he underwent a pigment change so he could play an African American Sargent. Downey Jr basically spent most of the movie in black face. He definitely gets into character! To quote Downey’s character Kirk Lazarus: “I don’t drop character till I do the DVD extas!”
So with all of the negativity and controversy surrounding the film, you would think that it would flop once it hit the theaters. Well, it didn’t, and I can tell you why. “Tropic Thunder” was just plain funny! The whole movie was hilarious. Laugh out loud, I was in tears! Let me give you a brief description of the movie. “Tropic Thunder” is a movie about actors trying to film a realistic war movie. It’s essentially a spoof of Hollywood and big budget action flicks. The movie starred Ben Stiller as Tugg Speedman, an action film star who has seen his Hollywood star plummet in recent years. Think Jean Claude Van Damme. He is basically the lead of the fake movie, as well as the real one. Confused yet? Let me keep trying! Robert Downey Jr was the real star of “Tropic Thunder.” He played Kirk Lazarus, an academy award winning actor who gets deep into character. Downey Jr’s performance as Lazarus was absolutely fabulous. He alone was worth the price of the DVD. His character, a seasoned Hollywood vet, got to utter some of the best lines in the film. “They found me in an alley in Burbank, trying to re-enter the Earths atmosphere in a refrigerator box.” That was one of my favorites. Another classic was “It’s okay. It’s Hollywood. Everyone’s gay at some time.” The film also starred Jack Black as the very forgettable Jeff Portnoy, an actor famous for his violent encounters with the media as well as his movies, in which he dons “fat suits” and farts on screen to get laughs. This bunch of Hollywood talent set out to film the worlds greatest, most expensive war movie. Along the way, they stumbled into a real life war zone. They unknowingly trekked into dangerous territory, risking life and limb to save Tugg. Ultimately, the experience that the actors had paralleled the movie they were trying to film in the first place. It ties up rather nicely. Trust me, it all makes sense on screen!
I’m sure if you’ve heard much of anything about this movie, you have heard about Tom Cruise and his cameo in the film. And it is true, he was fantastic! In fact, the film had several really great cameo’s, and they surely made the film better. Have fun spotting them. Everyone says Tom Cruise could have re-launched his film career with that cameo. I don’t know if I would go that far, but he was very very good. Also, the movie was full of jokes that were not featured in tv clips and trailers, so fear not about checking out this movie, you haven’t seen the best yet! Save for a very boring performance by Jack Black, the film was a comedy masterpiece. It simply couldn’t have been done without the actors, except for Mr Black, everyone in this film deserves a bit of the credit. I highly recommend that you watch this film, and keep an eye out for those cameos!
DVD Extras!!!
I purchased the Blu-ray Unrated Directors cut of the film. The two-disc Director’s Cut contains several featurettes, deleted and extended scenes, an alternate ending, and video rehearsals. I highly recommend you pick up this version, as the deleted scenes and alternate ending was fantastic. Definitely worth the extra cash. I’ve seen both versions, and I can honestly say this edition is noticeably funnier! Do yourself a favor and check out the DVD now! If you collect classic comedies like me, you must BUY this. If not, there honestly is not much re-watch value, so you may want to just rent. But either way, see this movie!
Great review Jon!!!
I had forgotten those parts in the film…
I think that Lazarus line was a little more like this,” I don’t drop character until after the audio commentary”.
Matthew McConnahey was also kick ass funny in this film, as was that baby that Stiller throws off the bridge. Lol!!!
I have to get this dvd now damn it!!!
Thanks. McConnahey was very good. His appearance at the end of the film was really good. Tivo…
What did you think of the Cruise part? One of my favorite parts of the movie, that I did not mention because I thought my review would be confusing enough, were the opening commercials and trailers. The only Jack Black bit worthy of my laughter was his movie trailer. That was good!
I almost shot soda out of my nose at the end, when Tugg is running back over the bridge screaming “I was wrong!” and that kid was on his shoulders stabbing him! Hilarious!
Yeah I liked the opening trailers. I liked how Jack Black made fun of Eddie Murphy’s Klump characters…
The gay trailer with Toby was classic. (Iron Man / Spider-Man).
My favorite part was when Downey Jrs character starts to have multiple character disorder in the last scenes.
“I don’t even know who I am anymore”. :-(
^
Cruise was great playing himself, that’s the way he looks and acts off camera (btw,). :-)
I was late to the film in the theater and missed the mock trailers at the beginning. Definitely makes the film funnier. Can’t wait to see the unrated version.
You’d love the trailers Film-Book. They were hilarious. There was also a commercial for Alpa Cino’s “Booty Sweat.” That was pretty good too!
The mock trailers were quite possibly better than the film!
@Stan-Lee, I totally agree, I was not entirely impressed with this movie, but it did have its funny parts. But the trailers were hilarious.
The film could have been a little better with some editing of of the opening scene with Stillers arms blown off, and also towards the end as he’s loosing himself as Happy Jack…
Black. seemed to be pushed to side as far as his overall character, but I did like the heroin twist to his story arc.
Downey steals the film,,,
his later monologues were hilarious as he’s loosing grip…
It was a good movie!
Jon did you pick up the 2 disc unrated version?
I noticed it had an alternate ending…
I haven’t picked it up yet. ;-(
It did have an alternate ending. Worth the buy, thats for sure!
I’ve seen the whole film now, including the trailers Jon.
I’ve sadly only been able to see this film once and all of you have been very good at pointing out all the great portrayals. I’ve seen 10 maybe 12 movies since this, but I still have the strong impression that the story was just mediocre. It was the actors and director that saved it from oblivion. They should get the very well deserved credit and just goes to show that a movie can be a hit, despite some fundamental aspect of it being mundane. Maybe this is the genius of it, and I’ve totally missed it. If that’s the case, then my hats off to them for pulling the wool over my eyes. Was in the video store the other day and Over heard a guy tell the clerk that his whole family hated the movie. It got my curiosity up so I struck up a conversation, just to see what movies his family liked. He pointed to “The Happening” and said it was good, except he didn’t like the ending. That kinda killed the conversation for me. So I guess the lesson is, it takes all kinds..
Lol Old Man,,,
“The Happening” is definitely a water mark of personal taste in films,,, :-)