Sidewalks On The Corner

It's a film about the making of a film. Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr. lead an ensemble cast in “TROPIC THUNDER,” an action comedy about a group of self-absorbed actors who set out to make the most expensive war film.

Follow up:

TROPIC THUNDER
Paramount Pictures
MPAA Rating: R for pervasive language including sexual references, violent content and drug material.
Running Time: 107 minutes

STUDIO SYNOPSIS:
Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr. lead an ensemble cast in “Tropic Thunder,” an action comedy about a group of self-absorbed actors who set out to make the most expensive war film. After ballooning costs force the studio to cancel the movie, the frustrated director refuses to stop shooting, leading his cast into the jungles of Southeast Asia, where they encounter real bad guys.

J.P.'s TAKE
"Tropic Thunder, Get Some," that's what the slogan says, but what you'll get is wild surprise.

The feature starts off with some four hilarious, fake film trailers featuring the lead characters in their previous roles. The actors come together to make a new war movie. They were supposed to play war heroes in a Vietnam War feature, but instead they end up becoming real soldiers trapped in The Golden Triangle, an area where heroin-producing Flaming Dragon gang resides.

This movie is sick, slightly sadistic and riddled with vulgarities. Bad language and intense, violent action scenes fill the screen, which turned out to be pretty impressive. I loved every minute of it. Producer, writer and director Ben Stiller threw in everything and the kitchen sink into this project. There were times I thought I was watching an authentic war film like "Platoon" or Apocalypse Now," with sweeping helicopter shots, explosions going off, and bullets whizzing past actors heads as they ran for their lives. "Tropic Thunder" is also insanely funny, as it clearly pokes fun at rappers turned actors with crazy endorsement deals, Hollywood bad boys and over rated action stars. On top of that, they were cracking on Hollywood for making big budget flops. So in a way, this movie makes fun of itself.

I have to give kudos to the entire cast for putting on their game faces to make this film, especially Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Cruise.

-- Downey plays Kirk Lazarus, an Australian actor who undergoes a pigment augmentation in order to play an African-American soldier in the film. At times, I swear that wasn't the new "Iron Man," because he stayed in character. He actually has lots of flavor; very convincing work by the highly talented actor.

-- Cruise practically stole the show with his portrayal of studio executive Les Grossman. This is the side of Cruise you don't see very often, especially with major prosthetics makeup, pot belly, balding head c and as a profanity spewing mouth. I found Cruise playing the executive as a refreshing character and new departure for Cruise; he is very funny in the role.

-- Stiller makes fun of those action stars still holding on to youth the opportunity to stay relevant (i.e., Sylvester Stallone bringing back Rocky or Rambo in films). Stiller's character, Tugg Speedman, is on his way to becoming obsolete and wants to be the star of the show, but fails to live up to the hype.

-- Matthew McConaughey plays Rick Peck, Tugg Speedman's agent. This is the most coherent and sane I've seen McConaughey since he role in "Contact." To add to his credit he's pretty funny as the character as well.

-- Jack Black's character was a no brain-er, as he plays Jeff Portnoy, an Eddie Murphy rip off actor with an appetite for heroin. There wasn't anything special about Blackfs character; however, in a crack-headed way he was hilarious.

-- Brandon T. Jackson plays a character who shares his name with very famous actor who goes by the name Alpa Chino. Jackson fits the profile of a rapper turned actor, who drags his endorsements with him.

The film also boasts many cameo appearances by some well known faces: Tyra Banks, Jon Voight, Tobey Maguire and Jennifer Love Hewitt, just to name a few.

There is controversy written all over this movie: from Robert Downey Jr. playing a black man to the use of the word "retard" (which is used numerous times to describe Speedmanfs previous role in a film called gSimple Jack,h where the actor played character withh intellectual disabilityh), and the extreme amount of violence and bad language. I know the ones who are easily offended by the controversy will obviously avoid this film at all cost, but the for the rest, who can go beyond the debate, expect some gut busting laughs.

"Tropic Thunder" pulls out all the stops. I found "Tropic Thunder" outrageously funny, action packed and very entertaining.