Tropic Thunder
Cast: Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey, Brandon T. Jackson
Dir: Ben Stiller
Rating: 3/5
Ben Stiller get back behind the camera for the first time since 2001's Zoolander to direct action comedy Tropic Thunder, which brings together a great cast of Robert Downey Jr, Jack Black and Nick Nolte.
Filmmaker Damien Cockburn's Vietnam movie brings together some of the movie industry's biggest names: Tugg Speedman, an action hero who's starting to make bad career choices, Jeff Portnoy, an insecure low-brow comedy star going through heroin withdrawals and Kirk Lazarus, an Australian Oscar winner so lost in his "craft" he underwent a procedure to become black for his role.
Struggling to control the self absorbed actors and with production costs rocketing Cockburn takes them deep into the jungle to create authenticity as well as take the actors away from any distractions.
But the actors are thrust into real-life danger and forced to become the fighting unit they’re attempting to portray in order to survive as well as some of them discovering who they really are.
The film starts out well drawing on classic scenes from some of the most famous war movies, Stiller as Willem Dafoe from Platoon is great, as well as mocking the self centeredness of actors and the absurdity of Hollywood.
Stiller, Black and Downey Jr banter well together and Downey Jr as an African American platoon Sergeant is comedy gold, Brandon T. Jackson as rapper turned actor Alpa Chino is also a great bit of casting.
But from the middle of the film onwards the story does start to unravel and Stiller reverts to big set pieces rather than let the comedy and his talented cast carry the story.
Plus if you are expecting a laugh out loud comedy then, unfortunately, Tropic Thunder will leave you a little disappointed as it really isn't as funny as you would have expected it to be.
Despite not being a fan of the man the performance by Tom Cruise is great, a little bit weird, as the overweight and foul mouthed film producer Les Grossman. But lets face it there are few A-list actors that can happily send themselves up.
While this is a solid comedy that is worth the watch for the line-up and the cameos is does run out of steam and it's the comedy movie that we were all expecting and hoping for, which is a real shame.
Tropic Thunder is released on DVD 26th January
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw