Seriously, with a title like Tropic Thunder, I wonder how many storm-related movie headlines will be out there. Stuff like “Tropic Thunder blows into town this weekend!” or “Tropic Thunder hopes for box office lightning!” Is there anywhere you can apply for a job putting really bad puns to work? If so, I want it. (Ed: Yes)
So I caught a screening of Tropic Thunder during Comic-Con, and I have mixed feelings about it. Sure, there were some pretty funny moments in it, and as expected, Robert Downey Jr. stole most of movie. Right now the guy could do a one-man show making fun of every ethnic group in the world and probably win a Tony for it. But is the over-hyped Tom Cruise role as funny as people has been saying? Find out after the jump.
In a word, no. I mean, it’s funny, but not hilarious. He’s basically playing an amalgam of agents and studio heads, and he wears a bit of a chubby belly and a bald cap while doing it. Most of the laughter comes when he turns on his iPod speakers and dances around to some hip hop. Funny? Yes. For about five seconds. You’ll be treated to a longer dance sequence at the end of the film as well. It just didn’t do anything for me. Remember the scene at the end of the credits of Dodgeball when Ben Stiller sings “Milkshake” in his latex fat suit? It’s about the same caliber.
Now, having said that, the movie itself was pretty damn funny. Downey is excellent in blackface, Ben Stiller isn’t annoying, and Steve Coogan is great, although explosively absent from most of the movie. Jack Black is sufficient in his role of a drug-addicted actor known for his movies where he plays a family of fat farting people, (The Fatties, Fart 2!) but my favorite performance came from Jay Baruchel. Seriously, that guy needs to keep getting good material and stop playing wacky fourth or fifth banana like he did in Knocked Up.
However, despite all of the over the top action sequences in the film, it was all overshadowed by the fake trailers they showed at the beginning of the movie. They all serve to give you an immediate backstory on each character: Stiller’s character is an action movie star, Black is the raunchy comedian, and Downey’s “True Hollywood Story” sequence shows you how he’s an eccentric prima donna. Those were hilarious and to the point.
Also, Stiller, Black, and Downey had recorded a special Comic-Con opening teaser that had each of them trying to prove who had the most nerd street cred, with Stiller hauling out the original Spock ears he owned, and Downey name-dropping Tony Stark any chance he could get. I’m praying that’ll end up on a DVD somewhere, because it was hilarious. If you want to cue up a great comic weekend, go see this with a double-feature of Pineapple Express. That should hold you over for a few months.
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