In 1992, Ben Stiller created and starred in a weekly comedy variety show for HBO which parodied movies, television shows and commercials with hilarious results. “The Ben Stiller Show,” only lasted one season, but it launched it’s young star and creator on a promising career in comedy. Sixteen years later, Stiller uses his many talents as a writer, actor and director in bringing a laugh-filled parody of the Hollywood war film genre to the big screen.
In the 1980s when Stanley Kubrick made “Full Metal Jacket,” and Oliver Stone won an Oscar for his “Platoon,” many of the films actors were made to train in a mock boot-camp before production. In “Tropic Thunder,” Stiller (along with actor-turned-writer Justin Theroux who co-wrote the script) takes that idea one step further by transporting his actors right into a drug cartel controlled jungle in southeast Asia. In turn the actors are forced to become real soldiers while making this movie within a movie.
Stiller plays Tugg Speedman, an action movie star whose made one sequel too many who teams up with Australian actor Kirk Lazarus (Robert Downey Jr.) and comic star Jeff Portnoy (Jack Black) to make a big budgeted film version of a popular Vietnam war novel.
As Kirk Lazarus, Downey takes on a daring task of portraying a Russell Crowe-like Australian actor so committed to his role of a black soldier that he has his skin surgically dyed to play the role. Downey steals just about every scene he’s in along with Brandon T. Jackson as Alpa Chino a rapper-turned actor who is constantly offended by Lazarus’ staying-in-character during the shoot. If this may seem offensive to some, Stiller’s Tugg Speedman had just recently starred in a dramatic film called “Simple Jack,” playing a mentally challenged farmer whose performance is a favorite of the drug cartel who will soon hold Speedman captive in the jungle.
Then there is Jack Black’s character of Jeff Portnoy, a heroin-addicted comedy star who is best known for his series of film comedies where flatulence takes center stage. Black handles most of the low-brow humor in the film but with his usual charm that makes it all somehow tolerable.
But “Tropic Thunder” is much more then a parody of war films, Stiller also lets loose on actors, agents, managers, studio heads, writers, directors and anyone else he can think of along the way. Tom Cruise makes a hilarious unbilled appearance in the film as a vulgar, grotesque studio head who will no doubt appear all too real to those who work in the industry.
Steve Coogan plays Damien Cockburn the British director in over his head in trying to bring this big budget war film to the screen. Cockburn’s exit early in the film is graphically disturbing yet undeniably funny. For Stiller, who grew up in Hollywood as the son of actor/comedians Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, he must have had plenty of background experiences to draw from in lampooning the self-absorbed culture of tinsel town and it’s players.
For fans of “Platoon”, “Apocalypse Now”, “Full Metal Jacket” and the “Missing in Action” franchise, “Tropic Thunder” is a feast. Many scenes in “Thunder” are directly inspired from those in the aforementioned films. And if you’ve ever seen “Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker‘s Apocalypse,” the documentary shot by Francis Ford Coppola’s wife, Eleanor about the making of “Apocalypse Now”, you’ll know where Stiller got most of his inspiration.
“Tropic Thunder” is reminiscent of Mel Brooks’ “Blazing Saddles,” a perfect parody of an often-made film genre, but with plenty of vulgar and equal opportunity offensive humor to go around. Stiller has a keen eye for mocking the industry he grew up in and a fearless attitude in it’s presentation. “Tropic Thunder” is not for everyone, it will offend some and make most others laugh. I know I laughed a lot during the film’s 107 minutes but felt equally as bad for doing so at times.
Ben Stiller Movies
In the 1980s when Stanley Kubrick made “Full Metal Jacket,” and Oliver Stone won an Oscar for his “Platoon,” many of the films actors were made to train in a mock boot-camp before production. In “Tropic Thunder,” Stiller (along with actor-turned-writer Justin Theroux who co-wrote the script) takes that idea one step further by transporting his actors right into a drug cartel controlled jungle in southeast Asia. In turn the actors are forced to become real soldiers while making this movie within a movie.
Stiller plays Tugg Speedman, an action movie star whose made one sequel too many who teams up with Australian actor Kirk Lazarus (Robert Downey Jr.) and comic star Jeff Portnoy (Jack Black) to make a big budgeted film version of a popular Vietnam war novel.
As Kirk Lazarus, Downey takes on a daring task of portraying a Russell Crowe-like Australian actor so committed to his role of a black soldier that he has his skin surgically dyed to play the role. Downey steals just about every scene he’s in along with Brandon T. Jackson as Alpa Chino a rapper-turned actor who is constantly offended by Lazarus’ staying-in-character during the shoot. If this may seem offensive to some, Stiller’s Tugg Speedman had just recently starred in a dramatic film called “Simple Jack,” playing a mentally challenged farmer whose performance is a favorite of the drug cartel who will soon hold Speedman captive in the jungle.
Then there is Jack Black’s character of Jeff Portnoy, a heroin-addicted comedy star who is best known for his series of film comedies where flatulence takes center stage. Black handles most of the low-brow humor in the film but with his usual charm that makes it all somehow tolerable.
But “Tropic Thunder” is much more then a parody of war films, Stiller also lets loose on actors, agents, managers, studio heads, writers, directors and anyone else he can think of along the way. Tom Cruise makes a hilarious unbilled appearance in the film as a vulgar, grotesque studio head who will no doubt appear all too real to those who work in the industry.
Steve Coogan plays Damien Cockburn the British director in over his head in trying to bring this big budget war film to the screen. Cockburn’s exit early in the film is graphically disturbing yet undeniably funny. For Stiller, who grew up in Hollywood as the son of actor/comedians Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, he must have had plenty of background experiences to draw from in lampooning the self-absorbed culture of tinsel town and it’s players.
For fans of “Platoon”, “Apocalypse Now”, “Full Metal Jacket” and the “Missing in Action” franchise, “Tropic Thunder” is a feast. Many scenes in “Thunder” are directly inspired from those in the aforementioned films. And if you’ve ever seen “Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker‘s Apocalypse,” the documentary shot by Francis Ford Coppola’s wife, Eleanor about the making of “Apocalypse Now”, you’ll know where Stiller got most of his inspiration.
“Tropic Thunder” is reminiscent of Mel Brooks’ “Blazing Saddles,” a perfect parody of an often-made film genre, but with plenty of vulgar and equal opportunity offensive humor to go around. Stiller has a keen eye for mocking the industry he grew up in and a fearless attitude in it’s presentation. “Tropic Thunder” is not for everyone, it will offend some and make most others laugh. I know I laughed a lot during the film’s 107 minutes but felt equally as bad for doing so at times.
Ben Stiller Movies
1 comment:
Hmmmm. I will say that I enjoyed "Tropic Thunder," but perhaps not quite as much as yourself. I laughed in many a spot, but I felt the satire was a little on the thin side. The movie this reminded me of the most (not mentioned on your review, I think) was "Three Amigos." And I'd put it squarely in the same category: Passably fun with the actors more enjoyable than the movie as a whole. Downey just rules everything he's in, doesn't he? I dunno, I had high high expectations and came out wanting "more." I hope you'll get to review Woody's latest. I think it's his real return to form. GDA, ORF
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