‘Tropic Thunder’ fights the battle against boredom

From the very start, I was both optimistic and worried about “Tropic Thunder.” On one hand, it promised a great ensemble cast, including Ben Stiller, Jack Black, and Robert Downey Jr. It also seemed to have a genuinely good concept, something criminally lacking in most films these days. On the other hand, a lot of what I saw in the trailers seemed to be in questionable taste- Downey Jr. in blackface, Stiller waving around prosthetic arm stumps, and Jack Black being… well… Jack Black.

The moment the movie started, it seemed like my worst fears were coming true. I was assaulted by a barrage of humor that I found to be truly low-brow, especially the fake trailer for “The Fatties 2” a riff on Eddie Murphy’s “The Nutty Professor 2” that somehow managed to be even more vile and reprehensible than the original. At best it warranted a nervous chuckle, and at worst, a profound desire to ask for my money back- despite the fact that I was at a free screening.

Fortunately, the rest of the movie doesn’t sink as low as the fake trailers that start the affair off, and once I had adjusted to the shift, I began to realize that most of what had come before was satire, a stiff jab at both Hollywood’s lowest common denominator, and at the ‘Oscaratti’- the exclusive club populated by filmmakers that strive to make their films as pretentious as possible in the hopes of netting one of the coveted gold statues.

The rest of the movie has some absolutely great comedic moments, and even though some of them still fall into the category of “should I really be laughing at this?” humor, the originality and spontaneity of the laughs are enough to keep the audience satisfied.
Several of the jokes are plays off of other military movies, such as “Platoon,” “Apocalypse Now,” and even one moment lampoons one of my favorite scenes from “Predator.” I never thought that anyone could turn Elias’ death from the former into something funny, but “Tropic Thunder” proved me wrong, and the twist on the latter scene will probably stick with me till my dying day, for better or worse.

The performances here are pretty good in that you get what you expect. Ben Stiller plays the slightly neurotic action hero, Jack Black plays the drug addled comedian, etc. To be honest, I actually enjoyed Downey Jr.’s performance as the squad’s black C.O. It brought to mind stories of other method actors who have worked hard to immerse themselves in their characters, and it felt like what would happen if that whole process was taken just two steps too far.

I had also heard that Tom Cruise made an appearance in the film, but because I wasn’t really looking for him, I almost missed him until the final scene of the movie when I saw him in profile. It was quite a shock to see that the man with the beard and the slight paunch was actually the star, and it brought about another realization--I actually like Tom Cruise better when I have no clue who he is. Maybe he can jump start his career by appearing in bit parts under heavy disguise.

There is one major problem amidst the laughs though, and that’s the unshakeable feeling that some of the movie has been padded to fill out the screen time. It’s only in one segment, but it seems like the whole ‘travel montage’ part was unnecessary. It sits there like a lump between the bigger laughs before and after it, and I can’t help but think that it could have been left on the cutting room floor.

“Tropic Thunder” is a lot of fun, although it will probably wind up being considered a ‘guilty pleasure’ by most. Even though there are a few dull spots, the comedy is golden enough to shine through.

Final Verdict: B-

You can e-mail Lee Rice at leslierice60@webster.edu.