I am a massive fan of Ben Stiller and I would put Tropic Thunder right up there as my favorite movie of his (just under Dodgeball) and it is a movie that never fails to make me laugh. Not only is Ben Stiller one of the main stars in the movie, he directed it and was one of the people responsible for the script as well.
How to Download Tropic Thunder
Tropic Thunder was released on August 13, 2008. You can download or stream the film from a digital platform. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice. If you like Ben Stiller, check him out also in Meet the Parents.
The Movie Review
There is talk that if Tropic Thunder were to be made these days it would be “canceled”. People like to say that the fact it has blackface and makes fun of the mentally handicap is in such poor taste. Yet, when you watch the movie, it is a parody of this and it is clearly not meant to be taken seriously! Still, I must admit, I do not think that there is a chance in hell any studio clears this to be made in 2024!
Visual and Audio Upgrade
Just recently I picked up the 4K release of Tropic Thunder and I think that it is a fantastic upgrade. This is one of those movies that I have upgraded from DVD to Blu-Ray and now to 4K. To be honest with you, if they re-released this as some kind of special edition with a few extras, I would probably buy it again as I love this movie that much.
The Plot
The premise of the movie is that we have this director who is trying to get this action movie made that stars an actor called Tugg Speedman whose career is on a downward swing. An all-star cast is put together to make this Vietnam War movie, but things get out of control.
The director is out of his depth handling a cast full of egos like this and he just cannot get them to do what he wants. This puts their movie on a slippery slope as studio executive Les Grossman says that if the director does not get things under control, the movie is going to be canceled.
Our director has a great idea to just drop the actors into the Vietnam jungle and have them “react” to things that he has set up and capture it all on the cameras they have. This is a great idea in theory, but the jungle they are dropped into is home to a drug-making gang that does not take too kindly to this.
We have these primadonna actors thinking that they are still making a movie even as the bullets start flying, people start dying and things around them start to go to hell! This is just such a great parody and even though I have seen it so many times, it never fails to make me laugh.
Cast and Performances
It is hard to think of a movie that has an all-star cast like this one. Ben Stiller as the action hero trying to get his career on track, Robert Downey Jr donning blackface for his method acting and Jack Black as the drugged-up comedian known for his fart jokes are just a few of the highlights when it comes to the main cast of the movie.
One of the highlights has to be Tom Cruise as Les Grossman who is not in the movie a ton, but it is honestly one of the most memorable roles he has ever had. Nick Nolte, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride, Bill Hader and Mathew McConaughey are just a few of the other actors here that spring to mind and I am sure that once I complete this review, more will spring to mind.
Conclusion
Look, enough rambling from me, just go and watch Tropic Thunder! No matter if you have never seen this or if it has been a while, you need to go and watch this! I get that some people cannot get past the “controversies” however, I think that they are part of what makes this movie work and if you take them seriously, that is on you, not the people who made it, this is a PARODY and should be treated as such, just watch it and have fun with it.
