Tropic Thunder

Reviewed by:
Eric Alt

The Skinny: A group of spoiled actors out to film a Vietnam movie—played by Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr., Brandon T. Jackson, and Jay Baruchel—get lost in the real jungle and find themselves unknowingly up against a drug cartel.

The Good: The set-up is great, but the movie's real strength is the cast. Stiller (who also directed) gathered up an impressively strong roster—in addition to the main crew, there's Danny McBride, Nick Nolte, Steve Coogan, Matthew McConaughey, and an almost unrecognizable Tom Cruise. On DVD (especially Blu-Ray) the over-the-top Hollywood pyrotechnics really pop, and the movie almost looks too good to just be a comedy.

The Bad: Upon a second viewing, a lot of the jokes fall flat. Except, of course, those involving Downey, whose performance really is the high point of the movie. It also drags a bit when you're watching it at home rather than a theater, but that's also partially due to this being an "extended director's cut." Some of the added material is worth it (the on-set party scene has some decent jokes), but a lot of it was rightfully trimmed the first time around.

Best Extra: Stiller really does not skimp an inch on the extras, and this is a nicely loaded DVD package. The highlight for us was the Rain of Madness pseudo-documentary on the making of Tropic Thunder, the movie-within-the-movie Tropic Thunder.

Buy, Rent, or Ignore: It's worth the money because you really do get a lot for the price. Having this on your shelf next to Iron Man also reminds you just how thoroughly Downey ruled 2008.

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