Tropic Thunder

Tropic Thunder is as irreverent as it claimed to be in its promotion. It certainly works to its benefit. Casting Jack Black and Robert Downey, Jr. in roles that lampoon their peers and themselves is a hoot of the highest caliber, and softens any of the bullseyes painted on their Hollywood peers. This is an in-joke out and out, to the extent that the Hollywood it satirizes was part of its success.

The movie is funny and laugh out loud so. It goes for broke and pushes boundaries, but kept me from cringing 90% of the time with the realization that the people doing these ignorant, bizarre, unacceptable things are portrayed as ignorant and foolish and self-important buffoons for our amusement. We're meant to laugh at them and not feel bad about it. And I did and did not. So mission accomplished.

I could literally spend a couple pages just doing the fan "remember how funny that one scene was" thing, but suffice to say it has enough entertainment to engage all the way through. An unusually well executed movie considering all the hype behind it. My favorite comedy since Superbad from a year ago, and definitely a cut above Pineapple Express.

The cast is good. Sometimes they're swamped in chaos, but it chaos engineered for comedy even if it seems unorganized and mashed together. Props to the three stars: Downey, Jr., Black, and Ben Stiller for flexing their funny muscles (Downey, Jr. in particular goes to the mat to humiliate himself for the good of his audience). Nick Nolte also is appropriately gruff and grizzled in the first role that seems perfectly tailored to his inherent outlandishness. And Jay Baruchel is a capable and winning foil for the zaniness of his co-stars in Tropic Thunder the movie and Tropic Thunder the movie. Note - the hilariousness of Tom Cruise's cameo has been exaggerated. I found Matthew McConaughey to be a bigger surprise after his romantic comedy slumming.

****