I honestly had no idea what to expect from Tropic Thunder when I went into the cinema. I've always had mixed opinions of Ben Stiller (Meet the Parents), Jack Black (School of Rock) and Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man), and a combination of all three seemed like it could only turn out in two ways: the funniest comedy ever made or a gigantic flop worthy of Uwe Boll (Postal). The end result therefore surprised me massively when it managed to avoid both of these expectations.
The end result is not the best comedy ever, simply because it lacks mainstream appeal. To put it simply Tropic Thunder is a film for people who watch, love and understand films. There was not a single moment that I wasn't laughing whilst watching this film, and the first ten minutes are probably the funniest minutes of cinema I have ever seen in my life. Regrettably the people whom I went to see Tropic Thunder with are the kind of people I want this review to apply to, and they didn't find the film even nearly as hilarious as I did.
Whilst Tropic Thunder offers some fairly accomplished jokes for the mainstream (Ben Stiller wearing a panda as a hat, don't worry it'll make sense... sort off) the majority of the jokes on display here are extremely clever and loving spoofs of some of the most beloved films, performances and actors ever to grace our screens (including a loving tribute to Heath Ledger's infamous method acting, obvious tributes to apocalypse now and a spoof of Eddie Murphy which just screams “please sue us!”) and it seemed a little to subtle for most of the audience.
The performances are superb across the board, with veterans Stiller and Downey Jr. in particular giving two of the funniest and most intelligent performances that I have ever seen. The direction is outstanding, especially considering that this is Stiller's first time directing and in spoofing some of the finest films of all time, he is setting himself a tall order.
On occasion the brilliance of this film did dwindle quite considerably, in particular the action sequences and gay jokes, which are both perfect examples of Hollywood dumbing down it's ideas in order to please the brain addled morons I like to call “the general public”. Thankfully the overall film doesn't suffer too much because of it, often because Stiller manages to fairly intelligently spoof some of the best action sequences ever made (who knew a spoof of Saving Private Ryans D-day scene could be funny?).
All in all, go see Tropic Thunder. If you love films then you'll love it, if you like films then you'll like it and if you hate films then what the hell are you doing reading film reviews on the internet?
8/10
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