Tropic Thunder film review

Review

Cast & crew

Tropic Thunder

(2008)

Ben Stiller co-writes, directs and stars in this hilarious send-up of “serious” war movies and self-absorbed movie stars. Stiller plays fading Hollywood action hero Tugg Speedman, who's making a Vietnam war epic along with flatulent, heroin-addicted comedy star Jeff Portnoy (Jack Black) and method actor Kirk Lazarus (Robert Downey Jr). Career neuroses meet genuine peril when exasperated director Steve Coogan resorts to a “guerrilla style” jungle shoot. These pampered thespians are then plunged into the middle of a real battle with some drug lords who think they are DEA agents. In a great cast it's Oscar-nominated Downey Jr who steals everybody's thunder as the Aussie actor so committed to his craft that he's had his skin surgically dyed to portray an African-American soldier. The gags are sometimes silly but often brilliant, spoofing every war movie cliché without undermining the thrill of the adventure. SP

Contains violence, swearing, sexual references.

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Running time

102min

Country of origin

Ger / US / UK

Genre

Comedy Action Adventure

Original language

English

Screenplay

Etan Cohen, Justin Theroux, Ben Stiller, from a story by Theroux, Stiller

Theatrical distributor

Paramount

UK cinema certificate

UK cinema release date

September 2008




awards information


	Award	Category	Name	Nominee/Winner

	Academy 2008	Actor in a Supporting Role	Robert Downey Jr	Nominee
	British Academy Film Awards 2008	Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role	Robert Downey Jr	Nominee
	Golden Globe 2008	Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role Motion Picture	Tom Cruise	Nominee
	Golden Globe 2008	Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role Motion Picture	Robert Downey Jr	Nominee