Tropic Thunder (2008)

Director:

Ben Stiller

Writers (WGA):

Ben Stiller (screenplay) &
Justin Theroux (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

13 August 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | War

Tagline:

The movie they think they're making... isn't a movie anymore.

Plot:

Through a series of freak occurrences, a group of actors shooting a big-budget war movie are forced to become the soldiers they are portraying.

Plot Keywords:

Actor | Drugs | Southeast Asia | Rescue | Heroin

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 9 wins & 16 nominations

Cast

Jeff Kahn	...	Snooty Waiter - Fatties Trailer
Robert Downey Jr.	...	Kirk Lazarus - Hot LZ
Anthony Ruivivar	...	Platoon Sergeant Shot in Head - Hot LZ
Jack Black	...	Jeff Portnoy - Hot LZ
Jay Baruchel	...	Kevin Sandusky - Hot LZ
Brandon T. Jackson	...	Alpa Chino - Hot LZ
Ben Stiller	...	Tugg Speedman - Hot LZ
Eric Winzenried	...	Chopper Pilot - Hot LZ
Steve Coogan	...	Damien Cockburn - Vietnam Crew
Valerie Azlynn	...	Damien's Assistant - Vietnam Crew
Matt Levin	...	Cameraperson - Vietnam Crew
David Pressman	...	First Assistant Director - Vietnam Crew
Amy Stiller	...	Script Supervisor - Vietnam Crew
Danny McBride	...	Cody - Vietnam Crew
Dempsey Silva	...	Special Effects Assistant - Vietnam Crew

MPAA:

Rated R for pervasive language including sexual references, violent content and drug material.

Runtime:

107 min | USA:121 min (unrated director's cut)

Country:

USA | UK | Germany

Language:

English | Mandarin

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

UK:15 | Ireland:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Australia:MA | Canada:14A (Alberta/Manitoba/Ontario) | Canada:18A (British Columbia) (Canadian Home Video rating) | Canada:13+ (Québec) | Sweden:15 | Iceland:16 | Netherlands:16 | Finland:K-13 | Brazil:16 | Singapore:M18 | Japan:PG-12 | Portugal:M/12 | South Africa:16LV | Germany:12 | USA:R (NO. 44367) | Argentina:13 | Peru:14 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Philippines:R-13 (MTRCB) | France:U | Malaysia:18PL (cut) | Argentina:16 (DVD rating) | South Korea:18 | Austria:12 | Denmark:15 | Ireland:15 (DVD rating) | Hong Kong:III | Norway:15

Filming Locations:

Hawaii, USA

Company:

DreamWorks SKG

Trivia:

Tom Cruise co-stars as a vulgar movie mogul in this movie. Ben Stiller played Cruise in a sketch on Saturday Night Live in which Cruise played "Celebrity Jeopardy" and also played Cruise's idiotic stunt double "Tom Croose" in a sketch at the 2000 MTV movie awards.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In the news coverage early in the film, "province" (of Vietnam) is repeatedly misspelled "provence".

Quotes:

Alpa Chino: [watching Tugg reenact Simple Jack] Damn. And I thought the movie was bad.
Kirk Lazarus: Well to the man's credit, he has eased up on the retard throttle.

Movie Connections:

References "Great Performances: Cats" (1998)

Soundtrack:

Cum On Feel the Noize

Sharp Satire

'Tropic Thunder' is the sharpest, nastiest, and most honest parody of Hollywood since Altman's 'The Player'.

If Doweny Jr. in black face, the script's use of "retard", or the politically incorrect humor offends you, you're missing the point.

Only Russel Crowe, Robin Williams, and Harvey Weinstein should take offense. The parodies of their personalities, their films, and their business tactics are downright cruel. (But, so, so true, and so brilliant.) I must credit every actor -- particularly Downey Jr. and Cruise -- for their performances, and for making their characters more than stereotypes for cheap laughs.

The more you know about Hollywood, the more you will appreciate the film. If not, just go and laugh at the genre. It takes balls to leave in a scene discussing how Blue-Ray conquered HD-DVD (and expect anyone to fine it funny). But it is funny.

To utterly relish the insanity, brush up on 'Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse'.

They got it so right. So, so, so right.