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Tropic Thunder (2008)

R | | Action, Adventure, Comedy | 13 August 2008 (USA)
Tropic Thunder Poster
Trailer
2:30 | Trailer

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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.

Director:

Ben Stiller

Writers:

Justin Theroux (screenplay), Ben Stiller (screenplay) | 3 more credits »

Stars:

Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr. | See full cast & crew »
71
Reviews
Popularity
841 ( 275)
Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 10 wins & 44 nominations. See more awards »

Videos

See all 12 videos  »

Photos

See all 179 photos »
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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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 Dempsey Silva ... Special Effects Assistant - Vietnam Crew
See full cast »
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Storyline

Action movie star Tugg Speedman is on the downslide of his professional career. He wants to be considered a serious actor, but his latest serious role as the title character in "Simple Jack" resulted in negative reviews and ridicule. Comedian Jeff Portnoy is best known for his leading roles in sophomoric comedies, and may be less well known for his rampant drug use. Five time Oscar winner Kirk Lazarus is a serious method actor, who immerses himself in whatever the role. On location in southeast Vietnam, they are the stars of "Tropic Thunder", based on Vietnam war veteran 'Four Leaf' Tayback's memoirs of his rescue during the war, that rescue which was considered a near suicide mission for the assigned army force and resulted in him losing both hands. For his role, Caucasian Australian Lazarus even went through a controversial surgical skin dying procedure so that he could convincingly play a black man. Production is not going well since rookie director Damien Cockburn is unable to ... Written by Huggo

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

parody | film within a film | vietnam | film director | comic violence | See All (155) »

Taglines:

Get Some See more »

Genres:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | War

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for pervasive language including sexual references, violent content and drug material | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Details

Official Sites:

DreamWorks / Paramount [France] | DreamWorks [United States]

Country:

USA | UK | Germany

Language:

English | Mandarin

Release Date:

13 August 2008 (USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Tropic Thunder See more »

Filming Locations:

Santa Clarita, California, USA See more »
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Box Office

Budget:

$92,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$25,812,796, 17 August 2008, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$110,515,313

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$188,072,649
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

Production Co:

DreamWorks, Red Hour Films, Goldcrest Pictures See more »
Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

| (director's cut)

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
See full technical specs »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

In the "never go full retard" scene, Kirk cites Peter Sellers performance in Being There (1979) as a good example of how to avoid missing out on an Oscar by going "full retard", as opposed to Sean Penn in I Am Sam (2001). In reality, Sellers was only nominated for Being There (1979), just like Penn for I Am Sam (2001). See more »

Goofs

When Tran says "Ni shi biandan Jack," he continues to say it as he turns to his crew/gang members, with "Ni" meaning "You." He should have said, "Ta shi biandan Jack," "Ta" meaning "He/She." See more »

Quotes

Cody: [rigging a bridge with explosives] Oh my God! I'm going into catering after this!
See more »

Crazy Credits

Tom Cruise (as Les) dances and the end credits start. Scenes from the movie are mixed in. See more »

Alternate Versions

There is a director's extended cut which is available on the 3-disc special edition in the UK which contains more footage - runtime of overall film is 116 minutes on back of DVD case. See more »

Connections

References Night of the Living Dead (1968) See more »

Soundtracks

Frankenstein
(1973)
Written by Edgar Winter
Performed by The Edgar Winter Group
Courtesy of Epic Records
By Arrangement with Sony BMG Music Entertainment
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How many versions of "Tropic Thunder" are there?
Q: Is it possible for a White person to turn Black by taking a drug?
Q: What are the trailers before the "start" of the movie?
See more »

User Reviews

 
Best comedy in years.
13 August 2008 | by keenanfinkelstein – See all my reviews

I just got out of a midnight showing and I was absolutely blown away. I fully expect this to be a mediocre movie at best, but it surprised me in all aspects. It was well directed, acted, the action scenes were actually very well done and pretty epic, and most of all it was hilarious. I doubt I stopped laughing for more than a minute or two. I don't want to give anything away so I will keep it brief, but do yourself a favor and see this in theaters with friends.

PS. As a black man, I did not find Robert Downey Jr.'s character offensive at all. He was probably the most hilarious character in the movie.
537 of 814 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? | Report this
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