Tropic Thunder (2008)

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

When actors making a big-budget action movie are inadvertently set loose in the jungle, comedic hijinks ensue.

Spirited if not viscous sendup of the entertainment industry, and even though the joke is ultimately on the you, the viewer, this flick had me absolutely roaring with laugher in spite of it several times throughout (Ms. Bucket less so) and in shock and awe at an all-time comedy performance from Robert Downey Jr. who deserves an Oscar for playing an Oscar winner going after an Oscar.

[Guest themetfairy]

I concur with Bucket. I laughed a lot, despite the film's inherent silliness.

[Guest AG/DC]

Two votes, though, a four and a seven.

I NEED A CLUSTER!

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

There ya go. I gave it another 7.

Like I said its kind of insidious: They get away with making jokes about race and the handicapped that might otherwise be inappropriate by playing actors playing those parts: Downey not only plays white guy playing a black guy, but just to be sure he's completely detatched, a white Australian guy. Now, this is funny and worth seeing only because he does it so well, otherwise its kind of weak, both as a joke and a shot at Hollywood. I'd like to see Ben Stiller have the balls sometime to knock off the snark and take a real whack at something.

[Guest AG/DC]

Make a pitch. What did you have in mind?

[Edgy MD]

This was somehow both better and worse than I expected.

The character of Les Grossman might've had the ADL barking if Spike Lee was directing instead of Ben Stiller. But wow.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I believe some Jew film critics took issue with that character too.

I know having Cruise do that part was supposed to make you say "Wow!" at the end but I don't care one way or the other about Cruise, and I knew it was him not from his look but his voice: He uses the exact same voice he did saying "Underwear is underwear!" in Rain Man.

Downey tho: Fun knee.

[Edgy MD]

Yeah, I'm not wowing his performance, though I give him credit for being game. Just wowing the moxie it took to get away with it.

I understood maybe 42% of what came out of Downey's mouth.

[Guest themetfairy]

I cannot think of any time that I haven't loved Downey in a role. And his roles run the gamut.

[Edgy MD]

Interestingly, Ms. Edgy inexplicably rented 1985's Tuff Turf last week, featuring a young Robert Downey (no "Jr."in the credits). You get the idea that he (1) has had all along goal to subvert everything he does (even subversive films get subverted), and (2) usually finds a gay way to do it.

Were he and Spader living together at the time? You know, coitally?

[Farmer Ted]

Take out Cruise and a coupla the Downey scenes and this thing is in line with Madonna's best films. Not good.

[Guest sharpie]

Liked it at first but I got really tired of it.

[metirish]

We just watched this on HBO and were laughing like crazy for most of it, got a little repetitive coming towards the home stretch but the final scene had me roaring with delight.

Very enjoyable

RDJ = WOW