Tropic Thunder |  | Director: Ben Stiller
Actors: Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr., Jeff Kahn, Anthony Ruivivar
Studio: Dreamworks Video
Category: DVD
List Price: $19.99
Buy Used: $1.99
as of 10/4/2009 09:02 CDT details
You Save: $18.00 (90%)
New (51) Used (92) Collectible (1) from $1.99
Seller: FamilyVideoInc
Rating:  295 reviews
Sales Rank: 1021
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Widescreen, NTSC
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Dubbed), Spanish (Dubbed)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 107 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: 350154
UPC: 097363501541
EAN: 0097363501541
ASIN: B001H5X7I4
Theatrical Release Date: 2008
Release Date: November 18, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
| |
| |
| Similar Items:
| |
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Studio: Paramount Home Video Release Date: 11/18/2008 Run time: 107 minutes Rating: R
Amazon.com
It's not really a knock to say that nothing in Tropic Thunder is funnier than its first five minutes, so sly that--especially for people watching in theaters--you don't realize right away they are the opening minutes of the movie. This outrageous comedy begins with a series of fake previews, each introducing one of the main characters in the film-proper (not that there's anything proper about this film) and each bearing the familiar logo of a different motion picture studio: Universal, DreamWorks SKG, et al. Such playing fast and loose with corporate talismans verges on sacrilege, but it's an index of how much le tout Tinseltown endorses the movie as a demented valentine to itself. The premise is that the cast of a would-be "Son of Rambo" movie shooting in some Southeast Asian jungle get into a real shooting war with drug-smuggling montagnards. Don't ask--though the movie does have an answer--why such highly paid, usually ultra-pampered personnel as superhero Tugg Speedman (Ben Stiller), Mozart of fart comedy Jeff Portnoy (Jack Black), hip-hop artist Alpa Chino (Brandon T. Jackson), and five-time Oscar-winner Kirk Lazarus from Aus-try-leeah (Robert Downey Jr.) should be running through the jungle unattended and very vulnerable. It matters only that the real-life cast has a high time kidding their own profession and flexing their comedic muscles. Bonus points go to Stiller for co-writing the script (with Justin Theroux) and directing, and to Downey, brilliant as a white actor surgically turned black actor for his role and utterly committed to staying in character no matter what ("I don't drop character till I done the DVD commentary"). Be warned: The movie, too, is committed--to being an equal-opportunity offender. Its political incorrectness extends not only to Lazarus's black-like-me posturing but also Speedman's recent, Sean Penn-style Oscar bid playing a cognitively challenged farmboy--or, in Lazarus's deathless phrase, "going the full retard." Others in the cast include Steve Coogan as a director out of his depth, Nick Nolte as the Viet-vet novelist whose book inspired the film-within-the-film, Matthew McConaughey as Speedman's sun-blissed agent back home, and Tom Cruise--bald, fat-suited, and profane--as an epically repulsive studio head. Two hours running time is a mite excessive, but otherwise, what's not to like? --Richard T. Jameson
Stills from Tropic Thunder (Click for larger image)
|
| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 295
 Robert Downey, Jr.---Excellent Performance November 19, 2008
Monika Hearne (Orlando, FL)
38 out of 46 found this review helpful
I never understood why Downey, Jr. received job after job after being released from prison. I knew he was a good actor, but his portrayal of Iron Man and his performance in this movie was just phenomenal (I never saw the Charlie Chaplin movie). I know this movie offended some, but my husband and I are Black and we missed some of the dialogue in this movie from laughing so hard. We were picking out family members who really talk like that! This movie is hilarious. It's unfortunate that Oscars aren't considered for these types of movies/performances. All of the characters in this movie contributed to it's pleasing experience, however, RDJ stole EVERY SCENE he was apart of. Great Job, RDJ!!! I'm now one of your biggest fans!!!
"It...mu...mu...made me hap..py." December 15, 2008
jewessjen (Minneapolis, MN)
12 out of 15 found this review helpful
I'm so embarrassed to say this but I love this movie so much, just bloody love it. I cannot even remember when something made me laugh so hard that I kept going back and watching certain scenes over and over. Robert Downey Jr.'s comeback is complete. As a 'black dude', he just nails it and never lets go. Believe me, you get over feeling weird about it immediatly, it's just too good, too freakin' authentic and hilarious- but NOT disrespectful. He's so good, so perfect. And JB...When Jack Black is `in character' in character, his New York accent literally made me cry. The skinny guy with the guts hanging out, hilarious, Hamlet 2, hilarious, just everything comes together perfectly. Nick Nolte? Nick Nolte?!
And it's all due to Ben Stiller who literally took every bit of his successes (Zoolander) and failures (Heartbreak Kid) and created this just absolutely pitch perfect comedy. It's been so long since I could say that a movie made me pee my pants with delight. Thank you, Ben Stiller, for the gleeful humiliation. I'm glad I was it at home in front of my Sony BRAVIA KDL-46XBR6 46" LCD TV when it happened. Yep, Mother Nature's not the only one who pissed her pantsuite.
Just one bad thing, Tom Cruise was creepy. Normally, I don't mind him too bad but in this movie, he was creepy and not fun creepy, just creepy. I think Stiller thought it would be fun to have him being so outrageous and yeah, it's fun but it pushed the creepy envelope for me. Tom Cruise is just creepy for me and I just think he's, well, creepy.
One of the best movies this year January 4, 2009
Natalya Zubareva (Brooklyn, NY)
7 out of 9 found this review helpful
This was a big year for movies. You had your Iron Man's and Dark Knight's but when you just want to sit back with your friends and laugh out loud, this is a great experience. This movie stars a great cast with people such as Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Tom Cruise and Robert Downey Jr. and they all do their job. I love how the movie gave some background on the characters in the beginning. The story is pretty much how they were trying to bring the book "Tropic Thunder" to the big screen and trying to do so, they get lost in the jungle and try to survive. The thing was a huge turn on for me, was that this movie was very controversial. The more it gets people pissed off, the happier I get. That's just my personal opinion. Anyways if you're familiar with any of Jack Black's movies then definitely check this on out.
Oscar Worthy Comedy ...AT LAST! April 6, 2009
B. Merritt (WWW.FILMREVIEWSTEW.COM, Pacific Grove, California United States)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
There aren't many movies that live up to the hype seen on previews and ads. Fewer still in the comedy genre that might have a shot at an Oscar. But TROPIC THUNDER does both thanks to a sturdy screenplay, perfect acting, and some of the funniest dialogue you'll hear this year.
Standing out amongst other ridiculous comedies that often go for the cheap-shot, Tropic Thunder hits higher comedic notes thanks to a plethora of items. First is the screenplay. From the VERY BEGINNING of the film, you immerse yourself in these characters' lives. My advice to movie-watchers is to show up early and watch the previews, as you're in for a not-so-subtle surprise. The "faux-previews" were an excellent way to introduce the characters and get an immediate feel for who they were. And who are they? Ben Stiller (Night at the Museum) stars as Tugg Speedman, an actor on the downward slide of success. Having been a big action star (think Sly Stallone), Tugg is having difficulties procuring decent roles. Although Stiller does a fine job as the actor-turned ...well ...actor, he doesn't hit the mark in terms of losing himself in the part like others did (see below)...
Jack Black (Nacho Libre) is Jeff Portnoy, a two-bit actor who's comedies are all about gaseous releases ("Everybody laughs at me just because I fart!"). He's also an addict and when he tries to clean up in the jungles of Vietnam, Black turns in some of the funniest bit lines of the film (many of which I can't state here and earned this film its firm R rating). In terms of acting history, Portnoy's follows similar terrain as that of Eddie Murphy in his fat suit films.
Brandon T. Jackson stars as Alpha Chino (need I say more? Yes? Okay). A rough, tough, black man with a gentler -- shall we say -- feministic side, Jackson battles his sexuality as well as his ethnicity.
Jay Baruchel (Knocked Up) comes on as Kevin Sandusky, the only "normal" guy in this cadre of demented and damaged actors. He envies their acting histories and has a bit of hero worship going on with one of them. He also turns out to be the glue that helps hold the gang together. Think Tom Hanks in Saving Private Ryan and you'll be close.
And saving the absolute best for last, we have bad-boy Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man) as Kirk Lazurus, a confused white man gone black, and lost amidst his multiple character personalities. Watching him peel back his personas toward the end of the film was sheer genius. Lazurus so immerses himself in-character that he doesn't come out "until the special features on the DVD." He's also tough to deal with. And he's an Aussie. And he's a great actor. Sound like anyone you know? Russell Crowe should rapidly come to mind.
The screenplay must get notice here, too. And mentioning that Justin Theroux had his hand in it. This is the same Theroux who starred in the sensational series Six Feet Under. He seems to have understood how to come up with comedy that isn't Dumb and Dumber, and hits the mark head-on.
The dialogue is simply astounding, especially when coupled with these well-knowns in the comedic field. But Downey Jr. is the real star here, delivering his lines with flawless precision and in a voice that irritates the heck out of Alpha Chino, a real black guy who finds Lazurus' constant in-characterness to be grating and insulting.
This is truly a phenomenal piece of cinema, with action and comedy meshed so well together that there's not a single moment for the mind to rest.
Oscar worthy? Abso-frigin-lutely!
Great fun; Best American Parody in Recent History December 16, 2008
Reef Shark (Houston, Texas)
6 out of 8 found this review helpful
This is a very funny movie that should tickle the funny-bone of fans of any war films, and any other comedy fans. Ben Stiller proves himself as being a better director than his previous attempt with Zoolander and Tropic Thunder is one of the best comedies of 2008.
We have a solid primary cast between Stiller, Black, and Downey Jr., but good old Robert Downey Jr. manages to steal most of the scenes from his co-stars as the white actor playing the black platoon sergeant ("I don't drop character until the DVD commentary").
There are plenty of star cameos, but the best (and most unexpected) comes from Tom Cruise, who plays a foul-mouthed, fat corporate executive. His cameo was originally intended to be kept a secret, but it was impossible to keep this appearance from leaking to the internet. Let me tell you, this man may want to move into comedy considering his current negative status among the public. He was SOLID in this movie. I would have never expected Tom Cruise to pull a role like this, but he did and he actually was incredibly funny in most of his scenes. The audience at my theater applauded when the credits showed his name.
Both Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Cruise are qualified for the Golden Globe nominations! Only reason I think Cruise wouldn't have a good chance over Downey Jr. is because of his little screen time, as opposed to Robert Downey Jr., who's present throughout most of the film. (Both were nominated for Best Supporting Actor in Comedy/Musical)
Other notable appearances are by Nick Nolte, as a Vietnam Veteran, and Matthew McConaughey as the Ben Stiller character's agent. Tobey Maguire also makes a humorous appearance at the beginning of the film.
Overall I was tickled, and surprised by this very well-balanced cast of notable actors. Every actor in here gets off some good jokes, and in different styles of comedy. This film had lots of different types of jokes, ranging from parody, satire, drug addiction, slapstick, and just plain silly antics. This film had everyone in my audience laughing at one point or the other, through its many references.
I felt this redeemed a long string of horrifically bad American made parodies. I never liked the work of Matt Stone and Parker with their shows such as `South Park', and don't even get me started on this `Disaster Movie' nonsense. Only notable films I could spot were made by the Brits, with such brilliance as Shaun of the Dead, and Hot Fuzz. Tropic Thunder isn't as good as those two films, mind you, but it certainly beats out all recent American made parodies. I never felt offended, or attacked by this film. It set out to entertain, and it entertained me from start to finish.
Tropic Thunder is great fun!
Showing reviews 1-5 of 295
|
|
|
