Movie Review: Tropic Thunder

Directed By: Ben Stiller

Starring: Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black, Matthew McConaughey, Tom Cruise, Jay Baruchel, Brandon T. Jackson, Nick Nolte, Danny McBride, Steve Coogan, and 4500 cameos.

Ben Stiller, in his first directorial role since 2001's Zoolander, has created possibly the most epic comedy in years. To truly gross what Tropic Thunder is, one has to engulf the massive - I mean massive - cast in this film; think The Departed but funnier with dozens of more cameos.

The film centers mostly around Stiller's character Tugg Speedman, an action movie vet in the likeness of Chuck Norris or Steven Seagal, who is set to play Sgt. Four Leaf Tayback in the Vietnam War biopic, Tropic Thunder, based off Tayback's (Nolte) book. Speedman stars alongside Jeff Portnoy, played by Black, a comedy mainstay akin to Eddie Murphy, Alpa Chino (Jackson), a rapper getting his first shot at movies, Kevin Sandusky (Baruchel), an upstart actor getting his first big break, and Kirk Lazarus, played by Robert Downey Jr. It's already well documented through the trailers (to clear up any ill will) that Lazarus is the Daniel Day Lewis of Stiller's world, winning a total of five Oscars throughout his career, and going over the deep end to play his roles. So deep in fact he changes his skin color to play Thunder's black Sgt. Osiris. For myself, Downey has really climbed the personal latter of "favorite actors" for me, going right up there with Ewan McGregor and Clive Owen after Thunder and Iron Man.

As for the movie, it's really hard to ignore Thunder's two most surprising roles - Matthew McConaughey as Speedman's agent Rick Peck, and Tom Cruise as the hyper violent super producer Les Grossman. It's exciting to know that these two were actually in the movie, despite Cruise's public negativity, and McConaughey's awful track record in film. The two are grossingly funny, especially Cruise, and give the film another enjoyable edge. As for the central cast themselves, each of them comprise their roles to complete a movie that isn't only funny, but actually a damn good action movie. Tropic Thunder completely passes the months of hype, and delivers the summer's funniest movie; yes, even better then Pineapple Express.

Score: 9.1 out of 10.