Chris CreeganTropic Thunder
September 1st 2008 04:12
image courtesy of wikipedia
The film brings the type of humour we would expect from such a pairing as Ben Stiller and Jack Black, but also introduces a different brand of comedy to the mix. This comes in the form of Robert Downey Jr, whose performance is arguably the film’s strongest point.
Downey Jr. is in effect playing two separate characters in the film: Australian actor and Oscar-winner Kirk Lazarus (a definite send-up of Russell Crowe) and African American platoon Sergeant Osiris, who is Lazarus’ character in the movie within the movie. He portrays the latter inoffensively, poking fun at the notion of stereotypes rather than playing a stereotype himself. Downey Jr's performance in the film is convincing and, at times, hilarious.
Tom Cruise, Steve Coogan and Nick Nolte all have small roles in the film that also add to the comedy.
The film parodies many movies, such as Platoon, Apocalypse Now and the Rambo franchise, and those moments should amuse the war-movie veterans who pick up on them. Tropic Thunder is also grotesquely funny at times, spoofing scenes from other war-films such as Saving Private Ryan that used such blood-n’-guts to create shock value.
The film contains a lot of funny dialogue, and some clever ideas that make it well-worth watching, with performances that are funny because they are convincing and not simply ridiculous.
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