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This topic comprises 3 pages: 1 2 3
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Author
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Topic: Tropic Thunder (2008)
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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."
Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001
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posted 08-18-2008 11:13 PM
Location: Carmike 8, Lawton, OK
Auditorium: #5
Format: 2K DLP
Rating: 3 stars out of 4
Tropic Thunder is a pretty "fearless" comedy. A year or so ago Comedy Central had a Top 100 comedians countdown special. "Fearless" was a compliment often given to some of the highest ranked comedians on the list known for edgy, outrageous material. This movie gets a lot of mileage out of skewering stereotypes of Hollywood studio culture. It does so in a cheerfully vulgar way. The movie isn't as unsettling as Blazing Saddles was for audiences in the early 1970s, but it deliberately crosses boundaries of bad taste as much as any movie made since Team America: World Police.
I laughed out loud during many parts of the movie. The funniest moments were in the fake trailers and early scenes. The laughs kind of dropped down a notch once the actors were "in the shit." There was one point in the movie where the storyline got a little too dark and threatened to go Back to the Future: Part II inappropriately depressing. Thankfully that instance was brief.
The movie had some hilarious cameos. The end title sequence was pretty wacky.
A certain part of the movie had me wondering if anyone involved with Tropic Thunder had read through the 101 page long HD-DVD/Blu-ray thread in the Afterlife forum.
One reason that pressed me further to see this movie was the "Simple Jack" controversy and the "R-word." I got an e-mail from my civic club's national HQ joining in on the protest and telling us all to stay away from that movie. Well, IMHO, the protesters don't get it. While it seems like Tropic Thunder is making fun of mentally challenged people, the real joke is on Hollywood studios, actors and Oscar voters capitalizing off of people with mental disabilities.
quote: Kurt Zupin
This movie will be quoted by many for months to come.
Yeah. The movie had some good lines.
"You are an American hero...now shut the fuck up and let me do my job!"
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David Stambaugh
Film God
Posts: 4021
From: Eugene, Oregon
Registered: Jan 2002
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posted 08-20-2008 10:02 AM
The local Register-Guard newspaper ran this editorial about Tropic Thunder yesterday.
Yes: An editorial.
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Satire or stigma?
Movie prompts debate over use of the word ‘retard’
Published: August 19, 2008 12:00AM
The national protest against Ben Stiller’s new satirical comedy “Tropic Thunder” has been an overwhelming success, and it will be remembered as an important moment in the ongoing effort by people with disabilities — and their families and loved ones — to change the consciousness of American society.
The protesters may not feel as though they’ve succeeded, if their goal was to keep people from patronizing a film that repeatedly uses the word “retard” as part of its plot. In truth, a boycott was the wrong objective, and it failed spectacularly. “Tropic Thunder” knocked the blockbuster Batman sequel “The Dark Knight” from the top spot at the North American box office last weekend, pulling in almost $37 million in its first five days.
But “Tropic Thunder” has done for the developmental disabilities community what no public service campaign could ever be expected to accomplish as effectively: It has drawn prime-time attention to the word “retard,” and all of its derivatives. It has created an inescapable opening in the civic dialogue for discussion of how hurtful and demeaning this cruel label can be.
Stiller, who also directed “Tropic Thunder,” plays fading action star Tugg Speedman in the film. Speedman’s most recent movie, “Simple Jack,” has bombed at the box office, and he muses about the failure with multiple Oscar-winner Kirk Lazarus, played by Robert Downey Jr.
Lazarus, a notoriously intense actor who becomes immersed in his roles, has undergone “repigmentation” to portray a black man in the movie within the movie in “Tropic Thunder.” He tells Speedman the problem with “Simple Jack,” in which Speedman played a mentally disabled farm boy who talks to animals, was that Speedman’s performance was too realistic.
“Never go full retard,” Lazarus advises Speedman, reminding him of the more restrained Oscar-winning performances of Dustin Hoffman in “Rain Man” and Tom Hanks in “Forrest Gump.” In contrast, Lazarus notes, Sean Penn struck out in the awards derby for his “full retard” portrayal in “I Am Sam.”
This is, of course, fiercely satirical skewering of self-important actors who try to elevate their standing by taking on such roles.
“Tropic Thunder” has given advocates for people with developmental disabilities a platform for a national debate about the artistic use of demeaning language. Rather than encouraging a self-defeating boycott, they should be saying, “See the movie if you want, but don’t leave without understanding why some of us aren’t laughing.”
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Chad Souder
Jedi Master Film Handler
Posts: 962
From: Waterloo, IA, USA
Registered: Feb 2000
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posted 08-21-2008 08:09 PM
Tom Cruise was unbearable. Absolutely unbearable. Ben Stiller was his normal, average, luke-warm, mediocre self. He gets the job done but 100 others could do just as well. The others in the cast had their moments, but suffered from a movie that focused far too much on shock value and not enough on real plot, substance, etc. I understand that was the point, but the two can co-exist.
There were a few good yuks, but overall it felt like it was about an hour too long. I think it was one of those self-gratifying projects that an actor would find hilarious, but it doesn't really relate to the rest of us.
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Michael Barry
Jedi Master Film Handler
Posts: 584
From: Sydney, NSW, Australia
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 08-23-2008 08:58 AM
I had a superb time seeing this with a friend at the fabulous Randwick Ritz in the main auditorium on the opening Saturday night. The audience definitely got it, and showed their appreciation.
The presentation, from the digital pre-show through to the final curtain following the end credits, was absolutely flawless!
Not a single piece of dirt or mark on the film. FilmGuard, along with John Wilson's excellent film handling regime, ensures this. What a pleasure to see a movie at the Ritz. Wow! ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
The fake trailers and ad for the soft drink had me crying with laughter. Unfortunately, the film loses steam after the first two reels, but the movie overall is a complete blast, which makes for a fun Saturday night.
Tom Cruise doing his funky dance thing was freaky weird (in a good way!).
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