War is Comedy: Tropic Thunder

The summer movie season is winding down, with official “also-rans” hitting the theaters: titles like The House Bunny and Death Race trying to pick up some box office crumbs. Big winners for the season are Dark Knight and Iron Man, with Indiana Jones not far behind. If you haven’t seen Dark Knight or Iron Man, and you‘re in the mood for action, those are worth checking out. If you haven’t seen Indiana Jones, never mind. Shia LaBoeuf has a whole new thriller coming out on September 26. Otherwise, no real critical darlings opening this weekend, and the new arrivals get mostly middling reviews, including – sorry, Office fans – the Rocker, Raine Wilson’s attempt to play someone other than Dwight Schrute. But, still in a theater near you (probably several theaters near you)…

Tropic Thunder

This movie is about a bunch of self important actors making a self important movie about Viet Nam, Hollywood poking fun at itself, and here is what all the fuss is about: Ben Stiller plays a washed up action star who recently bombed in his attempt to portray a mentally challenged adult. We see clips of his film and it’s a tasteless, overdone, pretty much unfunny bit of business that probably wouldn’t have caused any ripples if it didn’t play such a key part in the Tropic Thunder story line. Fortunately it’s not the most interesting part: that happens anytime Robert Downey Jr. is on screen. In fact the mentally challenged thing is only funny when Downey Jr. explains to Stiller why the role didn’t net him Oscar Gold: “You went full retard, man. Never go full retard." Downey Jr. is brilliant of course, with natural style and timing on screen; in this ensemble cast he is entertaining even when he is at the back of the crowd, reacting to someone else. But when he isn’t on screen the film belongs to the supporting actors, especially Matthew McConaughey, stepping easily into the small role of Stiller’s determined agent, and Tom Cruise, almost unrecognizable as a megalomaniacal studio boss. Cruise is hilarious, actually. Weird guy, but funny. This isn’t the most memorable comedy but it’s a good time at the movies. Go see it, and keep your eye on Robert Downey Jr. He’s fun to watch.