the Mind’s Chew Toy

Synopsis:

A group of self-absorbed actors set out to make the most expensive war film. But after ballooning costs force the studio to cancel the movie, the frustrated director refuses to stop shooting, leading his cast into the jungles of Southeast Asia, where they encounter real bad guys.

Our Thoughts:

It seems that whenever funnyman Ben Stiller decides to sit down in the director’s chair, he comes out with a unique movie that has people talking - and Tropic Thunder looks to be no different.

While his first foray, Reality Bites, wasn’t exactly comedy gold, it did manage to capture the attention of a generation (and sadly managed to coin a phrase that was tossed in just for comedic effect “I’m Audi 5000″ - that’s how off the comedy was). Still, it brought attention to it’s stars and helped propel them through the next couple of years (namely, Winona Ryder and Ethan Hawke) - and was the hot topic of the day.

With The Cable Guy, he again missed the comedy mark, and instead came out with a film that was a bit too stalker-esque for many (but also seems to have lead for Jim Carrey to expand on the roles he’s chosen since, leading us to high points like The Number 23 (2007)). Again, however, the film definitely had people talking.

When all hope seemed lost of Ben Stiller directing something that was actually funny, along came Zoolander, which turned out to be funny by poking fun at the empty-headed personas associated with male models. While the plot was outrageous to say the least, Ben and co-star Owen Wilson turned the film into a hilarious comedic romp that hasn’t lost any of it’s comic gold with repeated viewings.

Now, Ben takes on war films in his new “spoof,” Tropic Thunder, and tosses Robert Downey Jr. and funnyman Jack Black into the mix. This seems the perfect time to cast Robert Downey, Jr., as he’s already riding a wave of pre-release excitement over his upcoming role in Iron Man (2008) (and with Jon Favreau helming that one, it looks like it’s actually going to live up to it’s hype). Totally changing his appearance (and skin coloring) is a good idea, however, as there’s a good chance that Stiller won’t want the image of Iron Man overshadowing Downey Jr.’s role.

And then there’s Jack Black, who can do no wrong as of late. Whether he’s appealing to special effects/Lord Of The Rings fans with his turn in King Kong, showing he still keeps in touch with his old stoner pals with Tenacious D In The Pick Of Destiny or wowing the indie crowd with Be Kind Rewind (2008), he’s getting himself in good with every type of movie goer out there - thus creating a bigger drawing power for himself. He’s either extremely smart, career-wise - or insanely lucky. Either way, he should turn in another decent performance in Tropic Thunder.

Sure, some might say that this is only a big-name version of Delta Farce (2007), but I’m hoping against hope that those folks are wrong. While Delta Farce (2007) seemed entirely forced (at least in the previews - I haven’t gotten around to watching the entire thing yet), Tropic Thunder looks to keep the laughter flowing fast and freely. Plus, Jack Black is a much higher caliber of comedian than ol’ Larry The Cable Guy.

If Stiller’s directorial track record keeps up, Tropic Thunder should be his funniest movie yet - and probably his most popular. Let’s hope so - he’s about the only comedian out there not jumping on the Apatow bandwagon, and we all need a little diversity, right?