Tropic Thunder (2008)
Tropic Thunder (2008) 8/10
The first 30 minutes or so of this film is pure cinematic gold. The faux trailers that precede the movie are a riot and this hilarious satire effectively skewers Hollywood, which is kinda ironic considering that Tropic Thunder is the typical Hollywood film headed by A-list stars. The film is funny, affecting and it has moments of pure cinematic magic. This is not only the credit of a sharp script but excellent performance by its ensemble cast, especially Robert Downey Jr, who has had a great year at the movies. Also meriting a mention is Tom Cruise’s incredible but hilarious cameo performance which i didn’t recognise at first. Having said that once you realise its Tom Cruise hamming it up, you can’t help but be distracted by the fact that this is Tom Cruise in a seriously impressive disguise. However, and there is a however, this film is probably better as a shorter sketch than a feature length movie, because after the brilliant beginning, the plot which kicks in turns out to be largely hit and miss. There are still many memorable gags and scenes after the first act, but it doesn’t flow as well. Despite the rough edges, the all-round brilliant performance of its cast (which has already netted Cruise and Downey Jr best supporting nominations at the Golden Globes) makes Tropic Thunder easily the funniest film of the year and one of the best parodies in recent memory. Not only does it Ben Stiller star, he also has directing, producing and script credits. In short this is the best Ben Stiller movie i have ever watched. Seriously, as one of the best movies of 2008, Tropic Thunder is one movie you don’t want to miss.
