If you're heading out to the multiplex this weekend, make sure you arrive on time. Without question, the funniest scenes in "Tropic Thunder" occur before the movie even begins. A series of phony ads and trailers are used to introduce us to the film's four main characters. Hip-hop superstar Alpa Chino (Brandon T. Jackson) hawks his "Booty Sweat" energy drink. Gross-out comedian Jeff Portnoy (Jack Black) plays a variety of flatulent characters in "The Fatties". Action star Tugg Speedman (Ben Stiller) ushers in the umpteenth "Scorcher" sequel. But the Best Trailer Ever award goes to "Satan's Alley" — a story of forbidden love in a remote monastery, starring Australian Oscar-winner Kirk Lazarus (Robert Downey, Jr.) and none other than Tobey Maguire.
As the film begins, we join our stars on location in Vietnam, filming "Tropic Thunder" — touted as the biggest war movie ever. Speedman is looking for a hit as war hero "Four Leaf" Tayback, while method actor Lazarus portrays the African-American sergeant. This improbable casting does not sit well with Alpa Chino, who is relegated to a supporting role. Portnoy is more concerned with the whereabouts of his drugs than in character development, while newbie actor Kevin Sandusky (Jay Baruchel) is just happy to be in the film.
Only days into filming, the production is already over budget. Plagued by cost overruns, a screaming studio boss and the diva demands of his pampered cast, director Damien Cockburn (Steve Coogan) is at his wits end. Faced with shut down, Cockburn is persuaded by the technical advisor — the real "Four Leaf" Tayback (Nick Nolte) — to take his cast deep into the jungle and shoot "guerrilla style". With trees wired with hidden cameras and pyrotechnics, Cockburn hopes to get real, honest reactions from his actors. Things quickly go awry when they inadvertently venture into the territory of heavily armed drug runners, whom the actors mistakenly believe are part of the production.
Like its main characters, "Tropic Thunder" tends to slog around a bit in the jungle, occasionally finding its comedic footing. While never quite reaching the brilliance of the opening trailers, it is nonetheless a surprisingly smart, pointed look at the Hollywood system. Co-written (with Justin Theroux and Etan Cohen), produced and directed by Stiller, "Tropic Thunder" is not only a clever action movie parody, but a multi-layered satire that bites the hand that feeds it.
Like his character, Tugg Speedman, Stiller is an actor whose star has been on the wane of late. The film represents a chance for both Stiller and his character to recapture a bit of their past glory. If that isn't meta enough for you, fading mega star (and Stiller's frequent parody target) Tom Cruise appears in a featured cameo as cutthroat studio head Lou Grossman. In a fat suit, bald cap and beard, Cruise is recognizable only by his voice and the crazy intensity of his eyes. It's a strangely hypnotic, funny and squirm-inducing performance that may just put Cruise back in the audience's good graces.
While Stiller and Cruise admirably fight to win back audiences, the film really belongs to Robert Downey, Jr. In another beyond-meta performance, Downey plays two roles in one: an Australian character actor playing an African-American army sergeant. As Kirk Lazarus, Downey brilliantly parodies method actors like Russell Crowe, adopting an Aussie growl and spouting self-important theories on the "craft" of acting. As Sgt. Lincoln Osiris, Lazarus immerses himself in the character and stays there. He hides his blond hair and blue eyes with a wig and contact lenses and has his skin darkened in a controversial medical procedure done only in Singapore. Despite going to extreme lengths for authenticity, Lazarus' portrayal of an African-American is based on black stereotypes (a fact lost on everyone but co-star Alpa Chino). Downey's high-wire act is amazing to behold. The scenes where Lazarus/Osiris gives Tugg acting advice is true genius at work.
Like Downey's role, some of the humor in "Tropic Thunder" could be considered offensive (the word "retard" is used frequently for comic effect). But the target of the humor is clear: movie stars. Pampered, egotistical, self-indulgent, award-grubbing stars - and the Hollywood system that supports them. So, yes, "Tropic Thunder" can be offensive, inappropriate and even bloody. It can also be pretty darn funny.
