Avoid like Tropic flu. (Tropic Thunder (DVD))

Member Name: thegoldencat

Product:	Tropic Thunder (DVD)
Date:	18/11/08 (131 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Could be used in a seminar teaching the next generation how not to make films.

Disadvantages: All of it.

Overview
Tropic Thunder is classified as a comedy (something I'd take issue with) starring Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr.

Review
What plot there is revolves around the actually quite intriguing concept of a film within a film. The four main characters (Ben Stiller, Downey Jr, Jack Black and the guy not famous enough to be on the cover...) believe that they're being covertly filmed for the purpose of an action film while they blunder through a hostile Vietnamese jungle unaware that the danger they face is very real.

Now this could set the stage for an interesting and amusing comedy and the names involved seem to inspire confidence Downey Jr. in particular. Unfortunately the lead actors all seem content with spouting the terrible spiel in the awful script, obviously concentrating more on their pay cheques than making a decent movie.

Make no mistake, this is an unadulerated mess of a movie. An odious and rather sad belly crawl through the lowest forms of comedy acted and written with startling laziness and dearth of ambition.

There's certainly no dearth of big names however. Steven Coogan flops and Tom Cruise (why?) emabarrasses himself quite spectacularly and I believe I've covered the others. Few emerge with much credit. I suppose Robert Downey Jr. comes out of this mess best if only because he's the least awful. It rather depends on how funny you find the idea of a serious actor blacking up for comedic purposes. Theres obviously a taste issue here. Tropic thunder doesn't have any of that though so perhaps its alright.

One could easily make the mistake of thinking that even if this wasn't going to be a great film (which it isn't) it might be a laugh. A throwaway comedy lacking in class but ripe with laughs.

But no. This is an unremitting horror show from beginning to end. Its hard to grasp the big-headedness, the scale of the mis-placed ego that the creators and actors must have had making this. Because there seems to be a belief behind it all that everything Jack Black Ben Stiller and co. say or do is pure comic gold and therefore no effort needs to be put into the writing.

They were mistaken.

Not only does this film reperesent a new standard in unfunniness, it honestly seems as though the main players are competing with each other to deliver the worst performance. If so Jack Black storms to an easy victory.

Don't get me wrong, a lot of people will find this film funny, I wouldn't believe it otherwise. But no, I saw them there, in the cinema. Yes I heard them laughing heartily at Jack Black rolling around in the dirt like the pathetic bloated man-child that he is. But to me this is wholly unnaccountable. This is an idiotic comedy and I imagine only idiots will enjoy it.

Some things have clearly been forgotten. Or ignored. To pull off good slapstick is very difficult and requires a spark of brilliance. (John Cleese, Peter Sellers) Otherwise you just lose any dignity you had and everybody thinks you're an idiot. An unfunny idiot at that.

Yes new depths of tastlessness are plumbed, unamusing conceits are dragged out remorselessly, and people payed to be funny: aren't...for two whole hours...that you can never get back. You've payed money as well thats the worst thing. Its like getting punched in the face and paying for the privilege.

So what exactly has gone wrong? Aside from everything, that is. Well I'm going to say its a sociological thing. Comedies make a lot of money in the summer months. And lately there seems to have been an steadily escalating trend for fairly rubbish comedies that perform inexplicably well at the box office. (Meet the fockers- £250M) This shows studios that they needn't lavish too much time on quality control, just pick out a few star names and watch the millions roll in. You can hardly blame them I suppose. But If people didn't go and see these films they would go away. (Please stop watching them.)

Now this is an unnecessarily long film. I'm not sure exactly how long but it clocks up over two hours. But all time is relative and I've seen longer films that flew by. Watching Tropic Thunder seemed to take years. I implore you, if you prefer your comedies to be funny don't watch this film.

Verdict
Terrible.

Summary: Terrible.