Iffy for 16+
Showbiz satire is witty, violent, controversial.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that this hard-R action comedy starring kid favorites Ben Stiller, Jack Black, and (thanks to Iron Man) Robert Downey Jr. is really a satirical send-up of Hollywood culture -- from the stereotypical castes of actors and greedy studio heads to celeb-obsessed TV shows. Much has been made of some of the movie's more controversial sources of humor, including having Downey darken his skin to play an African-American character and a running gag about a mentally challenged man played by Stiller's character. It's all meant to drive home the movie's points about Hollywood, but you may need to explain that to teens. There's also a lot of gory violence (both fake and realistic) -- including a 12-year-old drug lord who's scary and good with weapons -- as well as enough swear words to make Quentin Tarantino blush. Drugs (use and manufacture) are part of a significant subplot, but there are basically no women in the film, so there's only brief mention of sex.
- Families can talk about satire. Do teens get that everything in the movie is satirizing formulaic Hollywood blockbusters, insecure actors, mindless celebrity gossip shows, etc.? What do they think about Downey playing an African American? Funny? Offensive? How is it different than the now-unacceptable practice of white actors performing in blackface for minstrel shows? And what about the "retard" characterizations? Ask your teens whether they thought it was amusing or off-putting, and see if they can explain their point of view. It will help them see the material critically. How does the movie-within-a-movie allow the filmmakers to poke fun at the film industry?
The good stuff
-
Messages: Robert Downey Jr.'s character is a Caucasian actor who undergoes a skin-darkening procedure to play an African-American soldier; while in character, his demeanor is purposely stereotypical. There's also a running gag about "retards" regarding Ben Stiller's character's portrayal of a mentally challenged man. Both of these issues are meant to illustrate the movie's theme: that Hollywood is full of self-absorbed prima donnas who need to stop being so insecure and egotistical. There's also finger-pointing at audiences who eat up tabloid fodder and mindless entertainment.
What to watch for
-
Violence: At first the blood-and-guts gore is fake (part of the movie-within-a-movie's makeup/special effects), but at a certain point it becomes real. Graphic violence includes a man's body exploding; a menacing young boy (possibly a young teen) toting machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades, and handguns; a decapitated head being played with; body parts strewn around; many explosions and close-up shots of G-4 and other explosives; a toddler knifing someone and being comically thrown off a bridge (but surviving), and much more.
-
Sex: The men discuss relationships, and one closeted character proclaims he loves "p---y" while another talks crudely about how he'd perform oral sex on the gay man in exchange for help out of a predicament. Other than that, just a quick kiss at the end between an actor and his date.
-
Language: Nearly every sentence includes explicit language, with very few exceptions. This is a contender for most on-screen "F" bombs of the year. Along with the constant "f--k"s, "motherf----r," "p---y," "c--k," "c--t," and other hard-R words make several appearances.
-
Consumerism: Product placement is mocked with a fake energy drink called "Booty Sweat." Real brands include Diet Coke, Access Hollywood, TiVo (quite prominently), and the Gulfstream V jet.
-
Drinking, drugs and smoking: A major subplot involves a heroin processing plant; a character is a heroin addict; various characters drink and smoke.
Fan Reviews provided by
4
Gotta see Downey Jr by chapman412yahoocom
The movie started out great. I couldn't think of a better way to start the movie to create the back story. The previews were part of the greatness of the movie. The second greatest part was the cameos. I won't reveal the second one but it a good one.
Overall, the movie started out awesome. It slowed a little in the middle but for the most part. Probably as funny as the modern classics (Anchorman, Wedding Crashers, 40 Year Old Virgin)
5
Tropic Thunder by scrapper11
I thought it was insanely funny, the whole theater was cracking up especially the character simple Jack. With a team of comedians like that it had to be. The story and plot were great! But it is not a movie for those who are always taking movies too seriously like the PC's and the race rioters. If you want to laugh then go see this movie now.
1
I have never been so offended in my life. by poiemacrane
This movie had great potential, but it was never realized. The idea was hilarious. The material was not. Whoever came up with blending the beginning of the movie with the the preview trailers was was brilliant, but the material used was so offensive it had most people in shocked silence instead of laughter (i.e. the "Booty Sweat" segment). The language was way over the top. The F-word was used more than all other combined. The graphic nature of the gore was more akin to "Saw" or "The Hills Have Eyes". I know that it is meant to make fun of the more recent war/action movies such as "Rambo", but it was way over the top. I was hoping for a good laugh. I usually get one from Black and Stiller, but I was mostly just embarrassed. The audience at my showing laughed at about 10% of the material (mostly from Robert Downey Jr.) but sat in stunned silence for the rest. This movie has a well deserved R rating, but I think an NC-17 would've been safer. I expected a lot more from the cast & crew
4
Not a bad comedy, but.. by ubstudios
Not entirely perfect either. The movie has its funny moments, but there are times when it felt the direction didn't know where to go. Was this going to be an action movie, or is it a comedy. The theater was full and it helped, thank god nobody used their cellphones, so freaking annoying!
If you're a fan of either Stiller, Black, or Downey Jr. see it.
Out of all of the performances, I liked Downey's the best. Black would be a close second.
4
Robert Downey, Jr. steals the show by KatieBC
I didn't think it was possible to upstage Ben Stiller in his own movie, but Robert Downey, Jr., playing an Aussie actor who can't get out of his "black soldier" character, does just that. Absolutely hilarious. Oh and be sure to get to the theatre on time. The first few minutes are HILARIOUS!!
5
surprise! by myka the awesome
i'm not a big fan of ben stiller.. liked robert downey jr. only after iron man... but i did like jack black so i gave it a chance. i found myself literally laughing out loud uncontrollably to the point where i almost peed my pants. if that's not indicative of a good movie, i don't know what is.
i'm glad my roommates haven't seen it because i would gladly see it again.
4
Tropic Thunder is an original spoof! by greenturtle21
For those wanting an entertaining film spoof with some original content, this is for you. While I didn't fall out of my seat laughing, it did have funny moments and the film as a whole was entertaining after a mildly slow start. Kudos to Robert Downey Jr.'s ability to immerse a character-in-a-character. Jack Black's drug riddled character was quite funny and Tom Cruise's character was so over the top that I was a bit disturbed, but couldn't stop watching anyway. As a whole, you get exactly what you expect from this type of movie genre with some bonus points for a better-than-average film idea.
This movie contains one gory scene where the entire audience made yuck sounds, and some over dramatic blood spatter (think Japanese martial art film). Very explicit sexual language requires a more mature teen viewer.
5
great comedy by jmmeye3
Right from the introduction (which begins without warning), Tropic Thunder is unpredictable humor that never loses its freshness. The plot is perfect for comedic action, and all of the actors are in top form, notably Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Cruise. The sarcastic, crass humor is so lightning fast that it is actually hard to keep up. I expect that repeat viewings will be just as entertaining as the first. Highly recommended!
5
Tropic Thunder by MovieFanatic889
This movie was a good movie. We went to a midnight showing of it because we had saw so many good things about the movie. The thing is:
*Some people have to take the movie as what it is.. A MOVIE. people were getting upset about the racial and disabilities comments. This is just a movie.
Now that it is done with the bad... The movie was definitely worth the money. I laughed the whole movie and it had awesome action scenes and tropical scenes. I loved the surprise characters and i loved how they made the movie that much more amazing.
I would really recommend seeing this if you want a good laugh!!!
5
Crass, ridiculous, and downright HILARIOUS by Nayari
When they say pervasive language and humor throughout, they are sincere. I flinched a little at the outright crassness of some of the things said, and there's at least one monologue in the film that uses the f-word twice every sentence. That being said, I wasn't offended or anything at all - the MPAA warned me, and it's a Stiller/Black film, so things are going to be crass.
That out of the way, I haven't laughed this hard in a long time. This film is downright fun. I suppose one little flaw is that the few times the film tries to really have a dramatic moment, it leaves you feeling a little awkward because you're waiting for the punch line - but with three comedians in the cast, there's never a dull moment. The actors are having a ball making fun of themselves and they take us along for the ride.
It's totally worth at least one show. The cameos are priceless, and Downey Jr. DELIVERS, (did you expect anything less?)