Tropic Thunder

[JackFetch]

If you don't recognize that African-American actor standing between Jack Black and Ben Stiller, there's a good reason: He's white. In Tropic Thunder, an epic action comedy co-written and directed by Stiller, Robert Downey Jr. plays Kirk Lazarus, a very serious Oscar-winning actor cast in the most expensive Vietnam War film ever. Problem is, Lazarus's character, Sgt. Osiris, was originally written as black. So Lazarus decides to dye his skin and play Osiris, um, authentically. Funny? Sure. Dangerous? That's an understatement. ''If it's done right, it could be the type of role you called Peter Sellers to do 35 years ago,'' Downey says. ''If you don't do it right, we're going to hell.''

The film marks Stiller's first directing effort since 2001's Zoolander. With Thunder (opening Aug. 15), he takes aim at the sweetest target of all: actors. Downey plays one of a team of self-indulgent stars cast in the modern equivalent of Apocalypse Now. Stiller plays an action hero who has just adopted a baby from Asia but worries that ''all the good ones are gone.'' Black portrays a comedian known for performing multiple roles in a single film — his latest is called The Fatties: Fart 2. But when the film's director (Steve Coogan) and writer (Nick Nolte) get fed up with their prima donna cast, they drop them into the jungle to fend for themselves. The actors think they're doing some sort of full-immersion filmmaking, but the danger they're in is very real.

Stiller got the idea for Thunder more than 20 years ago while shooting a small part in Steven Spielberg's WWII drama Empire of the Sun. He's continued to develop the script as his own star has risen, which makes taking on his brethren all the richer — watch for cameos from Tom Cruise and Tobey Maguire — and all the more perilous. For starters, Hollywood satires have a rocky box office record. And then there's that little issue of a white guy playing a black guy. Stiller says that he and Downey always stayed focused on the fact that they were skewering insufferable actors, not African-Americans. ''I was trying to push it as far as you can within reality,'' Stiller explains. ''I had no idea how people would respond to it.'' He recently screened a rough cut of the film and it scored high with African-Americans. He was relieved at the reaction. ''It seems people really embrace it,'' he says.

Paramount is hoping so: The studio plans to debut the trailer online March 17, and Downey is all over it. (In one scene, he tries to bond with a real African-American castmate by quoting the theme song from The Jeffersons.) Downey, meanwhile, is confident he never crossed the line. ''At the end of the day, it's always about how well you commit to the character,'' he says. ''I dove in with both feet. If I didn't feel it was morally sound, or that it would be easily misinterpreted that I'm just C. Thomas Howell in [soul Man], I would've stayed home.''

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20182058,00.html

I'm definitely a believer in Robert Downey Jr's acting ability now.

[Missy]

Do I :laugh: or ?

[drqshadow]

I think Jack Black is every bit as unrecognizable in that photo as Downey.

[tglancy]

This might be the greatest movie ever.

[Dan]

You know, I see that title, and it just conjures images of an 80s detective series where a guy solves bank robberies and hypnosis schemes with the help of a talking helicopter or something.

[Stavros]

Oh god, who thought you could skewer the Waynes brothers with high-concept comedy? This looks awesome. Downey looks totally authentic.

[Dread]

So. Excited.

I thought that was Don Freaking Cheadle when I looked at the picture first!

[Dread]

So, I just rented this. It was probably the most uneven film I have ever seen.

Looked good. Poorly put together.

I laughed out loud fewer times than I do at a mediocre episode of the Office.

The best part of it was the "Heart of Darkness" spoof in the Special Features. And the trailers. And Tom Cruise.

[Molly]

I could not disagree more. Holy fuck, this thing had me in stitches. Cruise and Stiller, two guys who I normally hate, were both awesome.

[Venneh]

I thought it was pretty decent. Haven't seen since I went to see it with my mom, which may have influenced how I felt about it; completely the wrong movie to go to see with parental units. ^^; Should probably change that.

Preston's and Dread's thoughts on Cruise are seconded; this was the best acting I've seen him do in a while.

[Dread]

I thought Robert Downey Jr. was old by minute 3 and Ben Stiller has never impressed me. I laughed out loud MAYBE 4 times and chuckled under mr breath a couple more. Two of the best lines are delivered by Jack Black of all people and the other three are in the trailer.

[Molly]

The whole concept is just great, and the dry execution fills it perfectly. It's completely absurd, and the actors are playing it completely straight. I dug it.

[James D.]

Clearly, Des has no clue what he's talking about and we should egg his front door.

[Venneh]

Rewatched this last night. Was a lot better the second time, especially because I wasn't watching this with the parents.

Also, congrats to Cruise on alternately making me laugh out loud and frightening the living daylights out of me as Les Grossman. oO;;