Tropic thunder

I watched Tropic Thunder this afternoon. It was better than I expected. Ben Stiller can sometimes be too much at times, you know? Adam Sandler and Jim Carrey also have this problem sometimes. I was pleased that the film was not a vehicle for any one actor so no one could take over and ruin it for me. I’m glad I watched it and didn’t expect it to be as good as it was.

Some thoughts, with mild spoilers:

• The fake trailers at the beginning were great.
• Robert Downey Jr. was fantastic. I never would’ve recognized him.
• Tom Cruise. I am not sure what to say. I never would’ve imagined him in a role like this. Can it be true that he has a sense of humour? Or did he just lose a bet?
• I enjoyed how the movie was the filming of a war story about the rescue of an American soldier from a POW camp, and the movie in the movie degenerated into a story about the rescue of an actor from a somewhat similar camp. Nicely done.
• Tom Cruise dancing during the end credits was inspired.
• At one point, when the men were trudging over the landscape, the green hills in the background made me think of Lost. Sure enough, the Vietnam exteriors were shot in Hawaii, as Lost is.
• At the end of the credits, where the copyright and Humane Society notices appear, I saw one: “DreamWorks Pictures did not receive any payment or other consideration, or enter into any agreement, for the depiction of tobacco products in this film.”

Tropic Thunder is not a film I’d say you have to see, but if you’re in the mood for a movie, you could do much worse.

Marquee poster ©2007 DreamWorks Pictures