Viraj's Weblog

I remember a few years ago a high school took their students to see Spielberg's "Schindler's List". There is a scene where a lady is shot point blank in the head causing her head to flop back. Some of the students in the theater burst out into laughter. I believe at least one of those students was suspended or similarly punished, and there was a whole controversy about it in the news. I knew it was only the beginning. Comedy is so subjective, and what is one day very serious, only takes time to become very funny.

I feel like Tropic Thunder is that student's payback. This is a movie where that kind of laughter is the main goal. It is really over the top. The violence and vulgarity is just insane, and the movie manages to be incredibly funny. Yeah, it's ok to laugh at the extremely graphic disembowelment of a soldier, because behind it all is an intelligent satire.

Robert Downey Jr. is pretty amazing in it. For those that don't know, he plays an Australian who plays a black guy. His scenes were probably the funniest. Some really like Tom Cruise's cameo, but I thought it was a bit overkill.

The movie basically pokes fun at the movie business, and the fake trailers at the beginning are actually hard to distinguish from the real trailers just a few minutes before. It reminded me of "War, Inc." but less political and more acceptable to a wider audience. It's great fun if you have the stomach for it. A choice comment from IMDB:

If you are offended by this movie, then don't see it. Go see Space Chimps (good movie), unless you are going to be offended by degradation of Life on other Planets, etc.

Yeah, etc indeed.