Tropic Thunder
Paramount Pictures | Release Date: August 13, 2008
7.4
USER SCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 653 Ratings
USER RATING DISTRIBUTION
Positive:
482
Mixed:
97
Negative:
74
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User Reviews

User scoreBy dateMost helpful
6
Scorcher7Aug 17, 2008
Downey Jr. is a 10, everything else is hit and miss. Stiller still goes off on weird dope induced tangents that take from the "tightness" of the movie--overly silly but not really funny all the time. There are some funny parts, but no way is Downey Jr. is a 10, everything else is hit and miss. Stiller still goes off on weird dope induced tangents that take from the "tightness" of the movie--overly silly but not really funny all the time. There are some funny parts, but no way is this movie "classic" or a "10". A year after the DVD comes out you'll barely remember this except for Tom Cruise's creepy character and Downey's funny linesperformance.… Expand
1 of 1 users found this helpful
5
RikiegeDec 7, 2012
A 7? Am I missing something? I know the movie is good .. but it is a bit boring ..
1 of 2 users found this helpful11
All this user's reviews
5
RobertTMay 7, 2009
This movie was not in the least bit as fnny as it is made out to be. Seriously the only funny thing in the movie is Jack Black's character. That was hilarious. If someone thinks his movie is intelligent then they are insane. I really This movie was not in the least bit as fnny as it is made out to be. Seriously the only funny thing in the movie is Jack Black's character. That was hilarious. If someone thinks his movie is intelligent then they are insane. I really did not like the lame attempt at laugs, especially Robert Downy Jr.'s character and also Ben Stillers character was incredibly unfunny. Overall is if you want to see a dumb, mostly unfunny comedy then you should watch it, bu why waste your time.… Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful
4
JeffM.Aug 20, 2008
This was not a good movie. I feel dumber for having seen this.
0 of 1 users found this helpful
5
GrantC.Nov 28, 2008
I had high expectations, with such high scoring from critics (and raves from my friends, but high schoolers aren't the most trustworthy with films). I never thought it could be good. This movie was a giant let down. It wasn't bad I had high expectations, with such high scoring from critics (and raves from my friends, but high schoolers aren't the most trustworthy with films). I never thought it could be good. This movie was a giant let down. It wasn't bad per se, but it could never lived up to the high 71 average. I usually agree with the critics (my favorite films this year all have Metascores that are favorable or UA: 82, 85, 93, 63, 79), but they let me down with this stupidity. I laughed a few times, at the opening commercials, at... it's hard to think of much else. Just don't get excited about this movie, it' nothing special in the least. Entertaining and moderately amusing, but there are much better films to watch or even rewatch (Holy Grail for the hundredth time anyone?) over this.… Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful
5
SeanR.Aug 20, 2008
Funny here and there, I suppose if you like on the nose humor this is your movie.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
4
TedB.Oct 15, 2008
Just not quite funny enough? Lots of the Jokes fall flat but you're left amazed by the amount of money spent on them?
0 of 0 users found this helpful
4
BillGAug 18, 2008
Pushed by all the hype I went and Tropic Thunder today. The verdict: extremely over rated. There were a few clever parts and some amusing gags here and there, but mostly it was just silly and dumb. Afterwards I wished I'd gone to see Pushed by all the hype I went and Tropic Thunder today. The verdict: extremely over rated. There were a few clever parts and some amusing gags here and there, but mostly it was just silly and dumb. Afterwards I wished I'd gone to see Woody Allen's new movie a man who's humor is a little more developed than fart and "retard" jokes.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
5
JackH.Aug 18, 2008
Nice Schmoolie G.....Nice. I didn't see this movie, and probably won't until it comes out for rental. But nice review either way Schmoolie.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
4
NGRCNGRCSep 21, 2008
So disappointing, I don't understand how this film got labelled as a satire.... it's not, it's a spoof. Scary Movie in the jungle.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
6
JayH.Nov 12, 2008
Although it is an amusing premise, I was not quite as enthralled with the film as most. Robert Downey Jr. is great, and Jack Black dies well, but I had a problem with Ben Stiller. His one note performances are getting tiresome. Good Although it is an amusing premise, I was not quite as enthralled with the film as most. Robert Downey Jr. is great, and Jack Black dies well, but I had a problem with Ben Stiller. His one note performances are getting tiresome. Good cinematography. Entertaining but not very memorable.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
5
SchmoolieG.Aug 16, 2008
"Tropic Thunder" lambastes Hollywood for its excesses? Nonsense. This movie is just as much of a useless exercise in Hollywood excess as any other. What is supposed to make it funny is its self-awareness of that fact. Critics are grooming "Tropic Thunder" lambastes Hollywood for its excesses? Nonsense. This movie is just as much of a useless exercise in Hollywood excess as any other. What is supposed to make it funny is its self-awareness of that fact. Critics are grooming this to be the comedy event of the Summer. This is unfortunate, because it is at its essence a very generic comedy. Jonesing for your monthly fix of fart/blood/fat/gay/black/retard jokes? You got it. Can't get enough of that "white-guy-dances-awkwardly-to-hip-hop" scene that has appeared in every single big-budget comedy made in the past decade? Let's do it. Twice! There's no room for real satire when you're busy working with the broken formulae that make this type of comedy so derivative to begin with. The opening trailers are hilarious, and the first 30-or-so minutes had the audience rolling, but the movie is insubstantial at its core. There are definitely some funny moments, but my lack of interest in the characters made the time between punchlines drag so much more. Ben Stiller is the same old one-dimensional wacky Ben Stiller that you either love or are completely ambivalent towards. Robert Downey Jr. was the only one who gave the audience anything to chew on.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
6
BillyS.Aug 18, 2008
Take away the opening preview trailers, Tom Cruise, in what is sadly, his finest screen performance and Robert Downey Jr. and this would be lucky to rate a 4! Without them, this is just another Ben Stiller movie-for-the-masses in which the Take away the opening preview trailers, Tom Cruise, in what is sadly, his finest screen performance and Robert Downey Jr. and this would be lucky to rate a 4! Without them, this is just another Ben Stiller movie-for-the-masses in which the audience laughs at every obvious punch line while you sit there going "Was it really that funny?" No, it really wasn't.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
6
HalB.Aug 19, 2008
Pretty disappointing, given all the critical praise. Definitely agree with Scorcher 7 and Schmoolie G.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
4
JackBOct 12, 2008
Overrated comedy with a few big names which have captured interest. I couldnt even understand what Robert Downey Jr was saying most of the time.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
4
BobNDec 8, 2008
Maybe worth a rent. I have an odd sense of humor. Dry and odd humor with intelligence backing it is my cup of tea-or, absurdity which points out the stupidity of things present. This film was a huge let down. With the exception of a few Maybe worth a rent. I have an odd sense of humor. Dry and odd humor with intelligence backing it is my cup of tea-or, absurdity which points out the stupidity of things present. This film was a huge let down. With the exception of a few pefectly timed F-words, which were hillarious, and more perfectly timed F-words by Tom Cruise, this film is a huge failure. Funny? At times. Downy was this movie. Without Downy it would suck Booty Sweat. Intelligent? Hardly. A single episode of South Park has far more satire and sharp intelligence than this entire film. Zoolander, with its oddness and mockery of fashion has more intelligence. Ben, you make good movies between numerous loads of crap. This happens to be a crap with the occasional nugget. Maybe rent.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
6
Huggle-iciousAug 11, 2008
Hilarious, well captured, but in retrospect, just plain stupid.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
6
williamCAug 14, 2008
Best movie ever? Best comedy of the summer? It must be a pretty dismal summer then. A top notch cast , good acting , but too loud and really not wall to wall laughs. I get the references to Platoon and Apocalips Now , and there is some Best movie ever? Best comedy of the summer? It must be a pretty dismal summer then. A top notch cast , good acting , but too loud and really not wall to wall laughs. I get the references to Platoon and Apocalips Now , and there is some really funny bits , but they were spread out.Tom Cruse was funny up to a point, but this movie is very over rated and over hyped. IT played more like a test reel for each of the stars to do their "bit".… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
6
AlejandroC.Aug 15, 2008
It was all right. Not Great.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
6
NopieT.Aug 15, 2008
Some funning moments but a little short of my expectations. I got the feeling that lots of Robert Downey's best lines were lost in his weird Australian/jive accent and the overly loud, constant explosions and over-the-top music. Not bad Some funning moments but a little short of my expectations. I got the feeling that lots of Robert Downey's best lines were lost in his weird Australian/jive accent and the overly loud, constant explosions and over-the-top music. Not bad but not anything special.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
4
BrentA.Aug 19, 2008
I thought this was going to be a funny movie but I didn't get much laughs out of it. Ben Stiller's worst movie yet. (I usually love his movies).
0 of 0 users found this helpful
5
easymacAug 24, 2008
Wasn't too impressed with this movie. quite surprised that it got a 71 overall by critics as of now. funny parts were ok funny, but they were too few. wait for dvd, or skip it altogether.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
6
MarkN.Aug 31, 2008
Worth it just to see Downey play a black man and Tom Cruise's dancing.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
4
RoryP.Sep 29, 2008
Not very good. everything involving Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Cruise is pretty funny, everything else is not. A great cast wasted by a director who isn't taking enough risks in criticizing his subject matter, with a script that Not very good. everything involving Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Cruise is pretty funny, everything else is not. A great cast wasted by a director who isn't taking enough risks in criticizing his subject matter, with a script that isn't as sharp as we all wanted it to be considering the line up. Jack Black's presence is especially misjudged here, his not-at-all likeable character stagnating further through flat laughs and limp characterisation. His gurning is truly a grating experience to sit through. for all the high tech production values, this film is not very sophisticated in its satire. which would be alright if the film was actually funny. but, yunno, its not. It just looks tired… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
6
gm101Mar 7, 2011
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Let me just say that I thought the backstories for the characters were horrible. They were just typical cliched Hollywood stereotypes I couldn't even care for. But was the movie funny? Yes it was! Lol at Tom Cruise's rant to "Flaming Dragon"!… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
All this user's reviews
6
gracjanskiMar 30, 2021
This movie had his potential and even a big budget. Some of the jokes are also good. Tom Cruise is great, Robert Downey Jr. also was interesting.
But somehow the movie doesnt work and some of the jokes are not even funny.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
All this user's reviews
6
SAVJul 30, 2015
Demenziale commedia americana firmata Ben Stiller che prende in giro i più famosi film di guerra e lo star system hollywoodiano in generale. La pellicola si vanta di attori del calibro di Robert Downey Jr, Jack Black, Tom Cruise e lo stessoDemenziale commedia americana firmata Ben Stiller che prende in giro i più famosi film di guerra e lo star system hollywoodiano in generale. La pellicola si vanta di attori del calibro di Robert Downey Jr, Jack Black, Tom Cruise e lo stesso Ben Stiller. Un film complessivamente divertente anche se non un kolossal della comicità a causa di qualche esagerazione di troppo. Da vedere in compagnia di amici per passare una serata all'insegna del trash e delle assurdità.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
All this user's reviews
6
FilipeNetoMay 1, 2021
Films that satirize cinema always find their audience. In this case, we have a group of decadent actors, full of problems (insecurities, depressions, drug use, etc.), amid a chaotic and unprofessional film set. In order to get the most out ofFilms that satirize cinema always find their audience. In this case, we have a group of decadent actors, full of problems (insecurities, depressions, drug use, etc.), amid a chaotic and unprofessional film set. In order to get the most out of the cast and more control over the set, the director and producer decide to leave the main actors in the jungle, in their characters, for a mission on the ground. What they did not expect was that they really had to fight, since a group of drug traffickers, by coincidence, controlled the area where they were left. The film was a success, and ended up being nominated for the industry's big prizes including an Oscar nomination in 2009, one of the years when the statuettes were most unfairly awarded.

As can be seen, the script shoots in several directions when it satirizes the film industry: some criticisms are highly pertinent, such as that made to the financiers' power over creative freedom and the conduction of projects, the abuse of merchandising and advertising in films or the way in which actors sink into addiction, depression or other problems. There are several cinematographic genres criticized here, such as war blockbusters, cheap comedies and films with adult or provocative content (like the parody about monks, at the beginning). Such a film could not be politically correct, and here there is plenty material to offend everyone, starting with the dialogues, filled with heavy slang and offensive sentences, to racism (a white actor who paints himself to make a black character) and discrimination (a fat actor who is famous only for making a flatulence film or the use of jokes about mentally disabled people, involving a false film made by one of the characters). It is a film that will certainly offend a lot of people, but I deal with it very well: the politically correct has become such a dictatorship that it is good to question it. Unfortunately, from the middle, the film becomes more and more predictable and simple, until reaching a conventional end, that is effective and solves the story well.

Directed and written by Ben Stiller, who reserves one of the most central roles for himself, the film brings together a series of renowned comedy actors, all at their best, starting with Stiller himself, who does a truly successful job. The film also features Jack Black, who is perfect in his role, tailor-made for him, and also Robert Downey Jr., an actor I don't usually associate with comedy, but who has shown, continuously, to be much more than Iron Man. I especially liked the way Downey Jr. And Stiller played together, with dialogues that are both witty and provocative. Nick Nolte also appears and does a very good job on a secondary character. On the negative side, I would highlight the irritating work of Tom Cruise, who was given a character apparently as narcissistic as the actor himself, and the somewhat neutral and forgettable performances of Jay Baruchel and Brandon T. Jackson.

At a technical level, the film shows well how much it cost to produce: the sets are really very good and detailed, the filming locations were meticulously chosen and the costumes were carefully made. The make-up team also deserves applause for the amount of resources used and the way in which they knew how to use them: just look at the way Tom Cruise is unrecognizable, to give a simple example. Cinematography does not bring anything particularly good, but the editing was well done and the visual, special and sound effects are excellent.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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4
Wavy_YeezyMay 23, 2019
I didn't like this movie. Halfway through it was not interesting at all and I stopped watching it. Sure it has its funny moments, but other than that it's not that great.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
liamexeSep 7, 2022
Tropic Thunder was undoubtedly created by a marketing team, that much is clear. It is a substantial Ben Stiller cartoon car. As is customary when Ben Stiller's name is permitted on the director's chair, this one is superior to the majority. ITropic Thunder was undoubtedly created by a marketing team, that much is clear. It is a substantial Ben Stiller cartoon car. As is customary when Ben Stiller's name is permitted on the director's chair, this one is superior to the majority. I still believe that it would be funnier to simply switch on the camera and watch Ben Stiller interact with his mother or have sex. This movie must have been expensive to produce.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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