Tropic Thunder (DVD)

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The cast of "Tropic Thunder" also includes Brandon T. Jackson as rapper Alpa Chino, who doesn't take kindly to Lazarus's blackface routine; Jay Baruchel as Kevin Sandusky, the only cast member to have actually read the script and attended training camp; Danny McBride as the film's overzealous pyrotechnic specialist; and Matthew McConaughey as Speedman's talent agent who refuses to allow his client to go without TiVo. McConaughey stepped into the role after Owen Wilson backed out following his much-publicized suicide attempt.

"Tropic Thunder" is definitely Ben Stiller's most ambitious project. Stiller not only stars in the film, but he also serves as the director, producer, and one of three co-writers. Stiller's writing partners are Etan Cohen ("Idiocracy") and actor Justin Theroux who makes his screenwriting debut with "Tropic Thunder." Theroux's writing obviously impressed Robert Downey Jr. as he was hired to write the much-anticipated "Iron Man" sequel.

Stiller apes several Vietnam War movies with the obvious references being "Platoon" and "Apocalypse Now." "Tropic Thunder" even features the staple of any good Vietnam movie, the classic 70s' rock soundtrack. Yet, "Tropic Thunder" isn't anything like the idiotic dreck churned out by the "Insert Movie Genre Movie" machine. It doesn't rely on lazy, random pop-culture references. Instead, the film lampoons the moviemaking process by not just breaking the envelope, but by ripping it into pieces, burning it, and urinating on the ashes. Right away, the audience is thrown into the insane proceedings by a trio of hilarious mock trailers shown before the film begins proper. The award-winning film starring Lazarus is a must-see and features a cameo I will NOT spoil for anyone. In fact, "Tropic Thunder" is filled with sidesplitting cameos that should be seen to be believed, including a certain A-list star who is nearly unrecognizable as a fat, balding, foulmouthed investor.

Honestly, the main reason to see "Tropic Thunder" and the main source for the film's buzz has been Robert Downey, Jr. as a black man. Or should I say a white man pretending to be a black man. Downey has seen his career skyrocket thanks to the enormous success of "Iron Man." His wonderful performance in that superhero movie is followed up by a riotously entertaining turn as an actor who goes way too far. Yes, it is controversial, but is it offensive or racist? Not at all. The point of the movie is to point out how ludicrous the acting process is. Downey owns this role just as he did Tony Stark. My only complaint would be the man does his part so well, I found half of his dialogue nearly incomprehensible. Stiller acquits himself well enough. The role is different from the usual put-upon men he plays in movies like "Meet the Parents" or "Night at the Museum" and more like the wacky roles from "Mystery Men" and "Zoolander." The rest of the cast is mostly underutilized or bring nothing new to the table, Jack Black and Nick Nolte in particular.

"Tropic Thunder" may be a wild film, but it is also a wildly uneven one. It does nothing subtle or low-key and it will not be to everyone's tastes. There were times when I laughed loudly in the theater or applauded at an excellently pulled off gag. There were other times when I found the zaniness grating or stupid. The plot is quite scattershot. It feels as if the writers could come up with the big jokes, but had difficulty stringing them together with a cohesive story. "Tropic Thunder" is a case where the film's parts are better than its sum.

Will's Film Rating: 6/10.

Video:
DreamWorks offer the movie in its theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1 using an anamorphic transfer. The image displays good color and definition, with natural facial tones and fairly strong contrasts. Black levels usually remain deep, setting off the hues, although sometimes things get a bit too dark; film grain is light but realistically present; and an overall glossiness seems consistent with what I remember seeing in a movie theater.

Audio:
As befitting any real action movie, the film's Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack delivers an abundance of surround activity, a wide frequency response, and plenty of dynamic punch. During the opening sequence, it's intentionally hard to hear and understand the dialogue, but don't worry about it; it's part of the fun. Bass is thunderous at times and the musical background is pounding; like the rest of the audio, though, they are always at the service of the film's raunchy humor.

Extras:
Disc one of this 2-Disc Director's Cut edition contains the feature film and several audio commentaries. The first commentary is with the filmmakers: co-writer, co-producer, and director Ben Stiller, executive producer Justin Theroux, producer Stuart Cornfeld, production designer Jeff Mann, director of photography John Toll, and film editor Greg Hayden. The second commentary is with stars Ben Stiller, Jack Black, and Robert Downey, Jr. In addition to all the talk, there are twenty-four scene selections; a series of trailers at start-up, with even more trailers in the main menu; a public service announcement; and English, French, and Spanish spoken languages and subtitles.

Disc two contains the rest of the bonus materials, and they are numerous. Things start with "Before the Thunder," a five-minute section with Stiller, the producer, and others on preproduction stuff. Next is "The Hot LZ," a six-minute bit on the location shooting in the film. After that is "Blowing Shit Up," six minutes on the film's explosions, and then "Designing the Thunder," seven minutes on the sets.

After those relatively brief featurettes is a twenty-two-minute segment, "The Cast of Tropic Thunder," covering Stiller, Black, Downey, Jackson, Baruchel, McBride, and Nolte. By the way, Downey says in his section that "Ironman" will be a trilogy, but it's hard to know if he's kidding or not.

Moving along, we get two mock documentaries, "Rain of Madness," a thirty-minute spoof of making-of docs, and "Dispatches from the Edge of Madness," twenty-three more minutes of satiric comments on the making of the movie. They're meant as send ups of films like "Hearts of Darkness," the documentary on the making of "Apocalypse Now." The "Tropic Thunder" ones do a pretty amusing job, but they tend to overstay their welcome.

No collection of extras would be worth its salt if it didn't include a series of deleted and extended scenes, plus an alternate ending, so that's what comes next: Two deleted scenes, two extended scenes, and an alternative ending, all with optional introductions by Stiller and film editor Greg Hayden.

Finally, we get a minute-and-a-half "Makeup Test with Tom Cruise"; a four-minute skit from the MTV Movie Awards with Stiller, Downey, and Black that is the funniest of the bonus items; thirty-three minutes of raw film magazine footage (before editing) called "Full Mags"; and three minutes of video rehearsals.

The two discs come housed in a double keep case, further enclosed in an attractively embossed slipcover.

Parting Thoughts:
"Tropic Thunder" is the closest thing you'll find to a Farrelly brothers comedy that doesn't involve the Farrelly brothers. It's filled with the same zany, inflated, often gross, off-the-wall antics that so many of the Farrelly comedies contain, and just as with the Farrellys, you'll find as many or more misses as hits. Still, when you throw enough gags at an audience, as this movie does, some of them are bound to work; meaning that you may find yourself laughing often enough to justify the time you spend with it.

Just be aware that the film is not for everyone. The original theatrical cut got a well-deserved R rating for profanity, crudeness, and violence, and this unrated Director's Cut with almost another quarter of an hour provides even more of the same. The Wife-O-Meter lasted about ten minutes before she gave it up and left the room. As I say, be advised.

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