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Tropic Thunder

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Tropic Thunder: A film that wouldn't be allowed today... or would it@netflixr160d

I think that this film gets legendary status not necessarily because it is a super-fantastic film - I mean, it is a good film but not like one of the best ever or anything - but because it represents a period of time that was just before everyone went super nuts with identity politics and dominate a lot of shows these days.

While it is stepping back a notch, the major streaming services really went wild with being super politically correct, being actually political, and doing programming that seemed to be attempting to program the audience's minds rather than entertain them.

Tropic Thunder just did whatever the hell they wanted to and especially in the case of Robert Downey Jr. character, they went down a path that would have set Twitter ablaze if it had existed at the time.

[src](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Film/Pix/pictures/2008/09/18/tropic460.jpg?width=465&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)

I likely don't need to explain the story to you here but in case you need a recap: A group of Hollywood types are flown out to South East Asia to do what they believe is a film only to accidentally end up stuck in the middle of a real warzone of sorts. Since they are all actors and not soldiers, they are very ill-equipped to handle this situation and at least at first, they don't even realize that what they are facing is very real, even when a producer gets his head blown up.

The actors revert to acting and feel as though the producers are going for ad-libbed footage and they act accordingly.

src

One part that sticks out the most and has become a very famous meme is the "never go full retard" scene. Now I don't know when and where the word "retard" became something that some social justice warriors latched onto and started to make it so no one can ever say that even though it is a clinical word, but it happened after this film. I saw a Tweet the other day that was detailing how a project lead for a tech firm who was doing almost all the work of his department was fired by some bitchy HR lady because he said the word "retard" in a staff meeting.

Maybe I am just older than a lot of people but retard was a harmless word that we would call our friends when they did something stupid. I also had a family who were friends with my family who had a child who was genuinely retarded as in he was 16 but had the brain capacity of a 6 year old. He was a lot of fun but we had to be careful around him because he was a lot stronger than we were and he didn't realize certain things like choking someone to death during playtime was not ok.

[src](https://nestflix.fun/img/simple-jack-1280w.jpg)

The presentation of "Simple Jack" would have gotten this show cancelled by a certain group of people who might have pressured the studio that this is not ok but somehow "I am Sam" was ok. Why? Well "Simple Jack" is comedy and "I am Sam" is a drama... I guess. I don't pretend to be connected with the people who make these unnecessary problems online.

The other thing was the obvious one of Downey Jr. playing in blackface.

[src](https://wallpapercave.com/wp/wp9364907.jpg?odnHeight=117&odnWidth=117&odnBg=FFFFFF)

It isn't just that he is in blackface but the fact that he acts black and talks black. That used to be something that we could do and people were ok with it, I think that most people probably still are but I do recall where Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel both made public apologies for their portrayal of Chris Rock and Karl Malone respectively, even though both Rock and Malone thought the skits were hilarious and absolutely zero people were offended.

I am happy to see that this social justice policing is starting to disappear though because there was a while there where these PC vigilante groups seemed to be doing everything they could to ruin everything that they could.

[src](https://www.maxim.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=788,height=475,fit=crop,quality=90,gravity=auto,sharpen=1,metadata=none,format=auto,onerror=redirect/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/les-grossmantropic-thundertom-cruise-screenshot.png)

Tom Cruise's character got a little less attention but I guess some attention seekers on the internet got there a little to late for the retard and blackface protests and sent for antisemitism as far as Les Grossman was concerned. At no point in time is Les defined as Jewish and i thought it was kind of funny that the internet police jumped in to say that this character was an unfair and inappropriate impersonation of a Jewish studio exec. So who is at fault here? Tom, Tropic Thunder, or the people online that just assumed he was Jewish even though that is never ever stated at any point in the film?

Some people just need to get off the internet and stop looking for problems where they don't exist.

I do love that out of Ben Stiller and everyone else that was involved in Tropic Thunder absolutely ZERO of them have made any apologies for this although they were for a while there, relentlessly asked about it. They are in talks about bringing the characters back and even though I do seriously dislike sequels that are made a decade or more after the previous installment, I hope that they do this just to stick it to the internet crybabies.

We have turned a corner as far as all of this PC crap in films are concerned and hopefully it is forever. Netflix and Amazon still try to do it every now and then, but the backlash is normally quite swift in the other direction from people that are dead sick and tired of everything being written in a sterile sort of way that is designed not to offend anyone.

In order for comedy to be funny, you have to take a chance at offending some people, that is the very nature of comedy. If the PC internet police had their way, comedy would simply die and I am extremely happy in a way that the crazy PC people took that stuff too far and the "normal people" voted with their wallets and now the entertainment industry is forced to return to what they are paid to do in the first place: entertain.

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›Retro Film Review: Tropic Thunder (2008)@drax623d

The prominent German military leader Moltke famously stated that even the most brilliantly devised plans never survive their first contact with reality. This saying is hard to forget for anyone who follows modern Hollywood, given the plethora of films that appear to be excellent ideas on paper (and in trailers) but fail to deliver as finished products. One example is Tropic Thunder, a film intended to be a hilarious Hollywood self-parody that satirises the excesses of the American dream factory in an unprecedentedly candid manner.

The film's plot is set in Southeast Asia, where a lavish Hollywood adaptation of Tropic Thunder, a bestselling book about Vietnam War, is being filmed. It features a diverse cast, including fading action star Tug Speedman (played by Ben Stiller), multiple Oscar-winner and method actor Kirk Lazarus (played by Robert Downey Kr.), vulgar comedian and drug addict Jeff Portnoy (played by John Black), and rap artist Alpa Chino (played by Brandon T. Jackson). While the stars differ greatly, they share a common trait: they are arrogant divas driving inexperienced director Damien Cockburn (played by Steve Coogan) to the edge of sanity.

Under pressure from studio executive Les Grossman (played by Cruise), Damien decides to shoot the film "guerrilla style"—sending the actors into a jungle rigged with pyrotechnics and hidden cameras, where they are expected to improvise their roles. The plan goes catastrophically wrong when it turns out that the jungle is under the control of an actual heroin-smuggling gang, yet the actors remain oblivious, convinced they are still filming.

Lead actor, co-writer, and director Stiller is one of Hollywood's best-connected insiders and possesses a talent for lampooning show business, as evidenced by his critique of the fashion world in Zoolander. When various internal jokes about Hollywood royalty are combined with an "R" rating—allowing for less restraint from censorship—Tropic Thunder had ample potential for top-notch satire. Stiller showed bravery by allowing Downey Jr. to portray a white actor playing a black character—a risky breach of unwritten rules regarding political correctness.

However, much of this potential was largely spent at the beginning when viewers—especially those familiar with Hollywood—are immensely entertained by the satirical jabs at arrogant action stars and Oscar-winning actors like Daniel Day-Lewis or late comedian Chris Farley. Perhaps the most amusing aspect is the parody of Coppola and his Apocalypse Now, one of the most overrated works in history of cinema.

Yet, it quickly becomes apparent that the film has exhausted its most effective satirical ammunition early on. The uproarious parody shifts into a far more traditional and predictable action-comedy where actors must become the superheroes they portray on screen. This leads to significant issues regarding the script's balance between humour and explicit violence, raising questions about how funny a film can be when blood spurts, guts spill, and heads fly. Some filmmakers manage this well, but Stiller and his crew are not Tarantino.

An even greater issue is that Tropic Thunder is at least fifteen minutes too long for a comedy of this type. The casting also leaves much to be desired. While Stiller performs adequately, Black is unusually subdued (and appropriately so for such a film), and Downey excels in his multifaceted role; many actors are wasted in unnecessary parts—especially Matthew McConaughey as Tugg’s friend and agent. The same can be said for Nick Nolte as original book’s author and even Tom Cruise, whose character appears in at least one scene too many.

The impression left by Tropic Thunder could have been significantly better if the expectations been little lowered. However, given such an extensive promotional campaign and the creators' reputation, it was difficult to avoid yet another Hollywood disappointment.

RATING: 4/10 (+)

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›Tropic Thunder (Film): Review.@martinmcfly2702d
I rarely talk about comedy movies, so I rarely decided to write a film of this genre to my list, however, a few weeks ago I decided to give Tropic Thunder a chance, so I wrote it down on my list, and today I finally decided to give it a try.

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Source <<

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Year: 2008 Category: Action Comedy. Director: Ben Stiller. Cast: Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr., Nick Nolte, Steve Coogan, Matthew McConaughey, Tom Cruise, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride, Brandon T. Jackson, Bill Hader, Brandon Soo Hoo, Reggie Lee, Tobey Maguire.

Plot

A group of actors are trapped in a jungle, while one of them thinks that everything is the work of the director and must be kept in the script, the others decides to take another path, however, both discovered that they are not the only ones in that place, but the forest is full of drug dealers who think they are DEA agents.

Opinion

Well, the film practically tells us how a group of very high profile actors, some at the best moment of their career, while others in decline, are participating in the same film, that it is about the Vietnam War, but that due the director's inability to control the actors the situation takes an unexpected turn in which they are left to their own devices in the jungle, where unknowingly, dangerous drug dealers are found.

The impression that I had of the film before seeing it was dismissed immediately, I pretended to find entirely a war comedy, but more than a comedy about action movies it is a comedy about Hollywood disguised with an action theme.

The film completely portrays each of those things that most viewers do not take into account, but that occur behind the screen at the time of making a film, as the novice director who can not control the ego of famous actors, going through the fact that the producer sometimes does not know who the director of the film is, because is only interested in making some money, the competition between the actors and references to other films, not to mention many other things.

The amount of familiar faces that the film has is quite high, some of the actors who participated in this film a little over 10 years ago, were not as important as they are today, and others, such as the Tom Cruise case, which appears intermittently, does it in a very different role from the one we are used to seeing him.

The film is very good, I really do not want to tell much, because it would lose the fun for those who have not seen it yet. However, for some reason I have the feeling that I did not enjoy the film as much as I should have, I think the movie is more fun than I personally perceive, but I think it's a purely personal aspect, I do not usually see comedy movies by own decision, usually I see this kind of film in television and when there's nothing better to seee, reason why I believe that it could be an influential factor for me, but not necessarily influential for the rest of spectators.

Trailer

Score

7/10

Funny movie with an excellent cast of actors and a pretty hilarious plot that will make the viewer get a good dose of humor.

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›Tropic Thunder - 10/10@evoman13127d

This movie has got to be one of the best comedies ever made. Robert Downey Jr.'s performance alone makes it entirely worth owning and watching.

Definitely adding to the Blu Ray collection.

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3 more reviews

I rarely talk about comedy movies, so I rarely decided to write a film of this genre to my list, however, a few weeks ago I decided to give Tropic Thunder a chance, so I wrote it down on my list, and today I finally decided to give it a try.