Tropic Thunder

About Tropic Thunder

Tropic Thunder is a 2008 satirical action comedy film directed by Ben Stiller. The movie centers on an action star, a comic, and a serious method actor who unwittingly become real soldiers after being abandoned in a Vietnamese jungle during the making of their newest war film. The plot takes a dramatic turn as they have to rely on their acting skills to survive the real war.

Making / Production

The film was produced by Red Hour Films and DreamWorks Pictures and released by Paramount Pictures. The screenplay for Tropic Thunder was written by Justin Theroux, Ben Stiller, and Etan Cohen. Stiller aimed to create a unique blend of war-movie parody and Hollywood satire.

Actors

• Ben Stiller as Tugg Speedman, played both a vivid action star and a serious dramatic actor, delivering a multifaceted performance.
• Robert Downey Jr. as Kirk Lazarus, portrayed a controversial role of an Australian method actor who surgically alters his skin pigmentation to play an African-American.
• Jack Black as Jeff Portnoy, depicted a comic who battles a drug addiction while trying to prove his credibility as a dramatic actor.

Trivia / Interesting Facts

• Despite its controversy, Robert Downey Jr.'s role was applauded and earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
• The film features a fake trailer for a movie called 'Satan's Alley,' which was an elaborate parody of overly dramatic Oscar-bait movies.
• Tom Cruise's role as the aggressive studio executive Les Grossman was initially a secret, and he is unrecognizable due to heavy make-up and prosthetics.

Awards

Robert Downey Jr. received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Tropic Thunder. The film also received multiple award nominations, including a Golden Globe nomination for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.

Quotes

• "I don't read the script, the script reads me." - Kirk Lazarus (Robert Downey Jr.)
• "I'm the dude, playing a dude, disguised as another dude!" - Kirk Lazarus (Robert Downey Jr.)
• "There were times while I was playing Jack that I felt...(pause)...retarded. Like, really retarded." - Tugg Speedman (Ben Stiller)

Music, Soundtrack

• The soundtrack for Tropic Thunder was composed by Theodore Shapiro, providing a perfectly balanced score for the outrageous comedy and intense action scenes.
• Notable tracks include "For What It's Worth" by Buffalo Springfield, "Get Back" by Ludacris, and the original track "I'd Love To Change The World" by Ten Years After.