Tropic Thunder

I have no desire to ever see Jack Black in his underwear again.

Despite that horrifying vision, though, there is much about the movie "Tropic Thunder" that I did enjoy. As always, Robert Downey, Jr. is a delight; probably deserves an Oscar nomination. And as always, Ben Stiller creates a character whose cluelessness makes everyone in the audience feel smart by comparison.

You might expect this movie to be marinating in crude language, ridiculously lowbrow bathroom humor, and heinous violations of multiple political correctness standards...and you'd be right. Tropic Thunder is not for anyone who is easily offended.

So...I know that you're asking yourself "What did Terry, a sophisticated intellectual with such incredibly high standards of personal grooming, think of a movie that includes Private Ryan-level piles of guts, squallid and unsanitary jungle opiate production huts, richter-scale flatulence, and Jack Black in his underwear?" Well, the short answer is: "It made me laugh."

Since seeing the film, I have tried to explain to friends why I found the Robert Downey character so appealing...and I have failed miserably. In fact, I'm not sure how the idea for his character even made it past the brainstorming stage -- it's so ridiculous and difficult to articulate. But it works, and provides the central entertainment of the film. Of course, there are also a ton of digs at Hollywood producers and agents, movie previews, hip-hop moguls, people who care about stuff, and even the beloved Australians. The only folks who are treated with respect and portrayed with sympathy are the hardworking members of the Southeast Asian heroin manufacturing industry.

I'm not sure why I have such a hard time accepting Ben Stiller as one of the dominant forces in Hollywood, after all, he's made some of my favorite movies (Zoolander, of course, but Mystery Men is even better). Perhaps it's that his name is Ben, and I subconsciously associate him with others who have brought shame and disgrace upon the name (Affleck, Cartwright, Laden, There-done-that, etc.) I don't know. But the facts don't lie -- the guy is a major star and a major moviemaker.

Anyway, I won't spoil the movie by revealing the plot, or re-telling any of the jokes. I think the best way I can help you to understand how much I enjoyed it is to say this: I didn't hate Matthew McConaughey.

That is high praise, indeed. So, if you can handle grossness, profanity, and infantile crudeness (and could use a good laugh), go see this movie.

Have a great time!