Review of Tropic Thunder (2008) by Analisa H — 26 Sep 2012

Ladies and gentlemen, my respect for Ben Stiller has gone up ten-fold. While I wouldn't debate that Stiller had some degree of writing and directing talent, he has outdone himself with Tropic Thunder, a film that he had apparently been hard at work on for the past ten years...and anyone who sees the film should find this no surprise. But as much as I would like to continue singing the praises of Ben Stiller, or even give a few nods to the rest of the brilliant cast, most people will agree that the film's shining star is Mr. Robert Downey Jr. Some have allegedly protested what might be called a controversial performance, but I'd flat out call it genius. Yes, it's occasionally a bit daring, but practically every line out of his mouth is dripping with delicious hilarity. (And might I add that I found the Australian accent which he took on at the end of the film especially sexy.) For those of you who haven't seen the film, you might want to stop reading this review right now and go do something else, as the next part was supposed to be somewhat of a surprise.

Okay, good. Anyway, Downey unquestionably stole the film, but someone wholly unexpected came in a close second, and that is Tom Cruise. I was aware of Cruise's participation in the film from IMDb, but I had absolutely no idea what to expect from him, and his performance left me nearly in tears. I certainly hope to see more like this from him in the future. And also, he does one hell of a middle-aged, perverted white guy dance. Well then, I believe I've said enough...maybe I ought to just shut up and let this brilliant film speak for itself.