Tropic Thunder - 3 smiles

One of the best things about “Tropic Thunder,” a spoof about movie making, is Robert Downey, Jr. He plays Australian method actor Kirk Lazarus who has been cast in a big budget Vietnam flick opposite action star Tugg Speedman (Ben Stiller), obese comedian Jeff "Fats" Portnoy (Jack Black) and rapper-turned-actor Alpha Chino (Brandon T. Jackson). The four are dropped into Southeast Asia for some guerrilla filming and become involved with a vicious drug lord before they are rescued.

One of the interesting twists in “Tropic Thunder” is that Downey plays a white actor who has been cast to play an African American character. And because Lazarus is a true method actor, he has undergone a radical medical procedure to darken his skin. Stiller’s script makes it clear that the joke isn’t on African Americans but on Lazarus who believes that darkening his skin and reciting lines from “The Jeffersons” will make him authentic enough for a role he shouldn’t have in the first place. Another topic ripe for satire is the way top Hollywood actors view playing a disabled character as a direct route to an Oscar. Lazarus’s analysis of why Tugg’s movie “Simple Jack” was a flop is hilarious. And again, Tugg Speedman is the butt of the joke, not the mentally disabled. And finally, Tom Cruise’s appearance as a foul-mouthed studio head, who has more hair on his chest and arms than on his head, is amazing, offering a perfect opportunity to satirize those who revere the bottom line.

There are times when “Tropic Thunder” seems to drag during the second half, but director Stiller provides enough pyrotechnics to waken any who may have fallen asleep. This is, after all, a war movie. “Tropic Thunder” deserves to be seen for Downey’s performance alone, another high mark in his resurging career. 8/17/08