| Tropic Thunder | |
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 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Ben Stiller |
| Screenplay by |
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| Story by |
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| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | John Toll |
| Edited by | Greg Hayden |
| Music by | Theodore Shapiro |
Production companies | |
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Release date |
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Running time | 107 minutes[2] |
| Countries | |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $90–92 million[5][6] |
| Box office | $195.7 million[6] |
Tropic Thunder is a 2008satiricalaction comedy film directed byBen Stiller, who wrote the screenplay withJustin Theroux andEtan Cohen. The film stars Stiller,Jack Black,Robert Downey Jr.,Jay Baruchel, andBrandon T. Jackson as a group ofprima donna actors making aVietnam War film. When their frustrated director (Steve Coogan) drops them in the middle of a jungle and dies in an accident, they are forced to rely on their acting skills to survive the real action and danger.Tropic Thunderparodies many prestigious war films (specifically thosebased on the Vietnam War), theHollywood studio system, andmethod acting. Theensemble cast includesNick Nolte,Danny McBride,Matthew McConaughey,Bill Hader, andTom Cruise.
Stiller developedTropic Thunder's premise during the production ofEmpire of the Sun in the spring of 1987, and later enlisted Theroux and Cohen to complete a script. The film wasgreenlit in 2006 and produced byStuart Cornfeld, Stiller, and Eric McLeod forDreamWorks Pictures andRed Hour Productions as aninternational co-production between theUnited States,Germany, and theUnited Kingdom. Filming took place in 2007 on theHawaiian island ofKauaʻi over thirteen weeks and was the largest film production in the island's history. The extensive marketing campaign included faux websites for three of the main characters and their fictional films, a fictional television special, and selling theenergy drink advertised in the film, "Booty Sweat".
Tropic Thunder was released in the United States on August 13, 2008. It received generally positive reviews for its characters, story, faux trailers, and cast performances, with Downey Jr. being the most positively praised for his performance. However, the depiction of people with disabilities and the use ofblackface makeup attracted controversy. The film opened at the top of the American box office and retained the number-one position for three consecutive weeks, ultimately grossing more than $195 million worldwide before its release on home media on November 18, 2008. Downey was nominated as Best Supporting Actor for anAcademy Award, aBAFTA Award, aScreen Actors Guild Award, and aCritics' Choice Movie Award, while both he and Cruise received nominations for aGolden Globe.
Tropic Thunder, the memoir ofVietnam veteran John "Four Leaf" Tayback, is being made into a film. Except for supporting actor Kevin Sandusky, the cast — fadedaction hero Tugg Speedman who is failing to do more prestigious work, overbearing five-timeAcademy Award-winning Australian extrememethod actor Kirk Lazarus, closeted gay rapper Alpa Chino, and drug-addicted comedian Jeff Portnoy — all cause problems for the inexperienced director Damien Cockburn, who cannot control them, resulting in a $4 millionpyrotechnics scene being wasted. With the project months behind schedule, studio executive Les Grossman gives Damien an ultimatum: get the cast under control, or the project will be canceled.
On Four Leaf's advice, Damien drops the actors into the middle of the jungle, with hidden cameras and rigged special effects explosions to reshoot the film "guerrilla-style." The actors have guns that fireblanks, along with a map and scene listing that will lead to a helicopter waiting at the end of the route. Unknown to the actors and production, the group has been dropped in the middle of theGolden Triangle, the home of theheroin-producing Flaming Dragon gang. Just as the group is about to set off, Damien inadvertently steps on an oldland mine, and is blown up, stunning the actors. Tugg, believing Damien faked his death to encourage the cast to give better performances, assures the others that he is alive and that they are still shooting the film. Kirk is unconvinced but joins them in their trek.
When Four Leaf and pyrotechnics operator Cody Underwood try to locate the deceased director, they are captured by "Flaming Dragon" guards. Four Leaf is revealed to have hands; he confesses to Underwood that he actually served in theCoast Guard sanitation department, has never left the United States, and that he wrote his "memoir" as a tribute.[of what?] As the actors continue through the jungle, Kirk, and Kevin (the only actor who bothered to properly prepare for his role), discover that Tugg is leading them in the wrong direction. The resulting argument ends with Kirk leading the rest of the cast back toward the resort they were based at, as an increasingly delirious Tugg is captured by the Flaming Dragon guards. Taken to their base, Tugg believes it is aPOW camp from the script. He is then brought forward to the gang's boss, the 12-year-old Tran, who discovers that Tugg is the star of their favorite film, his first attempt at a serious movie (andbox-office bomb),Simple Jack, and forces him to reenact that film, several times a day, leaving him brainwashed.
Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, Tugg's agent, Rick "Pecker" Peck, confronts Les over an unfulfilled term in Tugg's contract, which entitles him to aTiVo. Flaming Dragon calls during the discussion and demands a ransom for Tugg, but Les instead delivers a profanity-laden death threat, believing them at first to be a rival talent agency. Les is uninterested in rescuing Tugg, instead delighting by the prospect of a large life insurance payout, if the actor dies. He attempts to bribe Peck with the promise of aGulfstream V jet and "lots of money, playa..."
Kirk, Alpa, Jeff, and Kevin discover Flaming Dragon's heroin factory. After witnessing Tugg being tortured, they plan a rescue attempt, which is based upon the planned film's script. Kirk impersonates a farmer towing a "captured" Jeff on the back of awater buffalo, distracting Tran and his guards so Alpa and Kevin can infiltrate, and find the prisoners. Kirk's insistence on following the script's poor writing causes his story to quickly fall apart. Knowing their cover has been blown, the actors begin firing their blanks, fooling the gang members into surrendering. Jeff grabs Tran and forces him, at gunpoint, to lead him to the heroin supply, just before their control of the gang falls apart.
The four actors locate Four Leaf, Underwood, and Tugg, and cross a bridge rigged to explode, to get to Underwood's helicopter. Tugg initially remains behind,believing Flaming Dragon to be his "family," but runs back screaming, chased by an angry horde of soldiers. Four Leaf destroys the bridge, rescuing Tugg, but as the helicopter takes off, Tran fires anRPG at the helicopter. Rick unexpectedly stumbles out of the jungle, and saves them (by throwing a TiVo box into the rocket's path). The crew return toHollywood, and footage from the hidden cameras is compiled into the feature filmTropic Blunder, which becomes a major critical and commercial success. The film wins Tugg his first Academy Award, which Kirk presents to him at the ceremony.
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Several actors and celebrities portray themselves, includingTobey Maguire,Tyra Banks,Maria Menounos,Martin Lawrence,The Mooney Suzuki,Jason Bateman,Lance Bass,Jennifer Love Hewitt,Alicia Silverstone,Christine Taylor,Mini Anden,Anthony Ruivivar,Rachel Avery, andJon Voight. Co-writerJustin Theroux appears in two brief roles as aUH-1 Huey gunner and thedisc jockey fromZoolander (shown in a deleted scene).[19][20]
... I feel the tone of the movie is its own thing. I think there are elements of satire, but I don't think it should be categorized just as that. There are elements of parody in it, but obviously I don't think it's just that. I feel like hopefully it's its own thing, which has a lot of familiar stuff that we are playing off of.
Ben Stiller developed the premise forTropic Thunder while shootingEmpire of the Sun,[22] in which he played a small part. He wanted to make a film based on the actors he knew who became "self-important" and "self-involved" and appeared to believe that they had been part of a real military unit after taking part in boot camps to prepare for war film roles.[23][24]
Co-writer Justin Theroux revealed that the initial script concept was to have actors go to a mock boot camp and return withpost-traumatic stress disorder.[25] The final script was developed to satirize Vietnam War films such asApocalypse Now,Rambo,Missing in Action,Platoon,Full Metal Jacket,Hamburger Hill, andThe Deer Hunter.[26][27] Theroux pointed out that viewers have an increased awareness of the inner workings of Hollywood due to celebrity websites and Hollywood news sources, so the script was easier to write.[24] Dialogue for unscripted portions of the storyboard was developed on set by the actors or was improvised.[28]
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Stiller's original plan was to castKeanu Reeves as Tugg Speedman and himself as Rick Peck.[29]Etan Cohen created the role of Kirk Lazarus as a way of lampooning the great lengths that some method actors go to depict a role.[22][30] Robert Downey Jr. was approached by Stiller about the part while on vacation inHawaii.[31] Downey said onCBS'sThe Early Show that his first reaction was, "This is the stupidest idea I've ever heard!" and that Stiller responded, "Yeah, I know – isn't it great?"[32] In another interview, Downey said that he accepted the part but, having no idea where or even how to start building the character of Lazarus, eventually settled on ajive-esque speech pattern and a ragged bass voice; he then auditioned Lazarus's voice over the phone to Stiller, who approved the characterization immediately.[10] Downey revealed that he modeled the character on actorsRussell Crowe,Colin Farrell, andDaniel Day-Lewis.[33] The initial script was written for Downey's character to be Irish, but was altered after Downey stated he could improvise better as an Australian, having previously played a similar outlandish Australian character in the filmNatural Born Killers.[34] Downey's practice of remaining in character between takes and even off the film set was also written into the script for his character to perform.[35] Downey required between one-and-a-half and two hours of makeup application.[36][37] According to Downey, "One makeup artist would start on one side of my face and a second makeup artist would start on the other side, and then they'd meet in the middle."[37]
Downey acknowledged the potential controversy over his role: "At the end of the day, it's always about how well you commit to the character. If I didn't feel it was morally sound, or that it would be easily misinterpreted that I'm justC. Thomas Howell [inSoul Man], I would've stayed home."[22] Co-starBrandon T. Jackson stated: "When I first read the script, I was like: What?Blackface? But when I saw him [act] he, like, became a black man ... It was just good acting. It was weird on the set because he would keep going with the character. He's a method actor."[38] Stiller commented on Downey's portrayal of a white actor playing a black man: "When people see the movie – in the context of the film, he's playing a method actor who's gone to great lengths to play a black guy. The movie is skewering actors and how they take themselves so seriously."[39] Stiller previewed the film before theNAACP, and several black journalists reacted positively to the character.[35]
Tom Cruise was initially set to cameo as Stiller's character's agent, Rick Peck. Instead, Cruise suggested adding a studio head character, and the idea was incorporated into the script. Stiller and Cruise worked together to create the new character, Les Grossman, as a middle-aged businessman. The role required that Cruise don afatsuit, large prosthetic hands, and a bald cap.[7][34] It was Cruise's idea to give the character large hands and dance to "Low".[40] Stiller intended to keep Cruise's role a secret until the film's release. In addition,Paramount Pictures refused to release promotional pictures of Cruise's character to the media.[41] In November 2007, images of Cruise wearing a bald headpiece and a fatsuit appeared onInside Edition, as well as on the Internet.[42][43] Cruise's attorneys threatened a lawsuit if photos showing Cruise in costume were published.[44] They approached various sites that were hosting the image and quickly had it removed.[45] A representative for Cruise stated: "Mr. Cruise's appearance was supposed to be a surprise for his fans worldwide.Paparazzi have ruined what should have been a fun discovery for moviegoers."[45] The photography agency INF, who debuted the image, responded with a statement: "While these pictures were taken without breaking anycriminal orcivil laws, we've decided to pull them from circulation effective immediately."[42][44]
Serving as a last-minute replacement, Tobey Maguire was available to be on set for only two hours to film his scenes inSatan's Alley.[46] Downey said he was amazed Maguire would agree to do the film and felt like they were creating a "karmic pay-off" for their scenes together in the 2000 filmWonder Boys, where Downey's character has a one-night stand with Maguire's character.[10] After Cruise vacated the role of Rick Peck,Owen Wilson was cast to play the part. Following hissuicide attempt in August 2007, Wilson dropped out of the film and was replaced byMatthew McConaughey.[47]
Southern California and Mexico were considered for the main unit filming, but Stiller selected the Hawaiian island ofKauaʻi, where he has a home, for the majority of the shooting.[48] Kauaʻi was chosen over Mexico because a tax credit was negotiated with the Kauaʻi Film Commission for in-state spending.[49] CinematographerJohn Toll stated that the island was also selected for its similarity to Vietnam, based on its dense foliage, variety of terrains, and weather.[50] Kauaʻi was first scouted in 2004 as a possible location to filmTropic Thunder. Stiller spent more than 25 hours over six weeks exploring the island, using all-terrain vehicles, boats, and helicopters.[48][51] DreamWorks gave the green light for filming in 2006, but preproduction lasted for six months, most of this time spent on scouting additional locations for filming.[7][48] Filming occurred on sets atUniversal Studios in Hollywood for the Los Angeles and interior scenes.[48]
Tropic Thunder was the first major studio production on Kauaʻi in five years. It is the largest production filmed on the island to date, and contributed more than $60 million to the local economy.[48][52] Tim Ryan, the executive editor ofHawaii Film & Video Magazine, commented on the filming on the island: "I thinkTropic Thunder will give Kauaʻi much needed and long idled publicity in the production arena.... It should put Kauaʻi back on the production consideration radar."[53] Preliminary production crews were on the island starting in December 2006, and principal photography began in July 2007, with filming lasting 13 weeks over seven separate locations on the island.[53][54] Much of the filming took place on private land as well as conservation status designated areas.[52] Casting calls on the island sought 500 residents to portray the villagers in the film.[53] Two units shot simultaneously on the island from the ground, and an aerial unit shot from helicopters.[55] Many of the sets and the bridge used for one of the final scenes were built in three months.[56] The island's erratic weather hampered filming with rain and lighting.[57][58] The crew also faced complications in moving the equipment and cast due to the difficult terrain.[50]
The film advising companyWarriors Inc. was enlisted to ensure that the war scenes looked authentic, including the attire worn by the actors. Former members of the U.S. military taught the actors how to handle, fire, and reload their weapons, as well as to perform various tactical movements.[59] The opening war scene was filmed over three weeks and required 50 stuntmen.[60][61]Animatics were used to map out the necessary camera angles for filming.[62]
Six companies working on different scenes and elements created 500 shots ofvisual effects in the film. These were at times altered weekly due to the reactions of test audiences in screenings.[63] CIS Visual Effects Group assisted with theScorcher VI faux trailer and twenty additional shots for the home media release.[64] To expand on the comedy in the film, some of the explosions and crashes were embellished to look more destructive. The visual effects supervisor Michael Fink reflected on the exaggerated explosions: "We worked really hard to make theCG crashing helicopter in the hot landing sequence look real. Ben was adamant about that, but at the same time he wanted the explosion to be huge. When you see it hit the ground, it was like it was filled with gasoline! It was the same thing with Ben's sergeant character, who almost intercepts a hand grenade ... Now, I was in the Army for three years and no hand grenade would make an explosion like that ... But it was a big dramatic moment and it looks really cool ... and feels kind of real."[63]
Filming the largenapalm explosion in the opening scene of the film required a 450-foot (140-meter) row of explosive pots containing 1,100 U.S. gallons (4,200 liters) of gasoline and diesel fuel. All the palm trees used in the explosion were moved to the specific location after the crew determined the impact of the lighting and necessary camera angles.[65] Due to the size and cost of the 1.25-second explosion, it was performed only once and was captured from twelve cameras.[59][66][67] For the safety of the crew and cast, the detonators were added one hour before the explosion and nobody was allowed to be within 400 feet (120 m) during detonation.[68][69] The explosion was made up of twelve individual explosions and resulted in amushroom cloud that reached 350 feet (110 m) in the air.[59][66] For the scene in the film, Danny McBride's character, Cody Underwood, was the only actor shown in the shot of the explosion. All the other characters were added digitally.[70] The explosion of the bridge in one of the final scenes used nine cameras to capture the shot, and the crew was required to be 3,000 feet (910 m) away for their safety.[61]
A trailer for the film was released in April 2008. TheCalgary Herald gave it a rating of 3/5, commenting: "This could either be good or very, very bad."[71] Gary Susman ofEntertainment Weekly questioned whether the film would "... turn into precisely the kind of bloated action monstrosity that it's making fun of."[72] The trailer received the "Best Comedy Trailer" award at the 9th annualGolden Trailer Awards.[73]DreamWorks also released ared band trailer, the first of its kind used by the studio to promote one of its films.[74]
Stiller, Downey, and Black appeared on the seventh-season finale ofAmerican Idol in a sketch asThe Pips performing withGladys Knight (viaarchival footage).[75] The three actors also later performed a sketch at the2008 MTV Movie Awards which featured the actors attempting to create a successfulviral video to promote the film with awkward results.[75] In September 2008, Stiller and Downey attended theSan Sebastián International Film Festival to promote the film. A screening was shown, but it was not chosen to compete against the other films at the festival.[76]
Between April 2008 and the film's commercial release in August 2008, the film had over 250 promotional screenings.[77] On August 3, 2008, Stiller, Downey, and Black visitedCamp Pendleton, aU.S. Marine Corps base inCalifornia, to present a screening to over a thousand military members and their families. The screening was on behalf of theUnited Service Organizations and included the actors heading to the screening by helicopter andHumvees.[78] On August 8, 2008, a special 30-minute fictionalE! True Hollywood Story aired about the making ofTropic Thunder. In video games, a themed scavenger hunt was incorporated intoTom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2, and Stiller allowed his likeness to be used in the onlineFacebook application game based on the film.[79][80]
As a tie-in for the film's release, Paramount announced it would market the energy drink known in the film as "Booty Sweat".[81] Michael Corcoran, Paramount's president of consumer products, commented on the release: "We're very excited, because it has the potential to live for quite a while, well beyond the film."[81] The drink was sold in college bookstores, onAmazon.com, and at other retailers.[81]
Several faux websites were created for the characters and some of their prior film roles. A website forSimple Jack, a faux film exhibited within the film, was removed by DreamWorks on August 4, 2008, due to protests from disability advocates.[82] In addition, other promotional websites were created for "Make Pretty Skin Clinic", the fictitious company that performed the surgery of the film's character Kirk Lazarus, along with one for the energy drink "Booty Sweat".
In mid-July 2008, a faux trailer for themockumentaryRain of Madness was released. The mockumentary was a parody ofHearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse.[83] It follows co-writer Justin Theroux as a fictitious documentarian named Jan Jürgen documenting the behind-the-scenes aspects of the[which?]film within the film. Marketing for the faux documentary included a movie poster and an official website prior toTropic Thunder's release. The mockumentary was released on theiTunes Store after the film's release and was also included on the home video release.[84] Amy Powell, an advertising executive with Paramount, reflected on the timing of the release ofMadness: "We always thought that people would be talking aboutTropic Thunder at the water cooler, and that's why we decided to releaseRain of Madness two weeks intoTropic's run—to keep this positive buzz going."[85]
Tropic Thunder held an early screening at the 2008San Diego Comic-Con,[86] two weeks before it officially premiered on August 11, 2008, at the Mann Village Theatre inWestwood, California and two days before its wide release. Members of several disability groups picketed before the premiere, protesting at the portrayal ofintellectual disability shown in the film.[87] The groups revealed that it was the first time that they had ever protested together at an event.[87] As a result of the protest, the normally unobstructed views of the red carpet leading to the premiere were blocked off by 10-foot (3-m)-high fences and there was an increase in the number of security personnel present.[88] No protests were held at the United Kingdom's September premiere.[89]
The North American release was scheduled for July 11, 2008, but was delayed until August 15, before being brought forward to August 13.[90] As a result of the move from July,20th Century Fox moved itsfamily comedyMeet Dave in the open slot.[90] The August 13 release date was also the opening weekends for the animated family filmStar Wars: The Clone Wars and the horror filmMirrors. Studios consider the third week of August to be a weaker performing period than earlier in the summer because of students returning to school.[91] PreviousR-rated comedies such asThe 40-Year-Old Virgin andSuperbad were released in mid-August and performed well at the box office. Reacting toTropic Thunder's release date,Rob Moore, vice chairman of Paramount Pictures, stated, "For a young person at the end of summer, you want to have some fun and forget about going back to school. What better than a crazy comedy?"[91]
Tropic Thunder was released in the United States onDVD andBlu-ray on November 18, 2008, three months after its release and a week after the end of its theatrical run in the US and Canada.[6] The film was released on home video on January 26, 2009, in the United Kingdom. Special features includeaudio commentaries (including one featuring Stiller, Downey, and Black, with Downey providing his commentary as Lincoln Osiris, a nod to a joke in the film that Lazarus never breaks character until he completes the DVD commentary), several featurettes,deleted scenes, an alternate ending. A 2-disc director's cut, with 12 minutes of extended footage, was also released, containing additional special features and theRain of Madness mockumentary.[92][93][94]
For the film's first week of release,Tropic Thunder placed on several video charts. It reached second place on theNielsen VideoScan First Alert sales chart and Nielsen's Blu-ray Disc chart, earning $19,064,959 (not including Blu-ray sales).[95] In rentals, it placed first on theHome Media Magazine's video rental chart.[96] The DVD sales in 2008 totaled $42,271,059, placing it in 28th for DVD sales for the year.[97] By September 2009, 2,963,000 DVD units had been sold, gathering revenue of $49,870,248.[95]
In September 2008, the film's producer DreamWorks Pictures split from Paramount Pictures and became an independent studio again, with Paramount's parent companyViacom having purchased DreamWorks in February 2006.[98] However, after the split happened, Paramount still retained the rights to all of the live-action films DreamWorks had produced since 1997, includingTropic Thunder.[99] It was later made available on Paramount's streaming serviceParamount+.[100] In 2022, aHDR Dolby Vision masteredUltra HD Blu-ray was released throughKino Lorber, under license from Paramount.[101]
The review aggregation websiteRotten Tomatoes givesTropic Thunder a rating of 82% based on 252 reviews and an average rating of 7.1/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "With biting satire, plenty of subversive humor, and an unforgettable turn by Robert Downey Jr.,Tropic Thunder is a triumphant late summer comedy."[102]Metacritic gave a film score of 71 out of 100 based on 39 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[103] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.[104]
Michael Cieply from theNew York Times stated that the film was "shaping up as one of [DreamWorks]'s best prospects for the summer."[41] Claudia Puig ofUSA Today gave the film a somewhat positive review: "There are some wildly funny scenes, a few leaden ones and others that are scattershot, with humorous satire undercut by over-the-top grisliness. Still, when it's funny, it's really funny."[105]
Other reviewers were more critical. Todd McCarthy's review inVariety stated: "Apart from startling, out-there comic turns by Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Cruise, however, the antics here are pretty thin, redundant and one-note."[106]Glenn Kenny ofRogerEbert.com said that the film was "intermittently amusing but entirely smug and hateful."[107] Rick Groen ofThe Globe and Mail said that it was "an assault in the guise of a comedy—watching it is like getting mugged by a clown."[108] J.R. Jones ofChicago Reader stated, "The rest of the movie never lives up to the hilarity of the opening, partly because the large-scale production smothers the gags but mostly because those gags are so easy to smother."[109]Roger Ebert of theChicago Sun-Times gave 3.5/4 and wrote, "The movie is, may I say, considerably better than Stiller's previous film,Zoolander (2001). It's the kind of summer comedy that rolls in, makes a lot of people laugh and rolls on to video."[110]
The faux trailers before the film also received mixed reviews.David Ansen ofNewsweek approved of the trailers: "Tropic Thunder is the funniest movie of the summer—so funny, in fact, that you start laughing before the film itself has begun."[111] Christy Lemire of theAssociated Press called the trailers "the best part of the trip."[112] Robert Wilonsky ofThe Village Voice was critical, saying that the trailers' comedy "resides in the land of the obvious, easy chuckle."[113]
Downey, Stiller, Black, and Cruise were repeatedly singled out for praise by numerous critics, claiming that they "stole the show", were "off-the-charts hilarious", and would bring viewers "the fondest memories" of their work.[110][114][115] Scott Feinberg of theLos Angeles Times criticized the concept of Downey's portrayal of a white actor portraying an African American: "I just can't imagine any circumstance under which a blackface performance would be acceptable, any more than I can imagine any circumstance under which the use of the N-word would be acceptable."[116] Sara Vilkomerson said that Cruise did "an astonishingly funny and surprising supporting performance."[117] Logan Hill ofNew York criticized Cruise's appearance, saying that it "just makes him look a little lost and almost pathetic—shucking and jiving, trying to appeal to the younger moviegoers who are abandoning him."[118]
Several critics commented on the controversy over lines in the film about the mentally disabled. Duane Dudek of theMilwaukee Journal Sentinel wrote that the film "is just sophomoric enough to offend. And while it is also funny, it is without the empathy or compassion to cause us to wonder why we are laughing."[119] Christian Toto ofThe Washington Times argued against the opposition: "Tropic Thunder is drawing fire from special interest groups" for "its frequent use of the word 'retard', but discerning audiences will know where the humor is targeted. And they'll be laughing too hard to take offense."[120]
In January 2009,Entertainment Weekly includedTropic Thunder in its list "25 Great Comedies From the Past 25 Years" for its "spot-on skewering of Hollywood."[121] The film also appeared on several critics' top ten lists of the best films of 2008.[122]Stephen King placed it at the fourth position, calling the film "the funniest, most daring comedy of the year."[123]The Oregonian's Marc Mohan, placed it sixth, and several critics placed it seventh: Elizabeth Weitzman of theNew York Daily News,Premiere magazine, Mike Russell ofThe Oregonian, as well as Peter Hartlaub of theSan Francisco Chronicle.[122] David Ansen ofNewsweek placed it eighth and Lisa Schwarzbaum ofEntertainment Weekly included the film in the tenth position.[122] In 2025, it was one of the films voted for the "Readers' Choice" edition ofThe New York Times' list of "The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century," finishing at number 217.[124]
Stacey Snider, the chief executive of DreamWorks, suggested that the film would earn around $30 million in its opening weekend and go on to be as successful asBorat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, which earned $129 million in the U.S. and Canada and $260 million worldwide.[74]The Dark Knight had been the number one film at the box office for the four weeks prior to the release ofTropic Thunder. Bob Thompson, a writer for theNational Post, speculated thatTropic Thunder's opening weekend would outperformThe Dark Knight for the weekend.[125] In a list compiled prior to the summer's film releases,Entertainment Weekly predicted that the film would be the tenth highest-grossing film of the summer at the American box office with $142.6 million.[126]
Tropic Thunder opened in 3,319 theaters and, for its first five days of American and Canadian release, earned $36.8 million. The film placed first in the weekend's box office with $25.8 million surpassingStar Wars: The Clone Wars andMirrors, which debuted the same weekend.[6] Reacting to the film's opening receipts, DreamWorks spokesman Chip Sullivan stated, "We're thrilled, quite frankly. It played out exactly how we hoped."[127] In foreign markets for the film's opening weekend, it was released in 418 Russian and 19United Arab Emirates locations earning $2.2 million and $319,000, respectively.[128]
The film maintained its number one position at the American and Canadian box office for the following two weekends, making it the second film in 2008 (afterThe Dark Knight) to hold the number-one position for more than two consecutive weekends.[129][130] The film's widest release was in 3,473 theaters, placing it in the top 25 widest releases in the U.S. for 2008.[6] For 2008, the film was the fifth-highest-grossing domestic R-rated film.[131] The film's U.S. and Canada gross of over $110 million madeTropic Thunder Stiller's most successful film as a director.[132] The film has had gross receipts of $110.5 million in the U.S. and Canada and $85.2 million in international markets for a total of $195.7 million worldwide.[6]
"It's so funny to me that the role is a guy who is an Oscar-seeking moron. His whole motivation is Oscars ... Irony is synonymous with pretty much everything that is going on."
In October 2008, Paramount chose to put end-of-year award push funds behindTropic Thunder and began advertising for Downey to receive a nomination by the Academy Awards forBest Supporting Actor.[134] In a November 2008 issue byEntertainment Weekly, Downey's film role was considered one of the three contenders for Best Supporting Actor.[135] As a way of extending the film-within-a-film "universe" into real life, there were at least two online "For Your Consideration" ads touting Downey's character, Kirk Lazarus, for Best Supporting Actor; one of these contains "scenes" fromSatan's Alley that were not in the trailer as released in theaters. At least one of the ads was produced by Paramount Pictures and intended for early For Your Consideration awareness for Downey's role.[136] On January 22, 2009, theAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences nominated Downey for Best Supporting Actor.[137] At the81st Academy Awards, Downey lost toHeath Ledger, whowon posthumously for his role asThe Joker inThe Dark Knight.[138]
With the onset of the annual Hollywood film award season at the end of 2008,Tropic Thunder began receiving nominations and awards starting with a win for "Hollywood Comedy of the Year Award" at the 12th annualHollywood Film Festival on October 27, 2008.[139][140] The film was nominated for Best Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical, for theSatellite Awards. In addition, Downey was nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.[141] TheBroadcast Film Critics Association nominated Downey for Best Supporting Actor and awardedTropic Thunder Best Comedy Movie at the BFCA's Critics' Choice Awards.[142] Both Downey and Cruise received nominations from theHollywood Foreign Press Association forGolden Globes for Best Supporting Actor.[143] TheBoston Society of Film Critics recognized the cast with its Best Ensemble award.[144] Downey was also nominated by both theScreen Actors Guild and theBritish Academy of Film and Television Arts for Best Supporting Actor awards.[145][146]
Cruise reprised his character Les Grossman for the2010 MTV Movie Awards. Aspin-off film centering on Grossman was announced in 2010.[147] A script has been written byMichael Bacall.[148] In 2012, Bacall said the film will explore the origin of Grossman's anger issues.[149] As of 2022, Cruise and frequent collaboratorChristopher McQuarrie are developing the spin-off, though it is not clear whether Grossman will be the protagonist or a supporting character.[150][151]
Tropic Thunder was criticized by the disability advocacy community. The website forSimple Jack was withdrawn on August 4 amid several groups' concerns over its portrayal ofintellectual disability.[82] A spokesman for DreamWorks said, "We heard their concerns, and we understand that taken out of context, the site appeared to be insensitive to people with disabilities."[82] A coalition of more than 20 disability advocacy groups, including theSpecial Olympics and theArc of the United States, objected to the film's repeated use of the word "retard".[77] DreamWorks offered to screen the film for the groups on August 8 to determine if it still offended them.[152][153] The screening was postponed to the same day of the premiere on August 11.[154] After representatives for the groups attended the private screening and were still offended by its content, the groups picketed outside the film's premiere.[155][156]Timothy Shriver, the chairman of the Special Olympics, stated, "This population struggles too much with the basics to have to struggle against Hollywood. We're sending a message that this hate speech is no longer acceptable."[157]
Disability advocates and others who previewed the film reported that the offensive treatment of individuals with mental disabilities was woven throughout the film's plot.[154] Disability advocates urged people not to see the film, claiming it is demeaning to individuals with mental disabilities and would encourage bullying.[158] Stiller defended the film, stating "We screened the movie so many times and this didn't come up until very late ... in the context of the film I think it's really clear, they were making fun of the actors and actors who try to use serious subjects to win awards."[159] Co-writerEtan Cohen echoed Stiller's rationale: "Some people have taken this as making fun of handicapped people, but we're really trying to make fun of the actors who use this material as fodder for acclaim."[160] He went on to state that the film lampoons actors who portray intellectually disabled orautistic characters such asDustin Hoffman inRain Man,Tom Hanks inForrest Gump, andSean Penn inI Am Sam.[160]
A DreamWorks spokesman stated thatTropic Thunder "is an R-rated comedy that satirizes Hollywood and its excesses" and "makes its point by featuring inappropriate and over-the-top characters in ridiculous situations."[77] The film's advertising was altered, but none of the scenes in the film were edited as a result of the opposition.[77][156] In response to the controversy, the director's cut of the DVD (but not the Blu-ray) includes a public service announcement in the special features that discourages use of the word "retard".[161]
Another aspect that drew warning before the release of the movie and criticism afterwards was Downey Jr. playing a white Australian actor who dons blackface as part of hismethod acting therole of an African-American man. He responded by pointing out that this was a case of donning blackface in order to point out how wrong it is.[162] Others have pointed out that the wrongness of blackface is addressed within the movie itself by an actual African American, and that the climax of the movie pins on Downey Jr.'s shedding of his method acting. In this way, the movie mocks—rather than embraces—both blackface and the extreme and ridiculous things method actors sometimes do for their roles.[163][better source needed]
Some have alleged that the film's characterization—and the non-Jewish Tom Cruise's portrayal—of the Jewish character Les Grossman isantisemitic. In addition to his Jewish name, the character of Grossman also references the Jewish holiday ofPurim. Critics have also referred to this performance as "Jewface" as early as 2008, calling it "vulgar" and "exploitation";[164] others, however, including theSt. Louis Jewish Light, which referencedTropic Thunder in particular, noted that Jewface was a "riff on the practice of blackface and is nowhere near its equivalent." Cruise was largely responsible for the final form Grossman took, including using him as an additional villain, the hairiness of the character, and the "fat hands".[165][166]
In February 2023, Stiller defendedTropic Thunder on his Twitter account by stating that he had "no apologies" and that he is "proud of it and the work everyone did on it."[167] Stiller's defense was a response to a fan of the film who suggested that the former cease apologizing for making the film in light of "cancel culture".[168]
| Tropic Thunder: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | |
|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by Various Artists | |
| Released | August 5, 2008 (2008-08-05) |
| Length | 56:31 |
| Label | Lakeshore |
| Tropic Thunder: Original Motion Picture Score | |
|---|---|
| Film score by | |
| Released | August 5, 2008 (2008-08-05) |
| Length | 40:10 |
| Label | Lakeshore |
Tropic Thunder'sscore andsoundtrack were released on August 5, 2008, the week before the film's theatrical release. The score was composed byTheodore Shapiro, conducted by Pete Anthony and performed by theHollywood Studio Symphony. William Ruhlmann ofAllMusic gave the score a positive review, stating it is "...an affectionate and knowing satire of the history of Hollywood action movie music, penned by an insider."[169] Thomas Simpson ofSoundtrack.Net called it "...a mixture of fun, seriousness, rock n' roll and great scoring."[170]
Five songs—"Cum On Feel the Noize" byQuiet Riot, "Sympathy for the Devil" byThe Rolling Stones, "For What It's Worth" byBuffalo Springfield, "Low" byFlo Rida andT-Pain, and "Get Back" byLudacris—were not present on the soundtrack despite appearing in the film. The soundtrack features songs fromThe Temptations,MC Hammer,Creedence Clearwater Revival,Edwin Starr, and other artists. The single "Name of the Game" byThe Crystal Method, featuringRyu, has an exclusiveremix on the soundtrack.[171] The soundtrack debuted 20th onBillboard's Top Soundtracks list and peaked at 39th on its Top Independent Albums list.[172] James Christopher Monger of allmusic compared the music to other film's soundtracks such asPlatoon,Full Metal Jacket, andForrest Gump and called it "...a fun but slight listen that plays out like an old late-'70sK-Tel compilation with a few bonus cuts from the future."[173]
...satires such asSwimming With Sharks andTropic Thunder reportedly based their unhinged and intimidating entertainment-industry moguls on figures like Rudin.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
