Review: Stiller’s latest comedy dull despite star-studded cast

    Ben Stiller’s latest film project, “Tropic Thunder,” successfully makes fun of the Hollywood movie industry but has a hard time holding onto its audience. Stiller, who co-wrote, produced and directed the film, plays Tugg Speedman, an actor who is trying to save his career.
    Speedman is starring in the star-studded cast of the Vietnam-War drama, also named “Tropic Thunder.” Speedman is attempting to win an Oscar after failing to do so with his most previous movie “Simple Jack,” in which he played a mentally disabled boy.
    Speedman has a hard time outshining his much-more-talented Australian cast mate, Kirk Lazarus, played by Robert Downey Jr.
    The director of the movie has no control over the actors and the set, so – in an effort to salvage the movie – he decides to drop the actors in the Vietnam jungle and secretly film them there.
    That plan quickly falls apart as the director is blown into pieces during the first five seconds in the jungle; the actors must fend for themselves. They still think they are shooting the movie, but, in reality, they face the real dangers of the jungle tribes.
    An argument with the other cast mates makes Speedman leave in a rage. He is captured by a local tribe soon afterwards. The only movie anyone in the tribe has seen is “Simple Jack,” and the head tribe leader forces Speedman to play the “Simple Jack” role night after night to a packed local audience.
    Soon, Speedman grows attached to the attention he is getting for this role and no longer wishes to leave his captors. Meanwhile, his former cast mates are on a quest to rescue him.
    While Stiller’s “Tropic Thunder” manages to point out many clichés that exist in Hollywood, it ultimately fails to truly capture its audience. The jokes are funny for the first five minutes but quickly grow old, leaving a silent movie theater for the remainder of the movie.  
    If you are looking for versatility, this is not the movie for you. Jack Black, who plays the strung-out Jeff Portnoy, does not impress as he plays the same quirky role as in his other films. Stiller’s character is a toned-down version of the character he played in 2001’s “Zoolander,” and Tom Cruise – who plays the money-hungry Les Grossman – should figure out comedy is not his forte.
    The most disappointing aspect of the movie was that a star-filled cast could not make up for the boring plotline and poor jokes.
    If you tend to enjoy movies that Stiller has written, you might like this comedy. Otherwise, it would be wise to save your money and wait until “Tropic Thunder” comes out on video.
    GRADE: C-