Tropic Thunder (Ben Stiller, 2008)

[Hai2u]

Trailer

I just want to see Robert Downey Jr. playing a black man.

[s.j. bagley]

i had read somewhere that he was actually playing a white actor playing a black man.

[Fletch F. Fletch]

i had read somewhere that he was actually playing a white actor playing a black man.

Tis true.

[Hai2u]

i had read somewhere that he was actually playing a white actor playing a black man.

Yeah, that's what I meant.

[Fletch F. Fletch]

An interview with Stiller.

[Antoine Doinel]

Full trailer. God Bless Robert Downey Jr.

[Anhedionisiac]

Full trailer. God Bless Robert Downey Jr.

Any and all churches of the world better canonize him stat
Or else.

[Fletch F. Fletch]

Full trailer. God Bless Robert Downey Jr.

Definitely. It looks like he's gonna steal every scene he's in. Nick Nolte (what little they showed of him) looks pretty good too. Nice to see him in a mainstream film again.

Sounds like the preview screening went well with Tom Cruise's cameo stealing the show:

Tom Cruise, in Bit Role, Nips Studio’s Top Gun

By MICHAEL CIEPLY. Published: April 3, 2008. New York Times.

At an industry screening Tuesday night of the forthcoming comedy “Tropic Thunder” from Paramount Pictures and its unit DreamWorks, Tom Cruise brought down the house with his surprise portrayal of a bald, hairy-chested, foulmouthed, dirty-dancing movie mogul of the kind who is only too happy to throw an actor to the wolves when his popularity cools.

The several hundred Hollywood agents, managers, publicists and reporters at the screening on the Paramount lot here couldn’t have missed the joke. In August 2006 Mr. Cruise — after spending many years at Paramount and appearing in some of its biggest hits, including “Top Gun” and the “Mission: Impossible” series — was sent packing by Mr. Redstone, the chairman of Viacom, the studio’s parent.

Two years later Mr. Cruise is back in a Paramount movie, playing a craggy ingrate in what is shaping up as one of the studio’s best prospects for the summer. The movie, a raunchfest directed by Ben Stiller, about a bunch of actors whose jungle war movie turns unexpectedly real, also stars Mr. Stiller, Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black, Matthew McConaughey and Nick Nolte.

The humor may have been heightened by knowledge that Mr. Cruise and Mr. Redstone only last week kissed and made up over a very public lunch at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

Mr. Cruise, 45, has been a hunk (“Cocktail”), a heartthrob (“Far and Away”), an action hero (“Minority Report”) and a series of extraordinary ordinary guys (from “Taps” to “War of the Worlds”). He has also done some comic scenes. In 2002, for instance, there was a bit as Austin Powers, in “Austin Powers in Goldmember.”

But nothing on his résumé predicted the rapturous reaction he received Tuesday night. (Only a turn by Mr. Downey — who plays most of the movie in blackface, as a present-day white Australian trying to get inside the head of an African-American grunt during the Vietnam War — received as warm a reaction.)

Mr. Stiller, speaking before the screening, said he expected the movie to be rated R. The first few words out of Mr. Cruise’s mouth would guarantee that. As for his dance, that will be best described by the critics.

Representatives of Mr. Cruise, Mr. Stiller and Paramount declined on Wednesday to discuss the role.

Mr. Cruise’s latest appearance comes on the heels of a flop, “Lions for Lambs,” which was released by United Artists, a studio he now oversees with his longtime associate Paula Wagner. And the comedy’s August release will precede Mr. Cruise’s performance in “Valkyrie,” a fall film from United Artists, in which he plays a German officer who tries to assassinate Hitler.

Mr. Stiller, who played Mr. Cruise’s obsessive stunt double in a popular Web video (and who is expected to co-star with him in “Hardy Men”), first talked with Mr. Cruise, his friend, about taking a role more than a year ago, according to a person who spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid conflict with the film’s promotion. Mr. Cruise chose the studio chief’s role, and went through four days of makeup tests in order to get it right.

The director had planned to keep Mr. Cruise’s uncredited performance a surprise. The studio has not included Mr. Cruise in the movie’s trailer and has declined to release any images of his character. But a photo of a mostly bald Mr. Cruise donning a fat suit popped up on the Web late last year.

In any case, the performance is likely to draw attention, since Paramount is weighing a plan in which it would build buzz with extensive screenings of “Tropic Thunder” before its Aug. 15 release, much as 20th Century Fox did in 2006 with “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.” At Tuesday’s screening Mr. Stiller told attendees that his new film was still in rough form. “If you have any suggestions, feel free to post them directly on the Internet,” he said.

[Fletch F. Fletch]

Posters

[Antoine Doinel]

Red band trailer.

[margot]

Red band trailer.

404.

And when I go to the site and try to click the restricted link nothing happens.

[Cde.]

Try the iTunes link from here then.

[hot_locket]

Holy crap, that red band trailer is infinitely better than the first.

Now I'm really excited.

[margot]

Holy shit that red band trailer IS way better, it's a shame they can't show this in theaters.

Wait can't they show this if it's before an R rated movie?

[flyonthewall2983]

Wait can't they show this if it's before an R rated movie?

I imagine that would be the case.

[Antoine Doinel]

Rain Of Madness

[margot]

Rain Of Madness

This is so amazing. I would seriously watch this. I hope there's like an actual movie on the dvd or something

I don't know how long those trees have been growing but look what I did. I just beat nature.

[moviscop]

This film looks really funny, I am looking forward to it.

And what is up with the Rain of Madness. Someone explain please.

[Murdoch]

And what is up with the Rain of Madness. Someone explain please.

It's a spoof of Coppola's Heart of Darkness, which documented the tumultuous production of Apocalypse Now.

[moviscop]

It's a spoof of Coppola's Heart of Darkness, which documented the tumultuous production of Apocalypse Now.

I'm such an idiot, I look way to deep into things. Thanks for your explanation. I never actually saw the documentary but should have realized the parallels.

[chaddoli]

I saw this last night and loved it. The funniest film I've seen in a while. A well crafted and hilarious screenplay by Stiller and Justin Theroux. Ben Stiller is an excellent filmmaker - juggling many characters and a complex plot. It is all beautifully shot by Thin Red Line DP John Toll.

This is one of the most apt Hollywood satires I've ever seen. I won't ruin who plays the Harvey-Weinsteinish exec for those of you who don't know, but he nearly steals the show.

The entire cast is wonderful, but Downey really knocks it out of the park. His spontaneity and commitment to his character are really wonderful to watch. What a perfectly cast film!

This is a great comedy, maybe even one for the ages.

[tavernier]

Ben Stiller is an excellent filmmaker

There's a statement I thought I'd never read.

[zombeaner]

Watching those trailers, it seems like Ben Stiller is playing his stock character, and Jack Black is playing something he's played before, but Robert Downey Jr looks awesome. I'm going to see it just for him, those trailers are amazing!

[Antoine Doinel]

Tugg Speedman website.

Rain Of Madness website.

[Antoine Doinel]

Dreamworks pulls a retarded Ben Stiller from the web.