The Bottom Line
Pros
- Absolutely hilarious
- One of the funniest comedies of the decade
- An incredible amount of really entertaining bonus features
Cons
- None worth noting
Description
- Starring Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr, Jack Black, Jay Baruchel, and Tom Cruise
- Directed by Ben Stiller
- Theatrical Version Rated: R for pervasive language including sexual references, violent content and drug material
- DVD Release Date: November 18, 2008
Guide Review - 'Tropic Thunder' 2-Disc Director's Cut DVD Review
The Story
Fading action star Tugg Speedman (Ben Stiller), Oscar winner Kirk Lazarus (Downey Jr), and comic actor/drug addict Jeff Portnoy (Jack Black) are the leads in what's billed as the most expensive war movie ever produced. And, of course, because the studio has thrown hundreds of millions of dollars into the production, nothing goes right on the set. Fed up with his spoiled actors, director Damien Cockburn (Steve Coogan) sends them out into the wilds of Southeast Asia to really live the experience. But things go from bad to worse as the actors encounter real bad guys out in the jungle...
The Bonus Features
Seriously, seriously jam-packed with extra material, Tropic Thunder 2-Disc Director's Cut DVD is a must-own for comedy movie fans. There's way too much extra material on this - good quality extra material - to just rent the DVD. This one deserves a place in your DVD collection.The commentary with Stiller, Black and Downey Jr is one of the best you'll ever listen to. Downey Jr remains in character throughout after having promised during filming to leave the voice behind after the DVD commentary track. It's an absolutely hysterical commentary - definitely one to check out. The rest of the bonus features are equally as entertaining. There's plenty of goodies on the making of the film, staging the battle scenes, blowing stuff up, and designing the set, but the best of the rest is all about the cast and filming. Each of the cast members get their chance to shine, and there's even a bit on Tom Cruise's make-up test that shows him developing his dance moves. Do not skip over the 'Full Mags' section which is raw footage of four scenes and is incredibly funny. The DVD also includes the fake documentary Edge of Madness, 11 snippets on the fake documentary, deleted and extended scenes, and an alternate ending.
