Nothing is off limits in Tropic Thunder: gays, mentally handicap, actors, blacks, etc. The movie has seen its fair share of disgruntled guests marching out. Most of the humor comes from pushing the buttons of the overtly “Politically Correct” crowd. Does this film go to far? Does it succeed because it realizes that things like black face aren’t funny in and of itself, but looking at characters who accept these things as the norm is humorous because it is so outrageous?

This film plays off some stereotypes that really haven’t been covered before like Downey’s portrayal of an insane method actor. I am in love with Robert Downey Jr.’s performance. He stole the stage as Kirk Lazarus, an extreme method actor, who changes his appearance to play African American Sgt. Osiris. He plays the part so straight it is a bit eerie.

Stiller and Downey’s characters stayed in the limelight. I am convinced that the other characters including Alpa Chino (Brandon T. Jackson) and Kevin Sandusky (Jay Baruchel) deserved more screen time, their characters were the heart of the humor. While Jeff Portnoy (Jack Black) had his moments the role had the same problem as his storyline, he was just an excuse for some crude humor and flatulence.

The major subplot of the movie revolves around Tugg Speedman (Stiller) trying to escape being typecast as the “action guy”. He is ready to prove himself as a real actor and get some recognition from the Academy. His first attempt at a serious role, Simple Jack, went too far. As Lazarus explains that you never go “full retard” on a movie.

The promotion site for the Simple Jack movie has been removed because advocate groups protested the film’s use of the word “retard”.

That being said there is one fake film from Tropic Thunder I would pay to see, Satan’s Alley. Go see the trailer.

One side note: Tom Cruise made a smart career movie; he was actually funny in a film. He played producer Les Grossman. -But he still has a long way to go before he convinces me, and many others that he is not bat *hit insane.