Tropic Thunder

I am not too high on the film. For some reason, even though it's a send-up on the Hollywood process (both in behind-the-scenes production, and handling of actor's egos and insecurities), I never really bought into its tone, so it never settled into an enjoyable viewing groove for me. Sure, we get to see stars curse like sailors, spitting out lines far too polished for the situations at hand, but it's too over the top for its own good.

Robert Downey Jr. is the highpoint of the film, but I wasn't enamored by his performance, even if it was many-faceted, it just felt wasted in this particular film. I think I'm over-loaded on Danny McBride, who I really don't find all that funny, but somehow he's been able to convince many that he's worth putting on the silver screen. There are a couple of non-advertised roles (marketing-wise) that get a bit more screen time than I had expected. The Simple Jack stuff by Ben Stiller was cringe-inducing. Jack Black goes very far for some shallow comedic bits (much of it was eye-rolling for me). The rest of the cast play it almost too straight (Jay Baruchel) or not funny enough (Brandon Jackson).

I give it 2.5 stars, or a grade of C+.