Must Watch: Ben Stiller's Tropic Thunder Full Trailer!

March 17, 2008
Source: Yahoo
by Alex Billington

When I first heard that Ben Stiller was making a movie-within-a-movie comedy about the Vietnam War, I wasn't too excited. Damn was I wrong, dead wrong. The first full trailer for Tropic Thunder has arrived and its chock full of explosions, a black Robert Downey Jr., a bleached white Jack Black, and more comedy than you can handle in one sitting. This is shaping up to be the comedy event of the summer and is easily giving Get Smart a run for its money. The scope and scale of this looks so incredible, that I can't help but be both excited for the war aspect and the comedic aspect of it.

I'm amazed at my own interest in this, it's baffling even myself. For once, Stiller looks like he's going for the quality, adult humor and not the cheesy, stupid, teenage humor that I can no longer stand. I really can't get enough of this - it looks great.

Watch the full trailer for Tropic Thunder:

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You can also watch the Tropic Thunder trailer in High Definition on Yahoo

In the action comedy Tropic Thunder, a group of actors shooting a war movie includes Kirk Lazarus (Robert Downey Jr.), an over-the-top Australian-born method actor who has gone to extremes to get into character, novice thesp Sandusky (Jay Baruchel), gross-out comedy star Jeff Portnoy (Jack Black), Four Leaf Tayback (Nick Nolte), the real-life inspiration for the film, pampered action superstar Tugg Speedman (Ben Stiller) and rap star Alpa Chino (Brandon T. Jackson).

Tropic Thunder is directed by Ben Stiller (Zoolander) and written by Etan Cohen ("King of the Hill", Idiocracy) and well-known actor Justin Theroux (who also stars in the film). The movie arrives in theaters everywhere on August 15th this summer.

Tropic Thunder

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Reader Feedback - 57 Comments »

Wow… that is awesome. This movie looks badass… I'm excited.

CSpuppydog on Mar 17, 2008

WOWOOWOW! talented group. hopefully this redeems ben stiller from heartbreak kid.

Alex Han on Mar 17, 2008

this movie looks like it going to be hilarious, loved the trailer and it really got me pumped for the movie this summer.

Curtis on Mar 17, 2008

i normally hate these type of comedies…but i have to say that this looks hilarious and i'm really looking forward to watching it. perhaps it's the war setting or just watching robert "iron-man" downey jr. play a black man that makes me wanna watch it. i think it'll be a success.

Matt Suhu on Mar 17, 2008

looks good. Dam what do you guys use for these trailers the sound is amazing.

coyo on Mar 17, 2008

HEY Alex, Thanks for the trailer & update on this pic. Yeah! The comedy event of 2008. Fantabulous trailer. I can't wait to watch Robert Downey Jr in this than in Iron Man. Superb cast. Go! Go! Ben Stiller!

Shawn Gregory on Mar 17, 2008

hahaha I'm amazed! I didn't see that coming, it looks great!

bltzie on Mar 17, 2008

Downey deserves an oscar this year….playing a mechanical man and also playing a black man.

Heckle on Mar 17, 2008

HAHAH….robert downey is friggin hilarious….

Ramon M. on Mar 17, 2008

Holy crap! This is really funny! I agree that Stiller is going for quality(finally). Jack Black will bounce back from the dud that was "Be Kind, Rewind" by channeling his "Nacho Libre" comic chops! But the bigger story is Robert Downey Jr, who's poised to take the box office by storm with his one-two punch of "Iron Man" and this flick, showing what a real talent he is! (Damn, I would have never known it was him as a black man if it hadn't been pointed out before!) I'm there!!

Spider on Mar 17, 2008

This.. is.. not.. funny..

nemes1s on Mar 17, 2008

Mr. Alex Billington,

How could you be possibly be amazed at your own interest? Do you use this excuse when you go tinkle during the night. I totally surprised myself and pissed in my x-men underwear!

It looks funny, but let's not get ahead of ourselves by claiming that Ben Stiller is going for the 'quality adult humor'. It's going to be the same old Ben Stiller you see in all the movies, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, Stiller is a crack up. Perhaps you should replace all your long winded bullshit paragraphs and simply type, "This shit look funny". Maybe add in some internets speak to connect with your readers, "This shit looks funny y0".

Also, it didn't actually occur to me that it was "shaping up to be the comedy of the year either". I actually thought it was the sequel to Platoon, thanks for clearing this up Ebert.

P.S. I totally just wished that you would slam your hand in a door/drawer. I hope it hurts.

John Matrix on Mar 18, 2008

haha sooo funny! I am there.

nha on Mar 18, 2008

To #12:
You sure have a great deal of hate in your heart.
It brings sadness to my own

akumared on Mar 18, 2008

John Matrix,
Mabye you cuold talk shit on his reviews or writing if you had your own website, but you dont so insted resort to going on other peoples and being an ignorant fool. Yo

Ripper on Mar 18, 2008

@ 12

now THAT was the comedy event of the year

while the movie may end up being funny, the trailer to me still showed exactly the SAME Ben Stiller humor as ALWAYS. The whole "white guy playing a black guy" angle is about the only funny thing I see coming out of that trailer in my opinion. I hope I'm wrong, but if the trailer is any indication of the movie, no thanks

Billy on Mar 18, 2008

WOW! Much bigger-budget than I thought. Looks hilarious and Stiller is amazing.

Ryan on Mar 18, 2008

John Matrix got it just right, don't go ape shit over a movie that is NOT going to live up to the hype, and is NOT "comedy of the year." He's not suitable for comedic movies. Bottom line is, he's.. not.. funny.. same shit goes for his butt buddy Owen Wilson.

nemes1s on Mar 18, 2008

For every explosion Hollywood creates, we add more pollution to the environment.

I know, I know… we need our entertainment. Yay! Cluster bombs are FUN! Dead kids, woo hoo!

Party Pooper on Mar 18, 2008

Party Pooper,

Very apt name.

Joshhhh on Mar 18, 2008

@nemes1s

My thoughts exactly. Can I buy you a drink sometime?

Bob on Mar 18, 2008

Oh my god this is gonna be the funniest shit of the summer.

I'm completely sold on this movie, the Downey jr as a black man thing kinda made me wary of this movie, but to see it in action well as a brother I say it's all good and done tastefully and in a context that should be ok with all involved.

Plus I get the feeling this is gonna go down as the definative war movie spoof, Ben Stiller is back baby.

PimpSlapStick on Mar 18, 2008

this movie is going to be badass

mike on Mar 18, 2008

Okay, nemes1s #18 - I agree, and I even said that above, I think Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson are NOT very funny. But something abut this has me excited. Maybe it's because I'm a huge fan of war movies that I'm looking forward to a big-budget well-made spoof of them… Maybe it's that Stiller has grown up and put together a quality adult (not teenaged stupid) script… I don't know, but I'm excited, even though I typically always agree with you about Owen and Ben.

Alex Billington on Mar 18, 2008

absolutely must agree with #18….Stiller & Wilson are about as funnny as hemorrhoids…Downey has finally come into his own with Iron man and this…glad to see it…he had gotten intolerable for a while there….his portrayal of a black dude is a definate crack up …

cornholio_by_the_sea on Mar 18, 2008

What happened to the days when people just wanted to watch a movie for entertainment? God forbid we don't look for the meaning of life in one and just enjoy it for once.

ummmm on Mar 18, 2008

I was going to say this'd be a first- but-

You want a funny War Film? Watch Paths of Glory- a bitterly satirical Kubrick romp pre-dating Strangelove, with Kirk Douglas hating every war-slamming minute of his starring role, caught & preserved in B & W.

But as far as parodies of War, this is probably as good as it gets.
Robert Downey truly is nuts. Have any of you seen his dad's cult classic, Putney Swope?

Searingly hilarious blaxploitation about a Black Panther accidentally being elected as CEO of the world's biggest Ad Agency. Inanity ensues, including Antonio Fargas (the original Huggy Bear from Starsky & Hutch, aka Pimp of the Year from I'm Gonna Git you Sucka) as a Muslim terrorist.

Again, done in the 70's- directed by a white guy. Crazy.
Must run in the family.

Word is, Dave Chappelle wants to re-make it, or do a sequel.

Djo on Mar 18, 2008

This looks really fucking stupid. If this is adult humor, hollywood is in a sad state.

f00 on Mar 18, 2008

okay we peeked - watched some filming on Kauai (hey, not much to do over there - plus they blew up a lot of stuff! made it pretty easy to find them)

VERY FUNNY! And sorry, I am just not a Stiller fan. Still awesome what I have seen, LOVED Downey Jr.

Too bad the stand in guy did not get more face time. Tracked him down, anthonyhaviland.com
Now HE IS HOT!

whale swimmer on Mar 18, 2008

Guys, you might laugh at what I say, but I seriously think we might have a Best Picture Oscar nominee here. I know that comedies don't usually (ever) get nominated, but this will be the exception. Robert Downey Jr's performance is the glue as Best Actor, and while I predict Stiller takes Best Director, I don't think this will win Best Picture.

It's going to be one hell of a ride, though. I can't wait.

g-mo on Mar 18, 2008

Rofl what a stellar cast. Robert Downey Jr as a black man lol

john on Mar 18, 2008

it looks like a great movie and ben stiller is goin to be funny like allways

and for all you bashers on this movie dont even comeing to this website if your goin to be a lame ass

lion runner on Mar 19, 2008

This trailer looks horrible. Ben Stiller has steadily gone downhill since Zoolander.

Doug on Mar 19, 2008

"but I seriously think we might have a Best Picture Oscar nominee here"

really? No offense but you really dont know movies

Billy on Mar 19, 2008

Hey party pooper, you are an idiot. Most explosions are created by CGI so it doesn't matter. And the more dead children there are the more sweet air there is for me to breathe in. Why don't you go sit on a rake you fucker.

j bone on Mar 19, 2008

Say what??

Jester on Mar 19, 2008

Man this looks good, I can't wait for this one.

MrSatan on Mar 19, 2008

Three Amigos in…Nam!! bastards..

chevy c. on Mar 19, 2008

#27 I've heard about that, Dave Chapelle would be freakin hilarious in that movie.

PimpSlapStick on Mar 19, 2008

this looks somewhat funny but well see…but what i do get a laugh out of is all the retarded comments…hahaHA

d on Mar 25, 2008

#11,#12,#19,#21,#28,#33… i hate you all… don't you have a sense of humor??? party pooper… you just scare me… and idk what j bone is saying, but this movie looks freakin amazin. im definitely going to go and see this movie. i just wish it was coming out sooner then August

Anonymous on Apr 15, 2008

i'll be clear i generaly hate ben stiller however Robert Downy jr. looks hilarious i can't wait

jarhead on Apr 21, 2008

wow putting all the legends together, looks great cant wait…..xx

sez x on Apr 25, 2008

dumb, dumb, dumb. bad concept.

joe on Apr 29, 2008

There is only thing I would LIKE to say….
Robert Downey Jr…. He is funny…. HaHa

duk young chang on May 2, 2008

this movie looks extremely stupid, not funny, it will be another flop. Just seems too impossible.

james w on May 11, 2008

#44 I totally agree. Can't wait to see it though.

Dallas on May 18, 2008

I so glad to see Ben Stiller back into a true R-rated Comedy, not the crap we'll be seeing for him recently. e.g) Night at the Museum ( why is a sequel being made).

Can't wait to watch this.

Tropic Thunder Trailer on May 22, 2008

Yeah, can't wait to see this movie!
First time I saw these 3 together was at the finale of American Idol as backup singers of Gladys Knight's singing Midnight Train to Georgia, that was sooooo hilarious! Downey could sing and dance, he's always been a good actor, 'love him, magnificent talent!

Shacs on May 23, 2008

Looks hilarious. Can't wait to see it

evelife915 on May 25, 2008

when does it show in dallas would love to see it.

FAN on May 26, 2008

Ben Stiller's the shyt! He just have that thing, that makes one 4get their problems in the movies. I saw the triller in Canada and can't fuckin wait to see the real thing. Bes Stiller all fuckin day. Holla

www.myspace.com/18cee on Jun 3, 2008

I think it's safe to say Tropic Thunder will be a bomb. The S.F. press screening for this film doesn't even have a single film critic in attendance, and Paramount was trying to sell the film to Deutsche Bank before that fell apart. See my expose on the whole thing at http://greenscreencinema.com/article.php?story=20080715131329180

GreenScreenCinema on Jul 15, 2008

This movie looks awesome! Ben Stiller and Jack Black back together again! Been waitin for that for a long time! Now, if only Owen Wilson was in there to join them!
Can't wait til August!!

Lori on Jul 20, 2008

So now, in 2008, with Obama poised to become our next president, we suffer through
yet another blackface performance.
It's just not funny anymore, no matter who's doing it.
Sir Laurence Olivier did a cinematic Othello (which he admittedly based on Sammy Davis Jr.), yet
Paul Robeson's Othello was never documented.
D.W. Griffith's "classic" Birth of a Nation featured corked-up white actors in a racist retelling of American Reconstruction.
More recently Anthony Hopkins played a black man who conceals his racial identity in The Human Stain and
Angelina Jolie was colorized, in A Mighty Heart.
Bert Williams, the brilliant vaudevillian, was a black man who was driven to perform in
blackface in such shows as Two Real Coons.
He's turning over in his grave.
The blackface tradition should be buried as well.

rgs on Aug 1, 2008

STILLER I LOVE U.

ROBERTO on Aug 18, 2008

I saw this movie tonight 8-24-08 and let me tell you, it's the funniest movie I've ever seen!!! Whoever the stiff is that wrote comment #55 needs to lighten up. Smoke a joint or something. I'm black and I loved it. Get over yourself bro. I laughed out loud most of the movie. What a blockbuster for Stiller. I'm a huge fan of Jack Black, and now a bigger fan of Robert Downey Jr. Tom Cruise also plays a freakin hillarious part. DO NOT MISS THIS MOVIE!!! It hasn't been number 1 for 2 straight weeks for nothing. You can't expect the nay-sayers to have anything positive to say. They hate their own lives.

Jay Smith on Aug 24, 2008

Must Watch: Ben Stiller's Tropic Thunder Full Trailer!

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