Cinepals - TROPIC THUNDER (2008) Movie Review!

Episode Date: January 29, 2024

Steph & Kristen watch one of the best satirical action comedy films of all time, Tropic Thunder, starring a big cast of names Ben Stiller as Tugg Speedman, Robert Downey Jr as Kirk Lazarus, Jack Black as Jeff Portnoy, Tom Cruise as Les Grossman, Jay Baruchel as Kevin Sandusky, Brandon T. Jackson as Alpa Chino, Nick Nolte as Four Leaf Tayback, Steve Coogan as Damien Cockburn, Matthew McConaughey as Rick Peck, Danny McBride as Cody & Bill Hader as Studio Executive Rob Slolom.    You can watch the cut down reaction to this movie (and many others) on our YouTube channel https://www.YouTube.com/@Cinepals and the full length reaction is available on our Patreon page https://www.Patreon.com/JabyKoay   SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS ~STEPH SABRAW~ Instagram: @StephSabraw YouTube: @TheWhirlGirls   ~Kristen StephensonPino~ Instagram: @Kris10Kesp    

Senna. Pals. Hello and welcome back. I'm Steph Sabraud. Join my Kristen Seven Sampino. What? We are excited to go on a journey with you today. And that journey is Tropic Thunder, which Kristen thought we were saying traffic thunder.

I did. It sounded like traffic. I was like, Traffic? Why are you putting Tropic? They're saying traffic thunder. Yeah. I mean, thunder in the traffic would be chaotic. But I think this movie is pretty chaotic.

I have heard about it for years. It stars some of my favorite actors. Don't know about Kristen. Robert Dominic Jr., Jack Black. There was a part where, before we started, she said, did Jack Black play Iron Man? Or did he say that? He said, because Javi was like, he goes,

oh, yeah, Iron Man's in here, you know? And I'm like, but they're pointing to Jack Black. And I'm like, it was a thing. I'm like, that's not Iron Man. And he goes, no, Iron Man's in here, but he's, you know. On a different earth, Jack Black is Iron Man, and I want to see that movie so bad. But for today, I'm very excited to see this movie. I have heard a whole range of emotions, but mainly that this is kind of a must watch.

And I'm very, very excited to get into it. Let's go to Traffic Thunder. Momash, amazing. This is perhaps my favorite Tom Cruise. ever. Yo, I've never seen the side of him before. Amazing. He did smack it.

He threw one of those in. Ben Stiller. Damn. That was a one-of-a-kind experience. I was truly one-of-a-kind experience. I haven't experienced such an experience before. Such an experience. I haven't experienced such an experience before. I love that. That goes with like, I feel like all the lines that kind of were like all over the place.

We're insane. I've never seen Tom Cruise, and I know we said this throughout the whole thing, but I've never seen him in a role where he wasn't like Mr. Cool, Mr. Action Guy, Mr. like, you know, sexy. Like, you know what I mean? And honestly, he destroyed that. I didn't think he could. And I would love to see it more of, and more stuff like this.

Right. Because it's so different than what we normally get. Obviously, he's like one of the greatest, if not the greatest, you can argue that he's the greatest, um, action star of all time. but it was so fun to see him like this and then I'm just looking up the trivia on IMDB let me full screen this. It said that Ben Stiller said nearly all aspects of the less Grossman character

were developed by Tom Cruise including the dancing and the look of the makeup. Stiller said that in addition to the more obvious makeup effects applied to Cruz's face and head and the extra hair on his chest and arms, Cruz also decided to play the character wearing oversized prosthetic hands. That's pretty such important.

A fun, fun fact. That is. Tom Cruise gets, you know, like, he's not known for being fun. No. And he has a lot of weird things, mainly the huge looming elephant in the room, which is his religion. But this makes him very likable. Yeah. You know?

I think it's the first time, like, I'm like, dude, you're actually playing somebody who's relatable because you're not just perfect, like, icon. And I feel like, not only that. I think, like, every single character, absolutely, like, they're just insanely amazing. At first, I wasn't sure how I was going to like this film, because I'm not the type that, like, those dumb films that are kind of, like, gross and, like, ugh. And so in the beginning, I was a little bit worried, and I'm like, ugh. I absolutely love this. I actually really, really love this, and I loved how, like, nothing made sense by not, and by not making sense started to make sense.

And I love how everybody didn't know, like, they just, everybody's completely clueless on what was happening. Right. It was, storyline. I loved it. It's so unhinged. It's so unapologetically itself.

And runs in, obviously, the parody genre, but so much more than that. I just feel like it's probably, it might be the greatest parody comedy of all time. I'm a massive parody guy. Like, Austin Powers is kind of what set the tone for my entire experience. existence. I'm an S&L gal, grew up on it my whole life. And this is just so insane, unbelievably

creative. It is so okay with knowing that it was taking huge swings that might be taken the wrong way and was taken the wrong way, but I know a lot of critics. But also, in the same sense, I feel like when comedy is done right, it is, you get a pass. You get a pass. Like Robert, for him to take this role. Right. That's ballsy. You know how quickly he could have got like blackballed from like everything just by accepting this role?

But it was done in such a way to make fun of itself. It was. It was done in such a clever, acceptable way where you're like, all right, all right. All right. I see you. You're like, oh, you're supposed to be the dumbest, most insane character who just took method acting way too far and you are so insecure and want to be something that you're not. even though you're okay just as yourself.

I love him. I've never seen him like look so many different ways before. And I feel like he had many, like he had several different looks than this. And I'm like, dude, what a gorgeous man. Yeah. No matter what he is or like what he looks like. Like to me, he's just a very attractive,

very, very attractive man. I love how different every character was too. Like every character, even though they were all playing 50 shades. of stupid people in the world. They were all very different shades of stupid. And that's awesome. The Jack Black character and all these different characters having personality traits that played into either the capture or the escape.

And that's hysterical. So great. I'm shocked how much I like this film and how much like I want to watch it again. Because it was so much fun. And I love the Danny. Originally, the Cody, the Vietnam crew. So great. Crew guy, the one that did all the explosions.

Danny McBride and Nick Noltee, yeah. Mm-hmm. At first, I was like, I can't stand this guy. Oh, my God. I can't stand this guy. And then all of a sudden, I'm like, I'm such a big fan of him. That's funny that you had a full arc there. I did.

I didn't like him in the beginning. I was like, you're disgusting. Like, you're just annoying me. I love him. Like, you're obnoxious right now. By the time, like, we're like halfway through the film. like you know toward the end I'm like oh my god

this character's so great I love him this character's amazing yeah I was shocked that they got rid of they blew up the director that was shocking

I was I didn't see that coming I know but an incredible choice like it really did set up the entire rest of the movie so great because you're like okay we're going here

like this is real this is but that when he started licking it and stuff though like, I'm not going to lie, I wanted to puke. Great prosthetics. Whoever did the prosthetic, the costume team, incredible

job, actually. Because even Tom Cruise's character, obviously, like, you know, it's fake, but it looked really good. It did. It looked really, really good. And gross. And I feel like that scene was absolutely necessary. And I'm that person that's like, I see

gory stuff or whatever. Like, I'm like, normally I'm like, was that necessary? And I question certain things. This is what I was like, That was 100% necessary. Like that was needed. Yeah, I feel like... Needed. That's a good way to put...

I feel like there were so many choices that they were like, is that necessary to go that far? And it was like, yes. And it's kind of was... There was... Yeah, there wasn't one scene in here that I was like, is that necessary? Like, where sometimes you question yourself,

I was like, that was a hundred percent needed. Totally. Every scene, I feel like they were writing it and they were like, okay, how do we make this scene balls to the wall? Okay, next scene. How do we go balls to the wall? I feel like they just... How do we go balls to the wall?

on everything. Oh, you know they had a blast making this because it was so. And the dialogue was insane. I want to go through all of the quotes later because they had a lie. They were going so fast and saying the most bat shit things ever that you don't even, you're not even picking up on all of it. But it's like, wait, what did you just say? Did he really just say that?

There's a few of lines in here that I want to use. In life, like in real life, I really do. And that's why I'm like, I will. be watching this a few more times. Right. I think it is a movie you watch a few times for sure. Because I think there's I think this is that film that the more you watch it, the funnier it gets

because the more you can't. The first time some of it goes over your head, but you're like, wait, what? And it's so much to process that like once you start watching you're like, oh my God, this is better and better. It's like the gift that keeps giving. Yeah. I loved it. Okay, hit the subscribe button

on all notifications and vote this baby up. I'm subrotheses. Chris and stuff, it's me now. Much love.