First Tropic Thunder Photo

Here’s the first look at the upcoming satirical comedy Tropic Thunder, courtesy of Entertainment Weekly. I mainly post about this because of the man in the middle of the picture there - yep, that’s Robert Downey Jr.! According to EW, “In Tropic Thunder, an epic action comedy co-written and directed by Stiller, Robert Downey Jr. plays Kirk Lazarus, a very serious Oscar-winning actor cast in the most expensive Vietnam war epic ever filmed. Problem is, Lazarus’s character, Sgt. Osiris, was originally written as black. So Lazarus decides to dye his skin.”

While I see no problem with this, I guess the studio is expecting some major controversy and has even screened the movie for all African-American audiences to see their reactions (which were very positive), but honestly, if anyone gets upset over that in a zany satirical comedy, they really need to take a step back to look at themselves, reflect, then jump off a bridge.

About the potential “controversy”, Downey said, ”If it’s done right, it could be the type of role you called Peter Sellers to do 35 years ago. If you don’t do it right, we’re going to hell. … At the end of the day, it’s always about how well you commit to the character. I dove in with both feet. If I didn’t feel it was morally sound, or that it would be easily misinterpreted that I’m just C. Thomas Howell in [Soul Man], I would’ve stayed home.”

Here’s the rundown of the movie:

“Downey plays one of a team of self-indulgent stars cast in the modern equivalent of Apocalypse Now. Stiller plays an action hero who has just adopted a baby from Asia but worries that ”all the good ones are gone.” [Jack] Black [see the albino-looking dude in the photo?] portrays a comedian known for performing multiple roles in a single film — his latest is called The Fatties: Fart 2. But when the film’s director (Steve Coogan) and writer (Nick Nolte) get fed up with their prima donna cast, they drop them into the jungle to fend for themselves. The actors think they’re doing some sort of full-immersion filmmaking, but the danger they’re in is very real.”

As for Ben Stiller, I’ve enjoyed his last two directorial endeavors (Zoolander to an extent, The Cable Guy I find ridiculously clever, funny, and underrated), but as far as his acting goes, he’s really gone downhill these past few years, with crap like The Heartbreak Kid, Envy, Starsky & Hutch, Along Came Polly, and Duplex. Still, I’ve liked the guy as far back as Reality Bites, and I’ve enjoyed him in his comedies like There’s Something About Mary, Meet the Parents, Keeping the Faith, and The Royal Tenenbaums. So, I’m rooting for the guy here (even if it is mostly because Robert Downey Jr. is in this). As long as this movie stays with the satire and away from the out-and-out spoof, I think this could be something well worth watching, along the lines of a Hot Fuzz meets Three Amigos.

Tropic Thunder opens up on August 15, 2008 (and the trailer will debut on March 17, so we’ll get an idea whether this will be worthwhile or not).