screwed reality

tropic thunder is a panoramic blitzkrieg on hollywood's star system. it is an engaging satire of the industry that produces celebrities adored by the masses and the individuals involve in the trade and probes deeper in the trenches of the personification of stardom. a more provocative version of zoolander which took a dig on male models, this star-studded production also includes an indignant steve coogan, a snippet of tobey maguire and a stimulating turn from tom cruise.

derek zoolander : "have you ever wondered if there was more to life, other than being really, really, ridiculously good looking?"

i usually like ben stiller when he's on ostentatious display as the villain, like his white goodman on dodgeball. aside from tropic thunder and zoolander, i have only seen one other film he directed which was a bygone film from another era and it's not the cable guy. every bit of tropic thunder is hilarious even if they make fun of serious subjects like international adoption. a baby extracted from the third world is merely an accessory to publicity. hollywood and adoption always brings to mind scenes from mommie dearest. it's a relief when a film is not afraid to reduce method actors, academy award winners, airy-fairy agents, junkies, greedy producers, overwhelmed directors, special effects techies, studio assistants into mere caricatures. and tom cruise as les grossman? he made me forgot that bumbling idiot who was bouncing on a couch. suri's dad has all the money in the world. no need for stuff such as valkyrie when he's excellent with character parts.

tropic thunder illustrates that the seeming paradise of movie making is no silent water. it parodies a pyrotechnical production, exposing insecurities and frailties. there's the insatiable desire to attract the most common representation. it's all about the bottom line.

reality bites.