21 - Tropic Thunder

     A troubled film production's director decides to get the most authentic performances out of his cast by dumping them in the jungle and forcing them to fight their way through the scenario.  They run afoul of a real drug operation.
      Every time I see this, I forget about how pleasing it is.  Everyone seems to be having a good time.  The script is remarkable, able to shift between high and low humor smoothly.  Occasionally, it's easy to forget what sort of movie you're watching.
     This time through, I found myself focusing more on Robert Downey, Jr.  As much as I love watching Ben Stiller, and as much as the rest of the cast is amazing, I was much more captivated by Downey's way of playing more than one character at once.  This is probably because I've gotten much more fascinated with how he plays Iron Man.
      I also felt like Tom Cruise was used more than I remembered.  His performance is exactly as I remember, but I had two thoughts.  First, his hands seem almost gorilla-like.  They're big and hairy, but most importantly, they seem disproportionately large.  Second, Tom Cruise doesn't get to play jerks that often.  I kind of like it.  I wish he would do this more often.  I might like him more.
      The one spot that I think is a weakness is that Steve Coogan doesn't get used as much as I'd like.  I love Hamlet 2, and I think he's an unsung comedic genius.