Reel Critic:

If anyone is qualified to skewer Hollywood from an insider’s viewpoint, it is Ben Stiller. Son of legendary comedians Jerry Stiller and Ann Meara, Stiller was virtually raised in show business. His own career has run the gamut from stage, a brief stint on “Saturday Night Live,” star of his own television show, film actor, writer, producer, and director.

Stiller utilizes nearly all these “slashes” as actor/writer/producer/director of his latest film “Tropic Thunder,” a withering satire of Hollywood excesses and self-importance. Stiller stars as Tugg Speedman, a fading action star in the “Rambo” mold. Speedman is teamed up with rapper Alpa Chino (Brandon T. Jackson), substance abusing gross-out comic Jeff Portnoy (Jack Black), and five time Oscar winner Kirk Lazarus (Robert Downey, Jr.) in a Vietnam War movie. The four stars are introduced via hilarious mock trailers at the beginning of the film.

The film “Tropic Thunder,” is based on an autobiographical account of a harrowing rescue operation based on a book of the same title written by “Four Leaf” Tayback (Nick Nolte), one of the survivors of the operation. Tayback, who lost both hands in the war, is a brooding presence on set that constantly harangues director Damien Cockburn (Steve Coogan) about the lack of authenticity of the filming.

Shooting is not going well due in no small part to the bickering between Speedman and the Australian Lazarus who is doing a twenty-first century version of blackface playing Osiris, the hardnosed platoon sergeant. Lazarus is so immersed in his character that it appears he is actually convinced he is black, much to the annoyance of the rap star Chino.

After one of the film’s major action sequences goes awry in a costly mistimed use of pyrotechnics, director Cockburn is given an ultimatum by crazed studio head Les Grossman, played by an almost unrecognizable Tom Cruise. Seemingly at a loss, the director takes the suggestion of Tayback to drop the stars off in the middle of the jungle where they will be deprived of all luxuries. The film will be shot “guerilla-style” with handheld and remote cameras.

Unfortunately the stars are dropped off in an area controlled by one of the largest heroin processing and distributing cartels in the world. Speedman is soon captured and only kept alive after he is recognized as “Simple Jack,” his failed attempt as a serious actor in which he played a mentally challenged farmer who thinks he can talk to animals. The drug smugglers force him to act out the entire movie as his costars plot to rescue him.

“Tropic Thunder” has generated criticism mainly due to the character of “Simple Jack.” The film is really not making fun of the mentally challenged but rather satirizing the delicate balancing act of role selection in an era when Dustin Hoffman and Tom Hanks receive the Academy Award for playing autistic and slow adults respectively. As Lazarus observes, Speedman’s big mistake was going “full retard.”

It is surprising Downey’s portrayal of a black man hasn’t caused more problems. Perhaps this is because his character is actually a send up of method acting. Few actors other than Downey could have pulled this off. Coupled with his performance in “Iron Man” Downey has returned to the top ranks of working actors.

Like “Get Smart,” another summer 2008 release, “Tropic Thunder” is part comedy, part action film. While some scenes are hilarious, the action sequences are first rate and the rescue operation is exciting even though there are no real surprises.

The entire cast has its moments. Stiller projects the machismo of a big action star which only masks his bruised and delicate ego. Jack Black, the heroin addicted funnyman, is called upon to display the full spectrum of drug withdrawal clichés for comic effect. Matthew McConaughey as Speedman’s agent is also effective.

Although only appearing briefly, Tom Cruise steals the show when he is on screen. Bald, fat, and extremely hairy, Les Grossman is an evil genius who controls and manipulates multimillion dollar projects from his high tech office and home. Tobey Maguire also appears in a hilarious cameo.

“Tropic Thunder” is rated “R” for pervasive language including sexual references, violent content and drug material. This should be warning enough, but those sensitive to this type of humor should stay away. For those not easily offended, “Tropic Thunder” is a hilarious spoof with more hits than misses.