Critics Consensus

With biting satire, plenty of subversive humor, and an unforgettable turn by Robert Downey, Jr., Tropic Thunder is a triumphant late Summer comedy.

Synopsis

In the spirit of Apocalypse Now and Platoon, this combat film send-up from director-star Ben Stiller tracks a group of actors who are forced to become real-life soldiers when they're abandoned in the jungles of Southeast Asia. The all-star cast includes Robert Downey Jr. (in an Oscar-nominated role), Jack Black, Matthew McConaughey and Nick Nolte, with an unrecognizable (and Golden Globe--nominated) Tom Cruise playing a crude movie mogul.