"Tropic Thunder" and "Henry Poole is Here"

The 'Tropic Thunder' review was originally published in The Source newspaper's 8/17/08 edition and written by myself, Chris Williams.

TROPIC THUNDER

Robert Downey Jr., is in the midst of a wonderful career comeback.

He’s given consistently fantastic performances in “Good Night and Good Luck,” “Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang” and “Zodiac” and, earlier this summer, starred in the megahit action film “Iron Man.” After years of being a punch line for his drug and alcohol abuse, it finally looks like Downey is getting the roles a man of his talent deserves.

So why, one can be forgiven for asking, is he risking career suicide in a racially charged role in the new movie “Tropic Thunder”?

Downey plays Kirk Lazarus, an Oscar-winning Method actor from Australia cast as the black platoon sergeant in the most expensive war movie ever made. Lazarus so immerses himself in the role that he undergoes medical treatment to have his skin dyed black. Because he doesn’t step out of character “until the DVD commentary is done,” Lazarus spends the entire movie talking in an over-the-top Southern accent, offering to “collar up some of them greens” and getting offended when anyone mentions “you people.”

A major movie star in a major comedy dressing up as a black man and talking in Ebonics? It’s a role that could dance perilously close to disaster and would be a career killer if there was even the slightest whiff of racism to it.

But Downey, who has always had a wonderful wit to him, pulls off the role with wonderful aplomb, turning what could have been tasteless and offensive into a hilarious joke at pretentious Method actors who go to absurd lengths for a role. I would not bet against Downey receiving a Best Supporting Actor nomination come award time if the Academy puts aside its bias against comedic roles.

Downey is so good, in fact, that he almost becomes the center of attention, taking the focus away from the fact that he is just one member of a hilarious ensemble in one of this year’s most original and outrageous comedies.

Lazarus has been enrolled alongside action star Tugg Speedman (Ben Stiller) and comedian Jeff Portnoy (Jack Black) to star in the war epic “Tropic Thunder,” which a novice director (Steve Coogan) is shooting in Vietnam. The project is over budget and the cast is not coming together; Speedman, who is recovering from a movie considered “the worst film ever made,” can’t even cry in a crucial scene. The director, under advice from a clearly insane technical advisor (Nick Nolte), drops his principal cast members in the jungle and intends to film them with hidden cameras. What the cast doesn’t know, however, is that Vietnamese drug runners have spotted them and are intent on killing them all. They don’t even know something’s amiss when their director steps on a landmine, leading to a sight gag that is both gruesome and hilarious.

It’s an R-rated, action-heavy take on a plot that was formerly used in “Three Amigos” and “A Bug’s Life.” But a clever and merciless script by Stiller, and screenwriters Ethan Coen and Justin Theroux ensure that “Tropic Thunder” is never boring, even though not every joke hits its mark.

Alongside his co-writing and acting duties, Stiller also takes on the role of director for this film, and shows that his skills have improved since “The Cable Guy” and “Zoolander.” Stiller gives every actor several funny lines of dialogue and he’s able to keep the satire razor sharp in most places, especially when the action cuts to Hollywood, where Speedman’s agent (Matthew McConaughey) endures his own desperate battle to get his client a TiVo, and an obscene, vulgar producer (a famous Hollywood superstar whose identity I wouldn’t dare dream of revealing) threatens to shut down the production.

At times, Stiller gets overzealous with the action sequences and the noise threatens to drown out the wonderful character work going on. Downey, as I mentioned, is utterly hilarious and is complemented by newcomer (and Detroit native) Brandon T. Jackson as a rapper who is utterly offended to see an Australian taking on the role of a black man.

Black seems to be relishing his chance to shed his family-friendly image in this R-rated comedy. His character at first is a riff on actors like Black or Eddie Murphy who make big bucks for jokes about flatulence and obesity. But Portnoy also has a drug addiction that turns wonderfully bizarre in the jungle, after a bat flies away with his package of “jelly beans.” I wouldn’t dare dream of revealing what happens when Portnoy is tied to a tree late in the film (nor could I print it in a family newspaper), but it’s one of the highlights of Black’s career.

Stiller actually gets the easy job in that, unlike Black and Downey, he is not poking fun at himself, but at action heroes who try to find critical acclaim. I would have preferred to see an actual action star in this role and think that surely Dwayne Johnson or Mel Gibson could be effective. But then again, I don’t know that they could handle the pure awfulness of “Simple Jack,” Speedman’s pet project, with the same mixture of hilarity and offensiveness with which Stiller does.

“Tropic Thunder” is the latest of the big three comedies of this summer, following “Step Brothers” and “The Pineapple Express.” While I still think “Pineapple Express” delivers more consistent laughs, “Tropic Thunder” is close behind it in terms of quality and hilarity. It’s a film so effective in skewering the studio system that made it, you have to wonder if maybe the producers were influenced by a little Pineapple Express of their own when they green-lighted it.
Grade: B+

HENRY POOLE IS HERE

I struggle with my thoughts on "Henry Poole is Here," a sincere and gentle film about faith from director Mark Pellington ("U23D").

On the one hand, I'm so sick and tired of poor "Christian" films that feature abysmal acting, poor writing and shoddy production values. I'm also sick and tired of Christians complaining that Hollywood never takes their faith seriously and develops films about belief in God.

It's those people who I would encourage to go see "Henry Poole is Here," which features Luke Wilson as a depressed alcoholic who retreats his old neighborhood in California when he finds out he only has a short time left to live. Wilson, an actor who is usually hit-or-miss for me, gives a wonderful restrained and internalized role as a man described as "sad and angry," and has abandoned all of his faith in anything.

Of course, he's none too happy when his eclectic neighbor, Esperanza (Adriana Barrazza) sees a stain on his stucco that she believes looks like the face of Christ. And he's even more upset when a local priest (George Lopez) shows up, not officially declaring it a miracle but curious about further insight. He's a little bit more happy, of course, to find that his attractive single neighbor and her mute daughter have taken an interest in him.

People tired of the R-rated shenanigans and loud action movies currently filling theaters will likely enjoy this PG-rated drama (although for a movie about religion, I was surprised how often they used God's name in vain). The already-converted will find a movie that supports their beliefs and declares that faith is worth having, redemption is powerful and salvation is offered even to those who don't deserve it. The fact that the production values and the acting are steps ahead of most religious films is also a bonus, and a hope that more films taking faith seriously will be approved.

But as a lover of film, I have reservations about "Henry Poole." Pellington has obviously developed a fable that he feels strongly about and I'm glad he found a project so personal to him. But subtlety is not his strong suit and the film, instead of taking time to play both sides of the faith argument, hammers home that THIS IS REALLY HAPPENING. Seriously, when Henry's wall starts bleeding and (SPOILER) the check-out clerk with thick glasses can see again, I was actually disappointed--I think faith is stronger when we can't necessarilly see outside results and what we see here is a God who basically wants Henry to see and believe, when faith doesn't necessarilly require sight. I'm also curious about the type of faith Pellington is rewarding here, because the people who believe in the stain on the wall all want something for themselves. It's another "God as genie" subtext that I wasn't too thrilled about. And Pellington trots out every cliche in the book for this movie--from the man dying of a mysterious disease to the mute kid who hasn't talked since her father left (want to guess whether she starts talking again or not? And would you be surprised if she started talking and turned from a mysterious and cute character to just another annoying kid?). I've told others that I felt that the film bludgeoned me with a feather; it's light and gentle and sweet, but it's also a continous assault.

So I'm torn. 'Henry Poole" is not a horrible movie and I suspect it will find a strong audience on DVD, especially if stores like Family Christian Stores pick it up. And that's not a bad thing--if there were a Christian Oscars, this film would probably win, simply because it's better than most choices that Christian audiences have. And hopefully it will spur people towards movies that discuss faith with a bit more substance and style--I'd love to see Christian audiences discover films like "Babette's Feast," "Wings of Desire" and "Dead Man Walking." Heck, I'd be thrilled if Christians decided to actually look at "Monty Python's Life of Brian" in an objective light.
But as a film lover, the movie comes across as cliche and manipulative. Grade: C