Tropic Thunder was met with acclaim and commercial success in 2008, and met with INTENSE controversy over Robert Downy Jr.'s now infamous blackface performance in the film (not to mention Simple Jack). Yet it was PART OF THE POINT the film was making regarding the lengths some creatives will go when making feature films that will impact the world further down the track.
Man: the world today feels like a totally alien place compared to 2008's landscape of global-warming preaching and 9/11 still being a very recent tragedy, and the Wii, PS3 and Xbox 360 being the then-cutting-edge game consoles, and gay jokes that would possibly be considered homophobic or some such rubbish (comedy's meant to be funny, not taken as literal demeaning mockery of real people). SO much has changed since the 2000s; fast forward to 2024 and so many of the film's jokes ARE triggering all the wrong people further proving the film's point and jokes.
It's kind of sad and funny that Tropic Thunder's mockeries of Hollywood have basically come true; today's industry is playing EXACTLY like how those fake trailers framed the industry (except for the lack of animation representation) what with the tired action franchises and comedy films, and of course mid-budget indies being awards-bait films. Ben Stiller knew what he was doing when he committed to directing this metafictional mockumentary of modern American Cinema.
It's funny stuff, and sadly something cinema of the 2020s seems terrified to tackle with 'crude nuance', ie South Park. Meta-comedies can be refreshing and necessary critiques for what they're mocking, and Tropic Thunder was a real treat for 2008's crowded blockbuster landscape (seriously 2008 was an ENORMOUS year for the movies).
Tropic Thunder gets 8/10 IMDb points. 4/5 stars. It's still a riot. Just don't show this one to easily triggered fellas (or you can still, what the hell).
