As an all-time comedy it's probably a 4- but for '2008 Movies' this is a home-run.  A brutal satire of Hollywood might fly over the head of those who don't watch as many movies as me.  The following sacred cows are slaughtered- Vietnam films, stars adopting 'different' kids for PR, an Australian actor undergoes a medial procedure to play an African-American soldier, and Hollywood stars playing a role of someone disabled to earn 'legitimate' artistic respect. . .and other idols are slain.  The inside jokes come fast and furious along with the lowbrow humor.  But Tom Cruise as Les Grossman (a shocking stereotype of a Jewish Hollywood producer) was absolutely so un-PC I didn't think Hollywood had the chops to film this.  Indeed- it's nice to see some balls back in Hollywood.  Great stuff if you're a film geek- probably in the 3-star range if you're not.

I was a little worried about this movie, because I feel theres been a vibe that Tropic Thunder would be a flop. However, it was definitely the best comedy I've seen so far this year. From the very beginning the movie does a great job of mocking the entertainment business. Ben Stiller and crew making a parody about Hollywood is ironic because most of those involved in making this film have been involved in the business for a long time. However, they got things right and kept it funny. Tom Cruise's character made a bigger appearance than I thought he was and was definitely funny. The whole cast did a great job, but Robert Downey Jr. was amazing. If the viewer wasn't reminded so often in the dialogue that his character was in black face, I can imagine people believing his character is real. The action near the end was cheesy, but what do you expect from a comedy. It remained funny throughout, and is definitely a movie I'll enjoy seeing again at some point.