Tropic Thunder was released back in 2008 and was met with a generally very positive response from fans and critics. The movie made $188 million at the box office and was a brilliant mix of action and comedy that certainly brought the laughs throughout.
With an incredible cast featuring the likes of Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Tom Cruise, Robert Downey Jr and many more, it as easy to see why fans were attracted to see the movie in droves. However, while it certainly had very funny moments and an entertaining plot, there was certainly some controversy as well.
That’s, even more, the cast in 2020 as you can look back and see many moments that just didn’t age well. With that in mind, here are five moments that didn’t age well, as well as five that were ahead of its time.
Ahead Of Its Time: All-Star Cast
The cast of Tropic Thunder is absolutely full of Hollywood A-listers, from the main cast to those in supporting or cameo roles, everyone who was pulled in just happened to be a big name. It’s a credit to the actors for wanting to pull together to make something special, and it certainly did that.
It’s a cast listing that would make even The Avengers take a think about things. It’s full of incredible names and this is something that certainly has become increasingly more popular over the years, with big casts coming together.
Didn’t Age Well: Toilet Humor
Jack Black manages to pull off self-deprecating humor incredibly well, and there’s plenty of that in this movie with his weight being a constant source of jokes. But that isn’t an issue, what is are the constant toilet humor style jokes his character does throughout the film.
They’re not the types of jokes that age particularly well, mainly because they’re not that funny. During an initial watch, you might get a laugh or two, but in a repeat viewing, they certainly get met with silence, which is a shame as it’s a fun character for the most part.
Ahead Of Its Time: Catchphrases
Nowadays, comedy movies are often jam-packed with catchphrases that you will be repeating for years to come and Tropic Thunder was one of the first to really latch onto that idea. The film is littered with phrases that you will be repeating in your head or out loud to friends for years.
This is one of the reasons that the movie has become so memorable. Fans are often quoting it and remembering what happened during the film, which is a testament to the writing team behind this movie.
Didn’t Age Well: Full-Retard
Arguably the most controversial scene of Tropic Thunder is the “Full-Retard” scene, which many people have debated over whether or not they could have gotten away with today. The chances are, they couldn’t have done, mainly because of how offensive it is.
While the scene will always get laughs from some people, the vast majority of audiences who now look back at this particular scene often do so and cringe. With what people now know about mental health, there is just something about it that doesn’t sit right.
Ahead Of Its Time: Major Cameos
Earlier we spoke about how the movie had an all-star cast, which is very impressive, but one of the reasons it was so good was because of the fact they got big names in for small roles. Tom Cruise makes a cameo appearance in Tropic Thunder, but it is an incredibly memorable one.
Having major names like that not in lead roles was almost unheard of at the time and very rarely happened. However, nowadays you say major names making small appearances fairly regularly, with 1917 being a recent example of this.
Didn’t Age Well: Simple Jack
Following on from the “full-retard” scene, the entire concept of Simple Jack hasn’t aged very well either. This was entirely based on someone with a poor mental state and while he was the main character of that story, it was one that basically poked fun at him.
As with the scene based on this character, it just hasn’t aged well. People’s knowledge of mental health and situations surrounding that have risen so much that nobody wants to laugh at things like this anymore, which is why they look out of place whenever you rewatch them.
Ahead Of Its Time: Poking Fun At Hollywood
It’s very unconventional for a movie to openly look at Hollywood and the tropes that come along with it, but it is something that has happened more frequently in recent years. With the rise of social media and mockumentaries, many different films and television shows have openly mocked Hollywood.
This was something that Tropic Thunder was ahead of in that sense. The film took plenty of shots at Hollywood, from agents and producers being arrogant to actors being absolutely ridiculous with what they believed they could have. It was hilarious to see those situations be brought to life in a major film like this.
Didn’t Age Well: Lack Of Women
Not every single movie can be jam-packed with both genders, after all, some stories dictate that just one dominates the movie. However, the vast majority of them do have one or two important characters from each gender nowadays in order to showcase equality.
However, that wasn’t really the case with Tropic Thunder, which is dominated by male talent. It’s a shame that there weren’t a couple of important female characters sprinkled into this story, as there easily could have been, and that is something about it that just hasn’t aged perfectly.
Ahead Of Its Time: Robert Downey Jr
The cast of Tropic Thunder is absolutely incredible. From top to bottom everyone is a major star, from the main cast to people who make unbelievable cameos throughout the film. However, the big highlight of the movie is certainly Robert Downey Jr, who puts in a very funny performance here.
Downey Jr was already a well-known name in Hollywood who had established himself, however, it wasn’t long after his role here that the MCU started to be built. Because of that, the casting of Downey Jr looks incredibly impressive and has certainly aged very well.
Didn’t Age Well: Downey Jr’s Face
The biggest element of Tropic Thunder that hasn’t aged well is without a doubt Robert Downey Jr’s decision to paint his face to be black. It is something that caused offense at the time to many people and did bring criticism from some members of the audience.
While many people were okay and accepted it, the fact is that many could easily take this as something that’s racist. In today’s climate, it is unlikely anything like this would be allowed as the storm it would create would seriously damage the reputation of a movie, and rightfully so.
