The last time Ben Stiller took on the roles of writer, producer, director and star in a film was 2001’s “Zoolander,” where Stiller satirically skewered the absurdity and pointlessness of the fashion industry. He uses a similar technique to examine movie-making and his own profession and outdoes himself with the action-comedy “Tropic Thunder,” which is easily one of the funniest movies you’ll see this year.

The film gets you laughing in the first few frames with hilarious fake trailers, introducing the Dream Team comic cast portraying the self-important actors at the film’s center. There’s action star Tugg Speedman (Stiller), who is trying to rebound from his tired shoot-em-up “Scorcher” series and his botched attempt at Oscar gold playing a mentally-impaired farmer in “Simple Jack.” Jeff Portney (Jack Black) is the portly comic actor with the flatulent family franchise “The Fatties” (a complete dig at Eddie Murphy’s “The Nutty Professor”). Then there’s Kirk Lazarus (Robert Downey Jr.), the award-winning Aussie actor who does whatever his role requires, including undergoing skin pigmentation to play an African-American soldier.

All three actors are working on the Vietnam War epic “Tropic Thunder” (the movie within the movie) based on the book by John “Four Leaf” Tayback (Nick Nolte, looking as grizzled as his DUI mugshot). But first-time director (Steve Coogan) is failing to rein in all the egos. His last ditch effort is dropping the actors, who also include rapper-turned actor Alpa Chino (Brandon T. Jackson) and excited newbie Kevin Sandusky (Jay Baruchel), deep in Southeast Asian jungles to shoot the film guerilla-style with hidden cameras. This turns deadly when the pampered thespians encounter real danger from a heroin cartel.

While the action is big and the bullets are flying, it’s the jokes and performances that will knock you dead. Stiller is having a ball as star and director, poking fun at himself while parodying war classics like “Apocalypse Now,” “Saving Private Ryan” and “Platoon.” Even though Black’s character starts out as slightly annoying, his wild-eyed performance grows funnier as the film progresses, especially when you see Portney’s appetite for opiates.

But real props go to Downey Jr., whose is downright amazing as Lazarus, pushing PC boundaries doning black face to get into character. With constant '70s blacksploitation “Dyn-o-mite!” mannerisms and gravely voice, he stays black and proud on and off camera. Downey Jr. somehow gets away with it thanks to fearless talent.

Of course, it helps that clever writing (by Stiller and co-writers Justin Theroux and Ethan Cohen) has Lazarus constantly being called out by an actual brother in Chino, who takes jabs at Lazarus’ Australian heritage while hocking his “Booty Sweat” energy drink and “Bust-A-Nut” bars.

Not since a little comic hit called “Borat” has a film flirted with such big taboos and produced gloriously offensive, yet funny, results. SPOILER ALERT: Watch out for Tom Cruise, who plays a balding, ponchy, Wookie-chested studio head who speaks in profanity-filled tirades that may make you forget about that whole couch-jumping incident.

While the film within the film may have been a disaster, there’s no denying Stiller’s “Tropic Thunder” will declare war on your funnybone.

– Blake Hannon

| Stjoelive staff