"Thunder" Seamlessly Blends Comedy, Action

Ben Stiller Producer, Writes And Stars In Ambitious Hollywood Satire

(CBS) 
Meanwhile, back in Los Angeles, studio chief Lee Grossman (Tom Cruise) barks orders and gets off on the power he wields even in this time of crisis. Cruise's supporting performance has its wondrously freaky moments, but it's not nearly as hysterical (or career-altering) as the early hype would suggest. Hollywood insiders will scream in recognition at this portly, profane volcano of a man, but mainstream audiences will probably just chuckle here and there - and that's true of many of the gags in "Tropic
Thunder."

The screenplay from Stiller, Justin Theroux and Ethan Cohen doesn't have anything particularly original to say about the insanity of Hollywood excess - Matthew McConaughey, for example, is appropriately slick as Tugg's agent, whose primary goal is ensuring that his client has TiVo while on location - but the film makes its points mostly in a vivid, lively way. That is, until the explosions and other knowingly over-the-top moments of violence grow redundant. As in his 2001 fashion parody "Zoolander," Stiller's direction is too straightforward to engage us on anything but a
superficial level.

Having said that, make sure you arrive at the theater on time for "Tropic Thunder." The fake trailers at the start might just be the best part of the trip.

"Tropic Thunder," a DreamWorks Pictures release, is rated R for pervasive language including sexual references, violent content and drug material. Running time: 106 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four.