# Tropic Thunder - new Ben Stiller/Jack Black movie **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 4, 2007, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tropic-thunder-new-ben-stiller-jack-black-movie/402823 "2007-05-04T23:00:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2008, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tropic-thunder-new-ben-stiller-jack-black-movie/402823/61 "2008-09-08T17:47:39Z")
I just finished reading the book [Disney War](http://www.amazon.com/Disney-War-James-B-Stewart/dp/0684809931), which spends several chapters on [Jeffrey Katzenberg](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffrey_Katzenberg). Tom Cruise’s character seemed to be based at least partly on Katzenberg, who was apparently legendary for his insistence at being constantly supplied with Diet Coke, and with being a real ball breaker. If I’m not mistaken, _Tropic Thunder_ was released by Katzenberg’s company, DreamWorks SKG. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tropic-thunder-new-ben-stiller-jack-black-movie/402823/62 "2008-09-09T02:23:58Z")
Since Cruise is mentioned in the credits specially for the part he plays, I don’t get why people thought it was a cameo - which are normally uncredited - or why it needed spoilers. I didn’t guffaw, but I liked the movie and liked that it kept twisting to stay out of cliché territory almost all the way through. Stiller’s character was about the least interesting of the bunch - he gave himself moments that were great and moments that were awful - but the others were great takes on Hollywood. Cruise’s character kept reminding me of portrayals from Entourage. You have to think that when everybody plays the players the same way, there has to be a deep truth behind it. I mentioned to my wife afterward that I didn’t think there was a single female speaking role in the entire movie. All of us should go to see _The Women_ (which doesn’t even have a male extra anywhere in it) for karmic balance. ---
**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tropic-thunder-new-ben-stiller-jack-black-movie/402823/63 "2008-09-09T02:34:12Z")
Would Tyra Banks’ role count? ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tropic-thunder-new-ben-stiller-jack-black-movie/402823/64 "2008-09-09T02:39:32Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Since Cruise is mentioned in the credits specially for the part he plays, I don’t get why people thought it was a cameo - which are normally uncredited - or why it needed spoilers. I don’t know if anyone other than myself put a spoiler tag on Cruise. I saw it, and posted about, the week it came out. I went in to the theater not knowing that Cruise was in the film at all. The “surprise factor” made his performance _way more effective_- for me. For others it may not have made a difference, but I just about choked on my Milkduds at his first appearance. By week two Cruise came up in every mention about the movie- in fact, just a day or two after I saw the movie, I saw an interview with Stiller during which he spoke a lot about Cruise. So, yeah, at this point the secret’s out. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2008, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tropic-thunder-new-ben-stiller-jack-black-movie/402823/65 "2008-11-02T03:36:05Z")
Tropic Thunder finally opened here a week ago, and we saw it last night. It was great! One nitpick: There are no pandas in Vietnam. We could tell even before seeing it in the end credits that this was filmed on Kauai. I know Ben Stiller has a home on the North Shore, near Hanalei, so that’s not surprising. I feel – and the wife agrees – the little-boy drug lord was based on [Johnny and Luther Htoo](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_and_Luther_Htoo), twins and ethnic Karen rebels in Burma who, at about the age of 9, were the leaders of the God’s Army anti-Rangoon movement. The locals thought they had magical powers. God’s Army members briefly overran the Burmese Embassy in Bangkok nine years ago and then were allowed to leave Thailand. But they suffered a big setbacks when 10 members took over a hospital in Ratchaburi province of Thailand; the Thai army recaptured the hospital and then shot all 10 dead. The twins are about 20 now; [one lives in a refugee camp here in Thailand, while the other returned to Burma two years ago and surrendered to the authorities](http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Where_are_Johnny_and_Luther_Htoo_of_gods_army_now). ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2008, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tropic-thunder-new-ben-stiller-jack-black-movie/402823/66 "2008-11-02T04:51:34Z")
And speaking of pandas and _Tropic Thunder_, this can’t be mere coincidence, but we saw the film in the Siam Theater, and outside of place are a bunch of little stall-type shops. One that sells ladies’ clothing had one mannequin sporting a (fake) panda head _a la_ Ben Stiller in the movie! ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2014, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tropic-thunder-new-ben-stiller-jack-black-movie/402823/67 "2014-04-19T23:34:57Z")
Sorry for the long-time bump, but we recently got the DVD and I have to say, some parts of the commentary are as funny as the movie itself. Definitely worth buying. ---
**Author:** ![BrassyPhrase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea666f/32.png) [@BrassyPhrase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrassyPhrase)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2014, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tropic-thunder-new-ben-stiller-jack-black-movie/402823/68 "2014-04-19T23:51:59Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > Sorry for the long-time bump, but we recently got the DVD and I have to say, some parts of the commentary are as funny as the movie itself. Definitely worth buying. You know what’s crazy? I have this movie; I have watched it multiple times. I have never watched the extras. What is wrong with me? And just in case anyone has missed seeing it, [this](http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y73438WioKM) ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2014, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tropic-thunder-new-ben-stiller-jack-black-movie/402823/69 "2014-04-20T01:15:24Z")
> [@BrassyPhrase](#): > > And just in case anyone has missed seeing it, [this](http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y73438WioKM) [Corrected link](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y73438WioKM). ---
**Author:** ![BrassyPhrase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea666f/32.png) [@BrassyPhrase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrassyPhrase)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2014, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tropic-thunder-new-ben-stiller-jack-black-movie/402823/70 "2014-04-20T03:20:18Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > [Corrected link](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y73438WioKM). Whoops! I almost got it right:smack: ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2014, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tropic-thunder-new-ben-stiller-jack-black-movie/402823/71 "2014-04-20T03:39:57Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > I feel – and the wife agrees – the little-boy drug lord was based on [Johnny and Luther Htoo](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_and_Luther_Htoo), twins and ethnic Karen rebels in Burma who, at about the age of 9, were the leaders of the God’s Army anti-Rangoon movement. The locals thought they had magical powers. God’s Army members briefly overran the Burmese Embassy in Bangkok nine years ago and then were allowed to leave Thailand. But they suffered a big setbacks when 10 members took over a hospital in Ratchaburi province of Thailand; the Thai army recaptured the hospital and then shot all 10 dead. The twins are about 20 now; [one lives in a refugee camp here in Thailand, while the other returned to Burma two years ago and surrendered to the authorities](http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Where_are_Johnny_and_Luther_Htoo_of_gods_army_now). Since this thread has been resurrected, here’s an [update on Johnny and Luther Htoo](http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/03/world/asia/briefly-myanmars-gods-army-twins-reunite.html?_r=0) from five months ago. Luther lives in Sweden, Johnny in Thailand. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2014, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tropic-thunder-new-ben-stiller-jack-black-movie/402823/72 "2014-04-20T04:01:32Z")
I don’t read the thread, the thread reads me. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tropic-thunder-new-ben-stiller-jack-black-movie/402823/73 "2014-04-21T02:40:22Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > Sorry for the long-time bump, but we recently got the DVD and I have to say, some parts of the commentary are as funny as the movie itself. Definitely worth buying. A lot of the reason for this is due to Robert Downey Jr. doing the entire commentary completely in character as the Australian method actor / ‘fake’ black guy! ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tropic-thunder-new-ben-stiller-jack-black-movie/402823/74 "2014-04-21T03:32:31Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > A lot of the reason for this is due to Robert Downey Jr. doing the entire commentary completely in character as the Australian method actor / ‘fake’ black guy! [QUOTE=Kirk Lazarus] Man, I don’t drop character 'till I done the DVD commentary. [/QUOTE] … [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tropic-thunder-new-ben-stiller-jack-black-movie/402823.md?page=3)