Tropic Thunder, the beloved war comedy starring Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr., is streaming on Hulu. The film, also celebrated by famed critic Roger Ebert, has been added to the comedy library of the streamer owned by Disney, although Tropic Thunder doesn’t exactly comply with the rules of the House of Mouse.
Critically acclaimed, as well as politically incorrect, the film was very successful upon release, making almost $200 million from a $95 million production budget. Tropic Thunder follows a group of actors making a movie guerilla-style in Southeast Asia, as they become completely oblivious to the real conflict in the Golden Triangle. The official logline reads as follows:

Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr. lead an ensemble cast in Tropic Thunder, an action comedy about a group of self-absorbed actors who set out to make the biggest war film ever. After ballooning costs (and the out-of-control egos of the pampered cast) threaten to shut down the movie, the frustrated director refuses to stop shooting, leading his cast deep into the jungles of Southeast Asia for “increased realism,” where they inadvertently encounter real bad guys.

Related

10 Highest-Grossing War Movies at the Box Office

War is an extremely successful film genre that always brings audiences to theaters and these blockbusters are the proof.

The film stars Stiller, Downey Jr. and Black alongside an impressive supporting cast that includes major names like Tom Cruise, Nick Nolte, Steve Coogan, Jay Baruchel, Brandon T. Jackson, Danny McBride, and Matthew McConaughey. It was directed by Stiller from a script he co-wrote with Justin Theroux and Etan Coen.
Upon release, Tropic Thunder was met with a loud outcry from several communities. The film’s signature tone of sarcasm didn’t sit well with disability advocates, as well as groups that criticized the movie’s characterization of Jewish people and the depiction of blackface practice for performance purposes.
Roger Ebert on ‘Tropic Thunder’: “The Kind of Summer Comedy That Rolls In, Makes a Lot of People Laugh and Rolls on to Video”

Today, Tropic Thunder sits at 82% on Rotten Tomatoes, and it has a well-deserved Certified Fresh label. It is one of the best R-rated comedies of the 21st century, and it is often mentioned as one of Stiller’s best movies, regardless of the outcry it has caused for years. Roger Ebert was one of the critics who was able to look away from the controversy, and he celebrated the film, especially highlighting Robert Downey Jr.’s performance when he was still in the process of becoming the MCU icon, Iron Man. The following is an excerpt of Ebert’s review:

“The documentary Hearts of Darkness is about the struggles of filming the great Vietnam War movie Apocalypse Now. Ben Stiller’s Tropic Thunder plays like that doc’s nightmare… The movie, written by Justin Theroux, Stiller and Etan Cohen, is familiar with the ordeals of filmmaking and location work, and distills it into wildly exaggerated scenes that have a whiff of accuracy. Especially interesting is the way the director, Damien Cockburn, leaves the picture, which perhaps reflects the way some actors feel about some directors.

“The movie is, may I say, considerably better than Stiller’s previous film, Zoolander. It’s the kind of summer comedy that rolls in, makes a lot of people laugh and rolls on to video. It’s been a good summer for that… When it’s all over, you’ll probably have the fondest memories of Robert Downey Jr.’s work. It’s been a good year for him, this one coming after Iron Man. He’s back, big time.”