What we flagged
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Our take
Tropic Thunder is an adult comedy about actors who mistake a real war zone for a film set. Strong language is near-constant, war scenes are bloody, and heroin trafficking drives part of the plot. Some jokes use blackface and mock disability, and families should know that this humour has drawn criticism. We put it at MA 15+ and up for viewers who can handle its deliberately offensive material.
Uplifting themes
Beneath the chaos there is a thin thread about ego, friendship and scraping together some courage, but the film is far more interested in shock laughs than any real lesson The main characters are vain, self-absorbed actors who stumble into bravery almost by accident. There is a little growth by the end, but few people here are worth looking up to
Story (may spoil tone)
A group of self-absorbed actors set out to make the most expensive war film ever. After ballooning costs force the studio to cancel the movie, the frustrated director refuses to stop shooting, leading his cast into the jungles of Southeast Asia, where they encounter real bad guys.
Details
Violence The film opens with a staged war-movie battle full of gunfire and explo…
The film opens with a staged war-movie battle full of gunfire and explosions, and real firefights follow once the actors land in genuine danger. It gets loud and sometimes bloody, though it is played mostly for laughs
Language Strong language is relentless. The f-word and s-word land in almost eve…
Strong language is relentless. The f-word and s-word land in almost every scene, often stacked together, alongside crude insults and sexual slang. This is one of the heaviest-swearing comedies you are likely to come across
Sex / nudity Sex is a verbal thing here, played through crude jokes, a porn gag and…
Sex is a verbal thing here, played through crude jokes, a porn gag and a song full of lewd lyrics. There is no real nudity, but the humour leans openly adult
Drugs / alcohol Heroin drives the back half of the story, with the villains running a d…
Heroin drives the back half of the story, with the villains running a drug operation and one character ending up using. Drinking and drug references pepper the dialogue throughout
Bullying / discrimination A white actor wears dark makeup throughout, and repeated jokes mock int…
A white actor wears dark makeup throughout, and repeated jokes mock intellectual disability. The film frames these choices as satire, but the stereotypes remain prominent
Gore / death / weapons War scenes show blood and heavy gunfire, while a running gag involves a…
War scenes show blood and heavy gunfire, while a running gag involves a severed head. The comedy does not prevent some images from becoming graphic
Flashing lights We have not confirmed whether this version contains flashing lights.
We have not confirmed whether this version contains flashing lights.
Family watch notes
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Talk after watching
- The film uses offensive stereotypes and claims it is satire. Where is the line between mocking something and repeating it?
- The characters are famous actors chasing their own egos. What is the film saying about Hollywood and fame?
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Tropic Thunder
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