November 11, 2024 • 55 mins
Exploration of cinematic nostalgia takes center stage as J.J., Mattson, and Alec dive into the world of comedy with a focus on the cult classic Tropic Thunder. The hosts reflect on their experiences with movies in a pre-streaming era, where trips to Blockbuster meant coming home with a selection of films that would guide their entertainment choices. The conversation leads to a deeper examination of how the gaps in movie releases—between the theater and home video—created a sense of anticipation that has largely vanished in today's instant-access environment. As they dissect Tropic Thunder, they touch on themes of satire, the absurdity of Hollywood, and the unique performances that make the film a memorable experience. J.J. expresses his personal struggle with Ben Stiller's comedic style, arguing that while the film's ensemble cast shines, Stiller's presence often detracts from the overall enjoyment. Mattson and Alec counter with their appreciation for the film's humor and its sharp commentary on the film industry, underscoring the varying perspectives on comedy and its execution in cinema. Together, they navigate the balance of nostalgia and critique, creating a rich dialogue that celebrates the complexities of comedy and the changing landscape of film consumption.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
I'd go to Blockbuster and comehome with five or six movies that
I'd never seen before.
And I hadn't had a chance togo to the theater to see them, so
I wanted to watch them, right?
And there used to be a gap,like little kids listening, watching.
There used to be time betweenmovie theater and when it came out
on video.
And when I say time, I didn'tmean a month or two.
I meant there, sometimes ayear before I could watch it in my
(00:22):
house.
Welcome to the what's podcast.
We fashion ourselves cinematicjudge and Jerry.
My name is J.J.
crowder.
I'm here with my co host Matzenheider.
Better Red Than Dead and Alec Burgess.
(00:43):
Let's get it.
We appreciate you tuning in.
Go hit that.
Follow subscribe like bellNotification buttons help us keep
the podcast rolling.
Tell a friend about us.
Tell a family member about us.
Hello, Wookie about us.
Jake on I was about to say youcould tell a wookie about us.
It feels like it's very.
That was your wookie.
That was my.
Oh, you didn't know that thatwas his wookie?
(01:03):
I thought he was doing somenew wave slaying like this Skibidi
Riz Ohio stuff.
I haven't practiced my, my wookie.
So that's, that's all I got.
Yeah, it was a woogie.
But yeah, tell a wookie about us.
But also tell like, and maybein this case, you know, a method
actor about us.
That would work too.
(01:24):
So yeah, it's a week two of our.
What was again?
Like, I always forget, like Idon't know why I'm having such a
hard time remembering the theme.
Like, I know it's comedies,but all time favorite.
All time favorite.
Yeah, I think that's what itactually was.
So all time favorite comedies.
Round two.
We're here talking aboutTropic Thunder.
(01:47):
It was released August 13, 2008.
It was written by JustinThoreau, Ben Stiller and Eaton Cohen,
Ethan Cohen.
It was directed by BenStiller, stars Ben Stiller, Jack
Black, Robert Downey Jr.
Jeff Khan, Anthony Ruvar, JayBarell, Brandon T.
(02:08):
Jackson, Steve Coogan and Nick Nolte.
With some other people inthere that we'll talk about.
I'm sure it's about.
Through a series of freakoccurrences, a group of actors shooting
a big budget war movie areforced to become the soldiers they
are portraying.
I think that's slightlymisleading, but that's okay.
(02:28):
I got some strong opinionsabout this movie, but this is a Matson
movie.
Matson, tell us why you pickedthis Movie, my friend.
Look, this movie, I don't knowwhat I came across, this movie, it's
probably around the time itcame out, maybe a year or two after,
maybe.
I don't know.
I think it's one of thosemovies I first came across on TV
(02:48):
and was just like, what am Iwatching right now?
This weird, weird movie.
Robert Downey Jr.
S character decided to die himself.
Like what?
Like, and then, I mean,there's so many famous people in
this movie, like, good actors and.
But what stood out the most isTom Cruise's character.
(03:09):
Just, it's.
I mean, just rewatching thislast night, I mean, dude just gets
me.
I love his character, so itjust makes me laugh.
From the prosthetics to hissuper hairiness, to his, like, what
seemed like larger than lifeforearms and hands.
(03:31):
And then just the way he justharasses people on the phone.
That scene with the terroristswhen he was like, giving his demands
and threats.
And then.
Why am I forgetting what's hisactual name in the movie?
It's the producer.
What's his name?
Gosh dang it.
Tom Cruise's character's name.
(03:51):
I don't even know because it'snot even in the credits, so I can't
remember something like that.
Less something.
He just.
The guy's face after he hearswhat he says, like, just.
I just love it.
Like, talk about well placedcuss words, man.
Perfect, perfect, perfect.
And then outside of that, themovie within the movie, the trailers
(04:18):
for the movies, where thesestars came from, I just love that
part.
Still, all those make megiggle because they're all over the
top.
And I like movies that makefun of themselves.
And to me, this movie does agreat job at certain parts throughout
of it.
Am I here to say again, isthis another, like, foolproof plot?
(04:38):
Great movie.
No, it's not that.
But man, this movie does makeme chuckle.
And even watching it later on,like, I still look forward to any
scene Tom Cruise is in,especially, just gets me jazzed.
Fair enough.
Alec, what about you?
What did you think of Tropic Thunder?
So I'm not a big Ben Stillerfan, and I had a moral dilemma with
(05:02):
this movie that I neverthought I would ever experience with
any movie ever.
So Oshi's been playing thisghost game, like, video game phobia.
Okay, I know the game.
You're like a ghost hunter.
Yeah, I was upset because Ihad having to play with her.
I was upset that I had to stopbeing a ghost hunter to go watch
(05:23):
Tropic Thunder.
Had you Seen this movie before.
Oh, yeah, yeah.
But I was just like, I gottago watch Tropic Thunder means I can't
hunt ghosts anymore.
Like that.
That was where my mind went.
And that did.
And I caught myself afterwardsgoing, what the fuck?
I'd rather hunk ghost.
(05:43):
I was gonna say, because youcan get your ass if you're not careful.
Oh, no, it's gotten my ass.
But I was like, I'd rather.
And I had to sit there and,like, really rethink my life choices
after that, because I waslike, no, Tropic Thunder is not that
bad.
It's not so bad.
I should be upset having this.
Stop ghost hunting to go find.
(06:06):
Are you saying we need to putin a scary movie?
Like a real.
No, I'm not saying that.
I was just saying that's kindof what I'm hearing.
This was a moral dilemma of mysoul that I was not expecting to
have.
We can fix.
We can fix this.
Where we can help you rememberthat there are scary movies out there.
I.
I see your point, though, Alec.
You choosing a scary somethingover anything else feels weird.
(06:31):
I was.
I was shocked at myselfbecause I was like, no, no, no, no.
This is not what I really wantto be doing.
What I want to be doing isgoing watching the comedy film.
Oh, that's funny.
But, yeah, so Ben Stiller is aweird one for me, and I.
It's like he's hit or miss.
(06:53):
And it is usually when ithits, it feels like it's other people
in the movie that make it hit.
Because he went full.
Yeah, 100.
That's the entire reason.
But I mean, even, like, youknow, Night Museum, right?
Where really he's the onlyperson in the movie.
(07:16):
In a lot of times, the showstill gets stolen by a giant stone
head.
And Robin Williams.
And Robin Williams.
And so it's.
It's tricky because I'm like, he's.
He's the one who's directing it.
He's the main actor, theheadliner, puts himself in it.
I'm like, I would rather justwatch Robert Downey Jr.
(07:38):
And Danny McBride go on abuddy cop movie in Vietnam.
Like, that would be fun.
I don't feel like.
I feel like this is a movie,though, where he made fun of him.
Made fun of himself a lot.
And I never felt like.
I know he was technically themain character and he directed it,
but I think this moviecelebrated the comedy of what other
(07:59):
people brought to the table,and he was just a part of the ride.
I'd never looked at him aslike the, like, central focus of
the movie.
But maybe I have a different viewpoint.
This movie is like, It's aconundrum for me because there are
so many people and thingsabout this movie that I love.
But I hate Ben Stiller.
(08:21):
I'm going to take it a step further.
I don't even, like, have anissue or struggle with.
I cannot stand Ben Stiller.
Like, there is very little, ifanything that he's done that I'm
like, oh, that's funny.
Like, I don't find him funnyat all.
I find him stupid.
Like, he actually annoys me.
And so it makes.
Makes things hard to watchwhen he's in them.
(08:42):
For me, the problem is, isthere's some genius performances
in this.
And I know it's like.
And I.
You hear about it because ofthe nature of what Downey's character
is done.
Like, that's like.
But he really kills it in this movie.
Across the board.
The Jack Black is thehilarious comedy.
(09:03):
Like, is wild because he's thecomic relief inside of a comedy because
he's just running around likea wild man with his addiction.
And.
And I love parody.
No, jj Jelly beans.
Yes, jelly beans.
I.
I love parody.
Like, I think anything that's make.
I'm with you on that.
Matt's.
Anything that makes fun of itself.
And like, this is like thissatire on Hollywood and the problems
(09:26):
that you've seen in Hollywoodthroughout all time, right?
Like, how do you win an Oscar?
What are the odds that you'regoing to win?
What are the chances?
You got to do this.
You got to do that.
And then these people thatmake all the big millions of dollars
but will never win an Oscarbecause of the types of movies that
they're in and then the drugaddiction and then like, the people
trying to look up and become actors.
(09:47):
Like, and then like the goofyguys that have blown there, have
melted ears and lost a finger.
Like, it's just like, I lovethe satire and the parody of it all,
but Ben Stiller ruins it forme because I just can't stand him.
And then there are parts whereI'm like.
And this is, I think myproblem with Ben Stiller.
(10:08):
There's not a Ben Stiller moot comedy.
Okay, I won't say moviebecause that's hard for me to say
too.
There's very few, if any, thatI can think of.
None that I can think of.
Top of my head, Ben Stillermovies where it doesn't go too far.
And I don't mean, like,offensive too far because I Am.
I'm with Alec.
(10:28):
Like, if you can offend me,Jesus Christ, you went off a cliff,
climbed back up and went off acliff further.
You earned it.
Yeah, like, it's almostimpossible to truly offend me.
But going too far with like,like, for example, when they come
and rescue him and he's gotthis, like, he's gone full method,
(10:52):
right?
And he's got his.
The little kid and he's likerefusing to go with them and like
all of these other, thesedifferent things.
Like, I'm like, what ishappening right now?
Because this isn't funny for me.
Like, it, it took what theywere trying to do, even the satire,
too far.
(11:12):
And I think that's always beenmy problem with Ben Stiller.
If he's acting in it, if he'sdirecting it, if he's part of a movie,
he takes it one step at least,sometimes many more steps farther
than it needed to go becausethe comedy was landing until you
went there.
And now I'm just annoyed.
And there's a.
(11:32):
There's a few places wherethat is.
Like for example, early onwhen the director gets blown up.
Laughed my ass off at the factthat he gets blown up.
And then everybody's likefreaking out, except for Ben Stiller
and the kid.
He like, it's not real.
And everybody else is pukingand losing their.
And he picks up the head and Ieven laugh when he puts the head
(11:55):
on the end of the gun because it's.
Again, there's images ofthings like that.
So I was like, that's funny.
It's good satire.
But then like the whole liketaste in the blood, then he's like
shaking it over.
He just took it one step toofar because then it loses me and
I go, okay, let's move on tothe next piece.
This is an hour and 40 minute movie.
(12:15):
It should have been an hourand 20 because there's pieces that
they went.
They hit the comedy, I laughedmy ass off.
I go, that's really funny.
Then they go three more stepsinto the same joke and I'm like,
nope, nope, cut that out.
And you made the perfect movie.
I will say that the one placethat they did perfect and that they
(12:38):
should have done more of isTom Cruise.
Because the less Grossman character.
I want a movie just of Les Grossman.
I watched it.
Hilarious.
Hilarious.
Is this, Is this Cameron?
Who's.
What was it?
(12:59):
Who's the.
I don't know, the.
That person, the guy thatholds the microphone.
Yeah.
I want you to go over thereand punch him.
In the face.
I'm sorry.
Yeah, I love it.
Lex Grow.
He's the best part of thismovie by far.
And I remember, yeah, Iremember sitting in the theater like,
(13:23):
is that Tom Cruise?
Yeah, because that's.
At first I was like, is thisTom Cruise?
Because at that point you gotto think back to when this is mate.
Yep.
I know he's been in some stuff but.
But like this I was like, Ican't think of anything I've ever
seen like good boy Tom Cruiseplay someone like this.
It just made me laugh.
Well, and fun fact, like hewas in a not great place at this
(13:45):
time.
Like he kind of fallen off.
This was shortly after theOprah jumping on the couch.
Yeah, like the whole like theScientology was under a lot of scrutiny
at the time.
The fact that he's the onepretty much the face of Scientology
from a Hollywood perspective.
The whole Katie Holmes issues,like they had, they were in the midst
(14:07):
of divorce and like the wholeproblem about how he was like, I
don't look, I don't knowanything that was going on.
But like there's a whole lotof rumors and a whole lot of weird
and him jumping up and down onthe couch and just being a all around
weird son of a.
So like people were kind ofafraid to touch him.
And he's a great actor.
We've talked about him amillion times.
But like if you do some weirdwhich they make fun of on this movie,
(14:29):
like it'll ruin you.
And so this was like one ofthose things where they're like,
well, let's put Tom Cruise on it.
And it kind of.
If you look back at the timeframe of this 2008 and then you watch
like the movies he madebetween like 2002 and 2008, there
were some misses there andthere were some fall off and then
there was some gap.
And then after 2008 he starteddoing well again.
(14:50):
And so this kind of bouncedhim back, but he wasn't in a great
place to.
But to your point, like you'relike I, I literally sitting in the
theater going, is that Tom Cruise?
Holy, that's Tom Cruise.
And then it just became evenfunnier because he's balding, he's
got the giant ass hands andhe's just weird, ugly.
Goofy looking dude, so big.
(15:11):
And then like.
And then you're is cool thatTom Cruise can be weird.
So I think the one thing, if Ihad to compliment this movie about
one thing and I.
And again, this is a BenStiller kind of thing, right?
With him directing it andbeing very involved.
I will give him credit thathe, he did a great job of putting
(15:38):
people in places to be funnyand to be shocking and to really
make fun of Hollywood.
The institution, the problems,the, the great parts.
Like all of that, it does agreat job doing what it meant to
do.
I just think he gets heavyhanded, which is a Ben Stiller thing.
And so it pulls me out of themovie and it really kind of makes
(16:00):
me frustrated when I get tothose points because I'm like, God
damn it, you it up again.
Because I just want to keeplaughing and if you just move on
to the next set of jokes, I could.
But instead you're trying tomilk it for more than it's worth.
So I think that's my biggestfrustration with the movie.
But they should make.
They should.
(16:20):
I wanna, they need to come toTom, Chris, big look.
Let's just make a movie withthis character.
Oh my gosh, I freaking love that.
Oh, it'd be hilarious.
So funny.
And they need to have all theprosthetics back because every time
I sim.
That's one of the funniestthings still.
The rewatch bill just soundsjust like that's Tom Cruise.
Like, it's like the.
One of the prettiest boys in Hollywood.
(16:41):
He just looks horrible.
And then the fact that theygot him at the end to do the dancing
to Ludacris song, I'm sure Idon't know if that was ad lib.
And he just kind of did whathe did but like for how famous he
was again with these, it'slike, how did they get him to do
that?
And he did it.
(17:01):
Yeah.
And I will say to Ben Still'scredit too, like he pulled a lot
of people in this movie thatwere having some struggles at the
time because like Downey hadjust finished Iron man the first
one and, and so.
And then immediately this wasthe follow up for, for Downey and
he had signed, I think hesigned on to this one before he signed
(17:23):
on to Iron Man.
So he hadn't come back yet fully.
So he got him.
Jack Black was kind of in thisweird ass place.
He hadn't been.
He was.
Jack Black's always been JackBlack, but he always usually played
a side character to a degree.
Then after this he starts toget into some of the more major stuff.
Like he'd had a couple likeSchool of Rock I think was prior
(17:45):
to this.
But like there wasn't anythingthat was like, oh, Jack Black's a
mega star.
But this put him back off.
And then we talked about Tom Cruise.
And then.
Yeah, it's just like.
And McConaughey at the time,it was not far off of his bongo weed
session around this time too,I think.
(18:07):
So, like, we didn't even talkabout Mon.
That's just so funny to hearthe TiVo reference.
You get your T.
He uses the.
TiVo to save the day.
It's terrible.
The best part of that wholething is when he runs away, like,
they leave his ass.
They're in the chopper, heturns around and just back into the
(18:29):
woods or the jungle.
Like, I liked all thatbecause, like you said, though, it's
so holly.
Like, it's so Hollywood, all that.
And even it was funny becausethey had the movie version of the.
In the award ceremony, like,make what.
What was the phrase?
Making a true movie.
That was fake.
That was true.
(18:52):
Oh, that was just too perfect.
Because that's all the.
Like when they.
In the movie they were making,when Ben Sarah's character dies,
like, the arms up being shot.
But then in the real one, hestill kind of does, like, because
he doesn't know how to notact, even though it's actually happening.
Yep.
(19:12):
No, I.
I love the satire of it all.
And I love the.
The moment when DowneyJunior's pulling off the.
The wig and the costume andhe's having this, like, crisis of
conscience that was caused byStiller's character because he always
gets so deep into his characters.
And, like, because you alwayshear about the method actors, the
ones that take it too far,like the Jared Leto's and the.
(19:34):
Well, like, Ledger who diedfor it.
Yeah.
Like, you.
You hear about these guysthat, like, get into character and
never come out of it formonths at a time and send people
animal heads or whatever totheir trailer because they're the.
They're playing the Joker andthey gotta.
You know what I mean?
So it's just like, how far istoo far to be a great actor?
(19:58):
So I love that they ask thesequestions, and I.
I love that it was a popularmovie in that it turned kind of the
face of acting and some of theproblems that acting has in Hollywood
in general back on itself.
Because I also laugh at thefact that the whole conversation
of, like, Ben Stiller'scharacter dying, like, and he's like,
(20:20):
I'll get you a G5 and a lot of money.
Like.
And they have this, like,dance party.
Like, then in order to, like,celebrate the fact that they'll be
able to utilize him as a taxcredit and you Know the.
All the different things thatthey'll do, like, some charity.
Like, it was just like, holy,this is up.
(20:41):
But you have to go somewhere.
There's probably aconversation like that going on.
I mean, if they got theisland, God knows there's people
that wouldn't be sad ifsomething happened to an actor that
they can then utilize it.
Right.
So it's like, oofty.
What a dirty business to be in.
And so I love that aspect of it.
I love it.
I think it's the best part ofthe movie.
(21:04):
So my favorite part of themovie is water buffalo.
Oh, yeah.
With the bull ring thatsomebody would have had to have put
there.
This is supposed to be a wildwater buffalo, but there's a nose
ring in it.
Every time.
Yeah.
I love, like, the.
(21:24):
I just love Jack Black, like,running around, like, the long.
The farther into the detox hegets, like, the crazy, like, the
whole being tied to the tree piece.
Like, if you come over hereright now, I will suck your dick.
That whole thing.
And then, like, you get, like,the mountain, like, the plateau of
(21:45):
heroin that he just, like,runs over to, and then he uses it
to get out.
It's fistfuls of heroin.
Like, that's not even how youuse heroin, but sure, whatever.
Like, what's the guy that.
Not Nick Nolte, but theexplosion guy that I know you don't
like very much.
Jj, that character.
That actor's name.
I can't remember his name isthe dude that was over the explosions.
(22:08):
Alex said it earlier.
What?
Danny McBride.
Danny McBride I like, like.
And that's one of the reasons I.
Pineapple Express.
I like scenes that he's in.
He just.
He makes me laugh at him andNick Nolte.
I like their.
Their yin and yang.
I thought they actually workedquite well together in this because
every.
There can be too much Danny McBride.
And I can understand that hecan wear in people, but I thought
(22:29):
there was, like, the perfect amount.
And especially once he foundout Nick Nolte wasn't his character
wasn't actually a war vet andhow offended he was.
I love that.
No, I love Danny McBride inthe right dose.
Like, I think he's a genius.
When you get them again, he'sone that can go too.
(22:49):
Like, you take it too far, andthere's a little too much, like you
said.
But he misses great.
Nick Nolte's funny as.
And I've always.
I mean, we've talked aboutNick Nolte in the past on the podcast.
I love Nick Nolte.
I think he's so underratedbecause he got, again, got himself
into some trouble and thendidn't have a lot to go back on.
So it's.
It's interesting.
(23:10):
And I don't know that I everreally thought about it until I was
prepping for the podcast andthinking about it as I was watching
it, going, there's a lot of,like, Hollywood outcasts in this
movie, especially at the time.
So it fits the narrative thatthey're trying to say that Hollywood
is nasty and it can turn onyou in a heartbeat.
And, you know, here's a bunchof people that have, in real time,
(23:33):
have had that happen to them,with the exception.
I don't know that Ben Stillerever went through something like
that.
But he's also, like, his dad'sbeen in the business for ages now.
His dad's funny, as his dad'sone of the funniest people ever.
And I just wish.
I just wish Stiller was thesame way.
He just.
I cannot.
(23:54):
One of my favorite parts ofthis movie is with Danny Ryden.
Nick Nolte, though.
And he's like.
He's like, what kind of gunyou got there?
He's like, I don't know.
I just know the sound it makes.
Whoa.
I wasn't expecting you to go there.
Like.
Yeah, the Nick.
(24:14):
No character.
Like, the whole, like, put himin the jungle.
I'm like, send him in.
And then they come to find outthat he's nothing.
He's not a fraud.
And then, like, you have,like, one of the scenes with Stiller
that does make me laugh iswhen he's using the, like, the amputee
clause, the prosthetic claws, like.
(24:34):
And he's got, like, the, like,the wanton or whatever the hell he's
holding on to.
And they're doing the articleabout it, like, the news about him
on whatever.
Oh, yeah.
Christina Menounos or whateverthe her name was.
And he, like, breaks it withthe thing.
I'm like, okay, that's funny,because he's, like, leaning in to
(24:55):
try.
Well, I'll do.
You know, I'll do some methodacting and try to get into character.
And I'm just like, oh, it's so ridiculous.
That part made me laugh.
I do love Al Pacino, too.
I forgot.
What.
Why am I forgetting the Albucha?
What part is he in?
Well, he's the other AfricanAmerican dude.
(25:16):
Oh, yeah.
Alpa Chino.
He's got the weird Butt Sweat soda.
And what was the chocolate bar?
Oh, Booty Sweat.
And I Bust a nut.
Yeah, because that's the firstcommercial I think you see in the
show in the movie.
Yeah, the commercial for BustaNut and Booty Sweat.
(25:39):
So gross.
Oh, those, those.
The trailer parts, dude, thoseare up forever.
Be funny to be.
Because that's like reallymaking fun of Hollywood, especially
the Simple Jack one is socringy to me when I'm like, oh, that's
painful.
But it was designed to be that way.
I'm like, man, they hit that, right?
Because yeah.
Hurts every time I see it.
(25:59):
I mean, it's not far off too,because I think the ringer had come
out right around that time,that whole movie.
If you've ever seen JJExtremely offensive.
Like, and I love watchingwhat's his name trying to keep a
straight face when.
Oh, what's the.
There's a part in that moviethat made me laugh my ass off the
(26:20):
ringer because what was the.
Dude, Johnny Knoxville playsthe main in that.
And there's a moment when the.
The is like, yeah, it took himto get some ice cream.
And one of the kids was like,when we get ice cream and you see
Johnny Knoxville just likeloses and have to look away.
And they kept it in the moviebecause it was completely off the
(26:41):
cuff.
This kid was like, he.
That was completely ad libbedfrom this kid in the movie.
He's like, I took him to getsome ice cream.
Where the.
Did we get ice cream?
So.
But yeah, like that.
Yeah, the whole.
That, yeah, that part in themovie, you're just like, oh, God.
But it's also a thing whereHollywood makes weird mistakes, makes
(27:02):
movies about.
They shouldn't make moviesabout, that's for damn sure.
But yeah, to me, this movie is just.
They put too much in thismovie and it can get.
It gets a little chaotic andhard to know, like the direction,
but when you do on like a percharacter basis.
And I get what you're sayingabout Ben Stiller.
(27:23):
I like him in some things, obviously.
I like dodgeball.
I like.
What else do I like?
I love heavyweights.
I think when he playssomething over the top, that I know
it and like that line has beencreated from the beginning.
I could be okay with it.
There's some other movies thathe's in that get aggressively, a
little bit more outlandish,that I have a harder time when his
(27:43):
Ben Stillerisms kind of takeover and like JJ says, does one too
many things.
But this movie, there's justso many different funny parts from
so many funny people.
But I don't think it's likethe best written movie.
And I think that's what youcould say about most comedies.
But Tom Cruise, man, Like this.
For that alone, like, thismovie I will always turn to for just.
(28:04):
Because when he comes on,especially the first, it just makes
me.
He tells I gotta punch the director.
It just makes me laugh.
Yeah.
Because it's so unexpected.
It's Tom Cruise.
Because the Tom Cruise I thinkof right now, pretty boy, Smooth
assassin.
And he's just this old, ugly dude.
(28:26):
And then there's just these weird.
Like, Robert Downey Junior'scharacter, just.
Even when he wasn't a methodactor, they still made him Australian.
They didn't make him this dudefrom America.
I was like, he's still, like,technically method acting for me
because he's not Australian.
So.
With the weirdest eyes.
Like, oh, his eyes, dude.
I'm like, how do they do that?
Like, his eyes are crazy.
(28:47):
Just contacts, man.
I know, but wow, Alec, you'vebeen stunningly quiet during this
review, buddy.
I just like Tropic Thunder.
I don't know, man.
It's hard for me to say Idon't like it, but I don't like it.
It's hard for me to say I likeit, but I like it.
It's right in the middle, hotand cold, all over the place.
(29:10):
Because there are so manyfunny parts where I.
I've never laughed harder.
Yeah.
And then there are so many parts.
Or I'm like, I.
I'm gonna turn it off right now.
Need to see any more.
This is stupid.
And so it's that those bigshifts from one to the next and frequently
happens in the same scenewhere you go from almost dying of
(29:34):
laughter to whoa.
Or vice versa.
All right.
And you're like, oh, but then,oh, funny.
And I.
It's hard for me to get areading on it because I go back and
forth all the time.
So this is a movie that Idon't watch a lot.
Just because it's somethingthat, you know, it's.
(29:55):
It's almost more work thanit's worth to have to actually sit
down and watch it.
What's funny is when you likethe movies that you guys like the
most.
Well, that's common.
Like anything.
How many times do you thinkyou've seen the movies that you like
the most?
Oh, a lot.
I rewatch movies a lot.
(30:16):
Like, what's a lot?
Are you talking, like, 20, 30?
No.
So I've probably seenCasablanca, which is one of my favorite
movies of all time.
200?
300.
Are you serious.
And that's probably a low ball.
That's.
What about you for like themovies you read?
Like, what is that for you?
Yeah, it's tricky for mebecause to be honest, and I know
everybody makes fun of me.
(30:37):
We've been making fun of me onthis podcast for almost five years
about this.
But I don't re watch a lot of movies.
But when I do re watch them, Ire watch them a lot.
Like the Star wars films.
And I won't even go therebecause Casablanca couldn't even
touch what I've watched theStar wars films.
Are you still re watching them?
Absolutely.
(30:57):
At least once a year I watchthe Star wars trilogy.
The original trilogy, minimum.
Once a year.
How many.
If you're watching Casablancathat many times, how many times a
year are you watching it?
It.
Oh, a lot.
I'll.
I'll watch it probably threetimes a month.
Are you serious?
I.
I could watch Star Wars Gladiator.
(31:18):
I could watch Gladiator.
Oh, I love Gladiator Anytime.
Anything.
I know you guys know thisabout me.
Like I have movies.
I really like all.
Any movie that like, you know,you guys, I love Braveheart.
I love JJ just said one of themovies at Gladiator, for instance.
Movie like whatever.
And there's other movies out there.
I've probably seen all of those.
(31:39):
All of my favorite, mostfavorite movies less than a hundred
times.
It may be less than 60.
It probably is less than 60 times.
It's probably closer to like40 if that, like, the more that I
say it.
I, I'm trying to think ofmovie I've watched the most.
Could be Revenge of the Sith.
(32:00):
I've seen that like, and thatmight be like seven times, eight
times maybe.
That.
That's funny numbers I didn't like.
I don't like Braveheart very much.
I've seen it 40 times.
But that's what's funny withthe people that are like, I'm like,
damn.
Like, I don't know how.
Now the thing that I findmyself like a TV show, for instance,
(32:23):
like Seinfeld is probably thething I've.
But there's so many differentepisodes that that's where I have
spent most of my rewatchability is Seinfeld.
But it's different shows butlike a movie.
I just don't do that.
And I, I like watching thosewe get.
I just don't.
For whatever reason, I think I re.
I re watch all the movies Ilike, but I watch re watch all.
(32:45):
And it takes me forever to getlike through it.
Where like, I can't evenimagine watching the same movie three
times in the same month.
That's crazy town for me.
Oh, that's like regular nuts.
Yeah.
See, I, my problem is I'll geton to like, look for something and
I'm like, there's nothing onor back in the day.
And I, I grew up in a nonstreaming world, right?
(33:09):
So like, you watched what youhad or what was available to rent
or was available at the movie theater.
Like, and it wasn't always thecase, like, especially when I was
younger, where I could just belike, I'm just gonna go over to Blockbuster.
And we certainly didn't haveNetflix when I was a kid.
And we certainly.
I didn't even, Neither did I, jj.
I know, but like, so, but I,what I did, if I was not playing
(33:33):
sports, I was watching moviesbecause that's what I did back then.
And I, I mean, still, to adegree, like, I don't, there's not
a, there's rarely a day in theweek that goes by that I'm not watching
something.
Like, and if it's notnecessarily rarely, is it re watching
like Casey again.
And I get on and we watch some terrible.
Because that's what's outthere right now.
(33:54):
But I don't.
Again, like, we're always justputting on a movie.
Let's watch a movie.
Yeah.
Or let's watch TV show.
I can't.
Fat Tay likes to re.
Watch a lot of especially TVshows, but she'll do some movies.
But I don't know.
I, I, it's the same thing Ilike to do with food.
Like, I, I have my go to, butI'm that type of person.
I like finding new things toeat and do in like that movie that
(34:17):
I just watched the other day.
It's, it's what's inside on Netflix.
I'm glad I watched it.
I liked it.
It was interesting.
And I try to do that more than not.
But man, like, to your point,jj, it does get.
It's funny you mentioned streaming.
Now I feel like it'sexacerbated the problem of just watching
what you want.
But because we're so inundatedwith so many new things you could
(34:39):
watch.
But you also know, I mean, wedo this and we've been doing this
for like, what, four or five years?
There's so much crap out there.
So it's so easy to be like,let me just pick from the 30 things
that I remember.
Oh, and then you always havethat thought, oh, I haven't Seen
that in a while, and then youjust end up watching that thing that
you haven't seen in a while,but you have seen it.
I rewatch now more than I ever have.
(35:00):
There was a time when I wouldnever rewatch because it was like
I'd go to Blockbuster and comehome with five or six movies that
I'd never seen before, and Ihadn't had a chance to go to the
theater to see them, so Iwanted to watch them, right?
And there used to be a Gap.
Fuckers.
Like, little kids, listening, watching.
There used to be time betweenmovie theater and when it came out
on video.
And when I say time, I didn'tmean a month or two.
(35:22):
I meant there's sometimes ayear before I could watch it in my
house, okay?
So I would pick stuff up andwatch and whatnot.
Now, like, there's no Gap.
Like, if I don't go see.
Well, what was the one that.
So Wolverine.
Like, Deadpool.
Wolverine.
It was not that long ago thatmovie came out in theaters.
It's already streaming, andit's already getting ready to be
(35:44):
on Disney plus for free if youhave the subscription.
So it's like, there is no Gap.
And to your point, Madsen,most of the shit that comes out,
that's new, that's straight to streaming.
It sucks balls.
So a lot of what times whatwill happen is I'll go.
We'll go, okay, let's watch a movie.
I'm 10 minutes into the moviegoing, this movie sucks.
Let's turn it off and watchsomething that.
And I have to like.
(36:05):
I.
So I rewatch now more than Iever used to because I go back and
go, I can't watch this garbage.
And now I'm pissed because I.
It's garbage.
How often do you go to movietheaters now, Jay?
Because I used to go a lot.
Like, I had the amc and thennow I got rid of it because it was
a little further away.
But then a lot of it was justbecause I was like, there's nothing
(36:25):
I really want nowadays.
Like, besides Doom 2 earlierthis year, there has been nothing
that I've been like, I have tobe in theaters for that.
And I feel like that happensall the time now.
Like, and I know you love togo to the movie theater in Alec Pride,
too.
Way more than I loved going tomovies growing up.
But now, like, there's not areason to go.
(36:45):
There's nothing that I want togo see.
It's like, few and far between.
Yeah, I went and saw Deadpooland Wolverine.
I Think before that I saw Dunetoo, but I saw Deadpool in theaters.
I forgot that's the last thingI saw.
I have.
That's the last thing I saw.
I haven't been to the theaterto see anything other than Deadpool
or any.
Because it's just like.
And it's sad because I lovethe theater, but.
(37:05):
And I mean I saw TropicThunder in the theater when it came
out.
And then this was the firsttime I'd watched it since then.
But you say to a good point,because a lot of these like so.
So movies will just come outand streaming like two months after
they premiere.
And I'm like, well what's thepoint of me going to the theater
then?
Because unless you have thatmembership, it's buku expensive to
go just watch a movie.
(37:26):
Like for.
For me and my ninte.
Like it's stupidly expensiveunless you have that membership.
But justify a membership ifthere's no good movies to go see
either.
Well, I don't even have mineanymore either.
Like I was going to see.
There was a time when I had itand I would go see a movie.
Like a couple.
Yeah, I did too.
You know what I mean?
At least two or three movies a week.
(37:47):
I don't even.
Like I said, it's been monthssince I've been to the movie theater.
Like because I.
Why and to your point, likenot even, even the great movies come
out and streaming soon afterthey're in the theater.
So it's not like I have to go,oh, I gotta go see that in the theater.
That was the other thing.
Like if I wanted to see amovie when I was a kid, you either
saw it in the theater or itwas a while.
(38:09):
Like it was at least six,seven months before you might get
it on hbo.
Like you didn't have stream,like you couldn't just pay for it
digitally and watch it.
You had to wait for it to comeout on HBO or Cinemax or Stars or
whatever the hell it wascoming out on.
Then you could go rent itsomewhere if you didn't have the
premium channel subscriptionsor pay for that through your cable.
(38:31):
So now we're so to your point.
We're so spoiled the contentthat the content's crap because they're
just like, we know it doesn'tmatter if it sucks or not.
We have to release content tokeep people paying for our subscription.
And that I just even like my.
My in laws love like theHallmark Movie Channel for instance.
And it's just makes me laughbecause there's people that like,
(38:52):
like them and watch them and.
And I'm like, they're just oneof many studios that are just cranking
out stuff to make content.
And I know a lot of streamingservices are losing money and they're
trying to tighten theirbudgets, and I think that's a great
thing because we have too much content.
Delusion is what I come down to.
Like, just because you canmake it doesn't mean you should make
(39:13):
it.
And that goes for anything.
You mean from Star wars to Marvel?
Like, you look at any of thebiggest things to the smallest things,
like all.
Especially Star wars andMarvel, for instance.
And Marvel is a great exampleof it.
They found it, the secretsauce, and then they went too far
and they diluted their product.
And now, like, it's so funny.
What do we have, four or five?
How many years away are wefrom Endgame?
(39:35):
It's been like five, six years.
What is Marvel now?
Marvel is.
It's so.
Is.
It's nothing.
And like, Star Wars.
Jay would say the same thingagain, we've talked about that on
this podcast.
And you literally said, she'slike, don't get me wrong.
I love that we're making newStar wars content, but I think when
we were in the throes the lastfew years, they were making so much
(39:56):
stuff, it was just too much.
And it wasn't, at least for me.
It didn't feel like the vibesof what we wanted and they were making
just because they could.
And now they're kind ofpulling back, and I think.
I think they're being a lotmore intentional again.
But that's a lot of what'shappening these days.
Yeah, agreed.
And it fits within thediatribe of this movie, right?
Like, Hollywood sucks.
(40:17):
They have some really shitty practices.
And it's all about money.
All about.
Is all about the money.
Think about all the sequels,remakes, reboots.
How much original content arewe really getting that actually is
worth watching?
It's.
I can't think.
It's.
(40:37):
There's not much out there.
There's.
There's no original content.
Yeah, you've seen it already.
Like, and when I think it'sfunny, now that we're talking about
this, when I think about,like, the 90s or the 2000, like,
how did we.
How did they make so many.
The same type of movies andall things.
And, like, I mean, we'relooking at a period of cinema.
(40:59):
Like, this isn't a golden ageof cinema.
We're far from a horrible CGIJust fast track plots, remakes all.
Like, well, I feel like we'lllook back in 20 or 30 years and this
will just be a dead periodwhere it's like, oh, that was movie
during that period.
Like, yeah, we'll pass on that.
It feels like we're in thatright now.
It'll be the 50s.
(41:21):
Seriously though, you have ahalf dozen movies that were good
and people remember.
Here'S the crazy part.
And then we can rate thismovie because we've gone a little
off track.
Even though it's exactly ontrack, it just feels off track.
I.
What I would like to see.
And this is hard for me to saybecause we know how much I love movies
and when we do this podcast.
(41:42):
But, like, I think we need togo back to the days where content
was more difficult to see andyou had to wait.
Because I appreciated stuff,even if it wasn't great.
Because I'm not going to sitand say that every movie that I ever
watched back in the 80s, 90s,2000s, before streaming was a thing
was great.
There was a lot of contentthat was there, but I took it with
(42:05):
a grain of salt because Iunderstood I may not see another
movie in my house for six months.
Right?
Like, or I'm gonna have towatch the same things that I've seen
before because there's not new things.
What I don't want to go awayis, like, the television shows, the
access to content, like TVstuff, or like the episodic stuff,
(42:25):
I think is great to have inthe streaming zone.
That's good because it'seasier to digest.
You can take longer to make it.
People are.
And there's more ability to do that.
Movies to me, should be special.
Like, that's why I've alwayshad a hard time with movies that
are based off of TV shows thatwere successful.
Like, I don't usually.
(42:45):
I can't think of one off topof my head where it's like, here's
this awesome TV show that ranfor four or five years.
Let's make.
But then the ratings fell offand they canceled it before they
were done.
So they made a movie to finish it.
I don't.
I cannot think of one that was great.
What I can think of is greattelevision and I can think of great
movies, but there was a reasonthat they're great.
(43:07):
And I.
So I like streaming contentfor tv.
I really like it for, like,real content, like documentaries
and things.
Like, I think that's great.
The streaming space is wonderful.
I think it kills the movieindustry because again, they're making
too much.
And they weren't original tobegin with, let's be honest.
Not in decades has there beenactual original content.
(43:31):
Because they just take thesame and they regurgitate it and
they make some updates to whatthe content might actually be.
But it's the same story.
It's always been the same stories.
It'll always be the same stories.
It's just how unique can youtell that story?
But because we're getting thesame stories every day, once a week,
(43:52):
six times a.
You know what I mean?
Like, it's constant, a barrageof the same.
You get numb to it.
So I would love for them topull movies, new movies out of the
streaming piece.
Fine.
All the old movies that wecould rent at the theater, like,
there's no more.
There's no such thing asrenting movies anymore through, like
(44:14):
physical put all the stuffthat's come out.
But there needs to be a Gap,Deadpool, Wolverine comes out.
Needs to be a minimum sixmonths before you can actually grab
it.
In my opinion, that's whymovies are also getting hurt.
Because you're right, Jake.
Because people now know, like,shoot, I'll just wait two months.
And I don't have.
I'm already paying for thestreaming service instead of having
to pay $60 for two movietickets and like, popcorn, all that
(44:38):
crap.
Like, I get why people arewaiting, because we.
You're giving them reason to.
What's the incentive?
Yeah, wait, great example.
Episode one.
I camped out for three days toget tickets to go see it in the movie
theater.
Because I knew and I watchedit six times in the first week in
the movie theater.
(44:59):
And I won't even say the number.
I watched it while it wasstill in theaters.
Like, we hunted down dollartheaters across the state to go find
it so that we could keepwatching it.
Because we knew once it wasout of theaters, we were a minimum
of a year before I could getit in my house.
So it made going to the moviespecial, even if the movie wasn't
(45:23):
great or wasn't the best thingI've ever seen.
Now, going to the movies isn't special.
It just isn't.
And I.
Because.
And that's unfortunate, butit's because to your point, why,
I just got to be patient andwait a few months at most before
I can watch it.
If it's an absolute dud in thetheater, it'll be in the fucking
(45:44):
streaming in six weeks,sometimes less.
What are your thoughts, Alec,before we rate this thing?
Yeah, I mean, I am a big Fanof not having streaming at all.
And I hate the way that it'skind of gone.
(46:05):
Because the idea of streamingwas the ease of access.
The, you know, you watch it onyour time.
You don't have to deal withcommercials or breaks or anything
like that.
But now every single streamingservice has ads broken in there.
So it took all the.
(46:26):
It's.
It's a huge bait and switchbecause it was.
You know, there used to begood content.
Now you're looking for stufflike we tried to get Young Frankenstein
fucking nowhere.
Anywhere.
But, you know, we have 47movies that were made this last month
that are all dog shit.
So it took kind of that.
(46:47):
The whole reason that I thinkit was originally brought about was
the ease of access.
Go find stuff that you can'tfind anymore.
Right.
Hey, we uploaded a copy ofthis movie from 1963 that nobody's
ever seen before because wefound it and like, let's digitize
it, throw it up there.
And.
Oh, it's.
You know, you don't have toworry about commercials or anything
like that.
And then now it's.
Yeah, ads and commercials justall thrown in there.
(47:11):
So it's.
I think it's the biggest baitand switch that we've ever seen.
And I don't even remember whatthe last movie was I went to go see
in theaters.
Yeah.
But probably something for the podcast.
Yeah, it might have been.
But it's just one of thosescenes where it's like, it was such
a great concept that's turnedinto the biggest money grab ever.
(47:37):
Yeah.
I remember when Hulu was pure.
Yeah.
Before it was owned by a corporation.
It was.
They put old TV show episodesup there that you could go watch,
you couldn't find anywhereelse because reruns.
Right.
Yeah.
And then like all the perks ofhaving streaming just got kind of
pulled out.
Yeah.
It's just a new version of cable.
(47:57):
It's now the new version of cable.
Except it's twice as expensiveas cable was.
Yeah.
I don't know.
Cable was really expensive.
I mean, we're getting to apoint with all the getting close
streaming services now where.
Yeah.
You kind of have to at somepoint, unless you're jj, Gotta maybe
pick like your top three.
Wow.
And that's.
I mean, if I.
When I go back and look atwhat I pay for streaming to have
(48:19):
it all, it's.
It's less than I was payingfor full cable, but it's not far
off.
And the sad part is, like, Idon't even get my.
Unless I Pay extra.
I don't even get like thesports and that I used to get with
real cables.
So it's.
It's a tough.
It won't be long beforethey're gonna.
Something's gonna have to givebecause you can't have both sides
(48:42):
be.
The thing that got me a littlewhile ago was I was on Amazon prime,
right?
I think I was looking for Django.
And you can watch Django onAmazon prime if you use Amazon prime
to get a star subscription.
Yeah.
Or something stupid like that.
Now Amazon prime is like themiddleman for other streaming subscriptions.
(49:05):
No, the worst part.
The worst part.
It's even worse, Alec.
Amazon Prime.
I pay for Amazon prime, right?
Which used to come with primevideo, which means I can either get
serious some videos for freebecause they're part of the prime
subscription or you haveaccess to rent things through prime,
(49:26):
whatever it is, the newer stuff.
Now Amazon prime has afreaking premium subscription.
So I don't have ads.
So I gotta pay an extra fivebucks a month in on top of my hundred
and some odd dollars for myAmazon Prime a year in order to be
able to watch without.
They're all doing that now.
(49:46):
I know, but it pisses me out.
I pay for a membership just tohave to pay extra.
I.
I get like having it.
I kind of get having an adfree version.
Like I get with the concept, right?
What I don't hate what theworst part for me was Amazon because
I'm already paying for your subscription.
Dick hole.
You can't make me pay on topof this subscription.
So I don't have ads on thatI'm already paying for horseshit.
(50:08):
Anyway, there's my soapbox.
Let's rate this movie.
Matson, this was yours.
You start us off, buddy.
Yeah, I'll give it a three anda half.
It's like not a great movie,but there's a lot a collection of
great actors.
It's funny.
There's some really funnyscenes, some quotes that I really
enjoy.
But Tom Cruise's characterjust takes it for me.
(50:30):
Will always make it funnybecause of that.
And I love how this moviestarts with the different trailers
of the characters that are inthis movie.
Makes me chuckle.
Ben Sibler's a little over thetop at times.
I can understand that.
I just like a lot of actors inthis movie and there's certain parts
it just.
It's enjoyable to watch andthis movie has rewatch ability to
(50:51):
me.
I don't know like we justtalked about.
Couldn't tell you.
Next time I'M gonna watch itprobably a long time, but when I
do, I gotta love it.
Yeah, I'm gonna give it a twoand a half.
I'll give it right down the middle.
I think it's, it's a tale oftwo movies for me, like the movie
itself and what it's trying todo, and a lot of the supporting cast
(51:12):
and even a couple of the maincharacters are really funny to me
and really enjoyable.
I think it's well written.
I think it tells a hole.
It tells a true, actually kindof awful story and tale within the
boundaries of a comedy.
I hate Ben Stiller, and heruins this movie for me, though,
because I just don't like him.
I, I don't like him in this movie.
(51:32):
I don't like him in anymovies, really, that I can think
of.
He just takes things too far.
He's not funny to me at all.
And I think if you're going tolead a comedy and be the comedy guy,
you better be funny to me.
But I know some people findhim hilarious, and kudos to them.
I wish I could, but I just don't.
So he takes his way down a notch.
I won't actively look to watchthis movie.
(51:53):
Like I said, I hadn't seen itsince I was in.
Seen it in theaters.
I've seen clips, right?
Because there's some funny stuff.
Like I'm just a dude dressedas a dude playing another.
Like, there's some greatquotable lines in this movie, but
none of them come from BenStiller, who just brings this movie
down to me.
I think J BE shows like, thehidden gem in this movie because
(52:15):
he's just, like, really funny,trying to be the grounded person
in the whole group.
But I don't know.
I, I.
There are parts that I reallyenjoy, then there are parts that
are just to me.
And that's unfortunate, but.
All right, Alec, your turn.
I think we found our cold opening.
I'm gonna go right in betweenyou guys.
(52:35):
I'm gonna give it a 3.
There's not a lot of good thatI can say about this movie, but there's
also not a lot of bad.
Like it.
I appreciate what Mata was saying.
Like, it knows what it is, andit does not try and do anything else.
And that's something you don'talways see.
Where you'll get kind of thatvibe from or the cast, whatever.
(52:59):
That's what it feels like isit's making fun of itself, and then
it tries to throw, you know, acurveball in there with some big
moral Life lesson or something other.
This movie just does not give two.
It knows what it is.
It shows up.
It does not, you know, try andbait and switch or change up what
it is.
It is just making fun ofHollywood and a lot of drug jokes.
(53:25):
That's what it is.
And so, yeah, I'll give it a three.
I don't think I'll really.
I'll watch it again.
I can't tell you when though,because it's just one of those like.
Like we.
Like I said earlier, thebeginning, I would have rather played
a ghost game then watch TropicThunder right off the bat.
(53:45):
But yeah, I give it three.
All right, there it is.
Interesting scores, but it was fun.
Good chat.
Completely off and on topic atthe same time.
Really weird.
I love movies like that.
People listen to us.
Yeah.
You can't argue with the factthat it.
It's a.
It's a conversation starterfor sure.
(54:07):
That is true.
So with that, Alec, telleverybody where they can find us.
Happy to, jj.
So thank you for tuning in toweek two of all time Favorite comedies
month.
Matt's came through with abanger on this one, Tropic Thunder
special.
Shout out to our patrons whohad a hand in picking the topic and
(54:30):
the movies for said topic.
Richard, mel Brooks and JJ'sluscious lickable lump.
Yes.
If you too would like to be apart of the Patron crew, join us
on Patreon at what's our verdict?
Reviews where you also couldbe a member of JJ's Luscious Lookable
(54:51):
Lumps and company.
That's the place to do it.
To get involved in any kind ofcontent voting.
That's the best place to find us.
Other than that, find us onYouTube where we can see our smiling
faces and Matson's face palms.
With that, I will kick it backto the Titan of terror, the colossus
of clout.
A jj.
(55:11):
Yeah, look, if for no otherreason to join the Discord or the
Discord.
The.
I got too many things.
I'm part of the Patreon.
You get to force Alec to sayridiculous names every week.
So.
Yes, yes, and we appreciatethe first one that's been.
This one's a lot.
(55:33):
I mean, yeah, it's good.
So.
Yeah, as always.
Look, we appreciate you tuning in.
We'll catch you on the next one.
Boy.
Hasta la vista, baby.
I'd go to Blockbuster and comehome with five or six movies that
I'd never seen before.
And I hadn't had a chance togo to the theater to see them, so
I wanted to watch them, right?
And there used to be a gap,like little kids listening, watching.
There used to be time betweenmovie theater and when it came out
on video.
And when I say time, I didn'tmean a month or two.
I meant there, sometimes ayear before I could watch it in my
(00:22):
house.
Welcome to the what's podcast.
We fashion ourselves cinematicjudge and Jerry.
My name is J.J.
crowder.
I'm here with my co host Matzenheider.
Better Red Than Dead and Alec Burgess.
(00:43):
Let's get it.
We appreciate you tuning in.
Go hit that.
Follow subscribe like bellNotification buttons help us keep
the podcast rolling.
Tell a friend about us.
Tell a family member about us.
Hello, Wookie about us.
Jake on I was about to say youcould tell a wookie about us.
It feels like it's very.
That was your wookie.
That was my.
Oh, you didn't know that thatwas his wookie?
(01:03):
I thought he was doing somenew wave slaying like this Skibidi
Riz Ohio stuff.
I haven't practiced my, my wookie.
So that's, that's all I got.
Yeah, it was a woogie.
But yeah, tell a wookie about us.
But also tell like, and maybein this case, you know, a method
actor about us.
That would work too.
(01:24):
So yeah, it's a week two of our.
What was again?
Like, I always forget, like Idon't know why I'm having such a
hard time remembering the theme.
Like, I know it's comedies,but all time favorite.
All time favorite.
Yeah, I think that's what itactually was.
So all time favorite comedies.
Round two.
We're here talking aboutTropic Thunder.
(01:47):
It was released August 13, 2008.
It was written by JustinThoreau, Ben Stiller and Eaton Cohen,
Ethan Cohen.
It was directed by BenStiller, stars Ben Stiller, Jack
Black, Robert Downey Jr.
Jeff Khan, Anthony Ruvar, JayBarell, Brandon T.
(02:08):
Jackson, Steve Coogan and Nick Nolte.
With some other people inthere that we'll talk about.
I'm sure it's about.
Through a series of freakoccurrences, a group of actors shooting
a big budget war movie areforced to become the soldiers they
are portraying.
I think that's slightlymisleading, but that's okay.
(02:28):
I got some strong opinionsabout this movie, but this is a Matson
movie.
Matson, tell us why you pickedthis Movie, my friend.
Look, this movie, I don't knowwhat I came across, this movie, it's
probably around the time itcame out, maybe a year or two after,
maybe.
I don't know.
I think it's one of thosemovies I first came across on TV
(02:48):
and was just like, what am Iwatching right now?
This weird, weird movie.
Robert Downey Jr.
S character decided to die himself.
Like what?
Like, and then, I mean,there's so many famous people in
this movie, like, good actors and.
But what stood out the most isTom Cruise's character.
(03:09):
Just, it's.
I mean, just rewatching thislast night, I mean, dude just gets
me.
I love his character, so itjust makes me laugh.
From the prosthetics to hissuper hairiness, to his, like, what
seemed like larger than lifeforearms and hands.
(03:31):
And then just the way he justharasses people on the phone.
That scene with the terroristswhen he was like, giving his demands
and threats.
And then.
Why am I forgetting what's hisactual name in the movie?
It's the producer.
What's his name?
Gosh dang it.
Tom Cruise's character's name.
(03:51):
I don't even know because it'snot even in the credits, so I can't
remember something like that.
Less something.
He just.
The guy's face after he hearswhat he says, like, just.
I just love it.
Like, talk about well placedcuss words, man.
Perfect, perfect, perfect.
And then outside of that, themovie within the movie, the trailers
(04:18):
for the movies, where thesestars came from, I just love that
part.
Still, all those make megiggle because they're all over the
top.
And I like movies that makefun of themselves.
And to me, this movie does agreat job at certain parts throughout
of it.
Am I here to say again, isthis another, like, foolproof plot?
(04:38):
Great movie.
No, it's not that.
But man, this movie does makeme chuckle.
And even watching it later on,like, I still look forward to any
scene Tom Cruise is in,especially, just gets me jazzed.
Fair enough.
Alec, what about you?
What did you think of Tropic Thunder?
So I'm not a big Ben Stillerfan, and I had a moral dilemma with
(05:02):
this movie that I neverthought I would ever experience with
any movie ever.
So Oshi's been playing thisghost game, like, video game phobia.
Okay, I know the game.
You're like a ghost hunter.
Yeah, I was upset because Ihad having to play with her.
I was upset that I had to stopbeing a ghost hunter to go watch
(05:23):
Tropic Thunder.
Had you Seen this movie before.
Oh, yeah, yeah.
But I was just like, I gottago watch Tropic Thunder means I can't
hunt ghosts anymore.
Like that.
That was where my mind went.
And that did.
And I caught myself afterwardsgoing, what the fuck?
I'd rather hunk ghost.
(05:43):
I was gonna say, because youcan get your ass if you're not careful.
Oh, no, it's gotten my ass.
But I was like, I'd rather.
And I had to sit there and,like, really rethink my life choices
after that, because I waslike, no, Tropic Thunder is not that
bad.
It's not so bad.
I should be upset having this.
Stop ghost hunting to go find.
(06:06):
Are you saying we need to putin a scary movie?
Like a real.
No, I'm not saying that.
I was just saying that's kindof what I'm hearing.
This was a moral dilemma of mysoul that I was not expecting to
have.
We can fix.
We can fix this.
Where we can help you rememberthat there are scary movies out there.
I.
I see your point, though, Alec.
You choosing a scary somethingover anything else feels weird.
(06:31):
I was.
I was shocked at myselfbecause I was like, no, no, no, no.
This is not what I really wantto be doing.
What I want to be doing isgoing watching the comedy film.
Oh, that's funny.
But, yeah, so Ben Stiller is aweird one for me, and I.
It's like he's hit or miss.
(06:53):
And it is usually when ithits, it feels like it's other people
in the movie that make it hit.
Because he went full.
Yeah, 100.
That's the entire reason.
But I mean, even, like, youknow, Night Museum, right?
Where really he's the onlyperson in the movie.
(07:16):
In a lot of times, the showstill gets stolen by a giant stone
head.
And Robin Williams.
And Robin Williams.
And so it's.
It's tricky because I'm like, he's.
He's the one who's directing it.
He's the main actor, theheadliner, puts himself in it.
I'm like, I would rather justwatch Robert Downey Jr.
(07:38):
And Danny McBride go on abuddy cop movie in Vietnam.
Like, that would be fun.
I don't feel like.
I feel like this is a movie,though, where he made fun of him.
Made fun of himself a lot.
And I never felt like.
I know he was technically themain character and he directed it,
but I think this moviecelebrated the comedy of what other
(07:59):
people brought to the table,and he was just a part of the ride.
I'd never looked at him aslike the, like, central focus of
the movie.
But maybe I have a different viewpoint.
This movie is like, It's aconundrum for me because there are
so many people and thingsabout this movie that I love.
But I hate Ben Stiller.
(08:21):
I'm going to take it a step further.
I don't even, like, have anissue or struggle with.
I cannot stand Ben Stiller.
Like, there is very little, ifanything that he's done that I'm
like, oh, that's funny.
Like, I don't find him funnyat all.
I find him stupid.
Like, he actually annoys me.
And so it makes.
Makes things hard to watchwhen he's in them.
(08:42):
For me, the problem is, isthere's some genius performances
in this.
And I know it's like.
And I.
You hear about it because ofthe nature of what Downey's character
is done.
Like, that's like.
But he really kills it in this movie.
Across the board.
The Jack Black is thehilarious comedy.
(09:03):
Like, is wild because he's thecomic relief inside of a comedy because
he's just running around likea wild man with his addiction.
And.
And I love parody.
No, jj Jelly beans.
Yes, jelly beans.
I.
I love parody.
Like, I think anything that's make.
I'm with you on that.
Matt's.
Anything that makes fun of itself.
And like, this is like thissatire on Hollywood and the problems
(09:26):
that you've seen in Hollywoodthroughout all time, right?
Like, how do you win an Oscar?
What are the odds that you'regoing to win?
What are the chances?
You got to do this.
You got to do that.
And then these people thatmake all the big millions of dollars
but will never win an Oscarbecause of the types of movies that
they're in and then the drugaddiction and then like, the people
trying to look up and become actors.
(09:47):
Like, and then like the goofyguys that have blown there, have
melted ears and lost a finger.
Like, it's just like, I lovethe satire and the parody of it all,
but Ben Stiller ruins it forme because I just can't stand him.
And then there are parts whereI'm like.
And this is, I think myproblem with Ben Stiller.
(10:08):
There's not a Ben Stiller moot comedy.
Okay, I won't say moviebecause that's hard for me to say
too.
There's very few, if any, thatI can think of.
None that I can think of.
Top of my head, Ben Stillermovies where it doesn't go too far.
And I don't mean, like,offensive too far because I Am.
I'm with Alec.
(10:28):
Like, if you can offend me,Jesus Christ, you went off a cliff,
climbed back up and went off acliff further.
You earned it.
Yeah, like, it's almostimpossible to truly offend me.
But going too far with like,like, for example, when they come
and rescue him and he's gotthis, like, he's gone full method,
(10:52):
right?
And he's got his.
The little kid and he's likerefusing to go with them and like
all of these other, thesedifferent things.
Like, I'm like, what ishappening right now?
Because this isn't funny for me.
Like, it, it took what theywere trying to do, even the satire,
too far.
(11:12):
And I think that's always beenmy problem with Ben Stiller.
If he's acting in it, if he'sdirecting it, if he's part of a movie,
he takes it one step at least,sometimes many more steps farther
than it needed to go becausethe comedy was landing until you
went there.
And now I'm just annoyed.
And there's a.
(11:32):
There's a few places wherethat is.
Like for example, early onwhen the director gets blown up.
Laughed my ass off at the factthat he gets blown up.
And then everybody's likefreaking out, except for Ben Stiller
and the kid.
He like, it's not real.
And everybody else is pukingand losing their.
And he picks up the head and Ieven laugh when he puts the head
(11:55):
on the end of the gun because it's.
Again, there's images ofthings like that.
So I was like, that's funny.
It's good satire.
But then like the whole liketaste in the blood, then he's like
shaking it over.
He just took it one step toofar because then it loses me and
I go, okay, let's move on tothe next piece.
This is an hour and 40 minute movie.
(12:15):
It should have been an hourand 20 because there's pieces that
they went.
They hit the comedy, I laughedmy ass off.
I go, that's really funny.
Then they go three more stepsinto the same joke and I'm like,
nope, nope, cut that out.
And you made the perfect movie.
I will say that the one placethat they did perfect and that they
(12:38):
should have done more of isTom Cruise.
Because the less Grossman character.
I want a movie just of Les Grossman.
I watched it.
Hilarious.
Hilarious.
Is this, Is this Cameron?
Who's.
What was it?
(12:59):
Who's the.
I don't know, the.
That person, the guy thatholds the microphone.
Yeah.
I want you to go over thereand punch him.
In the face.
I'm sorry.
Yeah, I love it.
Lex Grow.
He's the best part of thismovie by far.
And I remember, yeah, Iremember sitting in the theater like,
(13:23):
is that Tom Cruise?
Yeah, because that's.
At first I was like, is thisTom Cruise?
Because at that point you gotto think back to when this is mate.
Yep.
I know he's been in some stuff but.
But like this I was like, Ican't think of anything I've ever
seen like good boy Tom Cruiseplay someone like this.
It just made me laugh.
Well, and fun fact, like hewas in a not great place at this
(13:45):
time.
Like he kind of fallen off.
This was shortly after theOprah jumping on the couch.
Yeah, like the whole like theScientology was under a lot of scrutiny
at the time.
The fact that he's the onepretty much the face of Scientology
from a Hollywood perspective.
The whole Katie Holmes issues,like they had, they were in the midst
(14:07):
of divorce and like the wholeproblem about how he was like, I
don't look, I don't knowanything that was going on.
But like there's a whole lotof rumors and a whole lot of weird
and him jumping up and down onthe couch and just being a all around
weird son of a.
So like people were kind ofafraid to touch him.
And he's a great actor.
We've talked about him amillion times.
But like if you do some weirdwhich they make fun of on this movie,
(14:29):
like it'll ruin you.
And so this was like one ofthose things where they're like,
well, let's put Tom Cruise on it.
And it kind of.
If you look back at the timeframe of this 2008 and then you watch
like the movies he madebetween like 2002 and 2008, there
were some misses there andthere were some fall off and then
there was some gap.
And then after 2008 he starteddoing well again.
(14:50):
And so this kind of bouncedhim back, but he wasn't in a great
place to.
But to your point, like you'relike I, I literally sitting in the
theater going, is that Tom Cruise?
Holy, that's Tom Cruise.
And then it just became evenfunnier because he's balding, he's
got the giant ass hands andhe's just weird, ugly.
Goofy looking dude, so big.
(15:11):
And then like.
And then you're is cool thatTom Cruise can be weird.
So I think the one thing, if Ihad to compliment this movie about
one thing and I.
And again, this is a BenStiller kind of thing, right?
With him directing it andbeing very involved.
I will give him credit thathe, he did a great job of putting
(15:38):
people in places to be funnyand to be shocking and to really
make fun of Hollywood.
The institution, the problems,the, the great parts.
Like all of that, it does agreat job doing what it meant to
do.
I just think he gets heavyhanded, which is a Ben Stiller thing.
And so it pulls me out of themovie and it really kind of makes
(16:00):
me frustrated when I get tothose points because I'm like, God
damn it, you it up again.
Because I just want to keeplaughing and if you just move on
to the next set of jokes, I could.
But instead you're trying tomilk it for more than it's worth.
So I think that's my biggestfrustration with the movie.
But they should make.
They should.
(16:20):
I wanna, they need to come toTom, Chris, big look.
Let's just make a movie withthis character.
Oh my gosh, I freaking love that.
Oh, it'd be hilarious.
So funny.
And they need to have all theprosthetics back because every time
I sim.
That's one of the funniestthings still.
The rewatch bill just soundsjust like that's Tom Cruise.
Like, it's like the.
One of the prettiest boys in Hollywood.
(16:41):
He just looks horrible.
And then the fact that theygot him at the end to do the dancing
to Ludacris song, I'm sure Idon't know if that was ad lib.
And he just kind of did whathe did but like for how famous he
was again with these, it'slike, how did they get him to do
that?
And he did it.
(17:01):
Yeah.
And I will say to Ben Still'scredit too, like he pulled a lot
of people in this movie thatwere having some struggles at the
time because like Downey hadjust finished Iron man the first
one and, and so.
And then immediately this wasthe follow up for, for Downey and
he had signed, I think hesigned on to this one before he signed
(17:23):
on to Iron Man.
So he hadn't come back yet fully.
So he got him.
Jack Black was kind of in thisweird ass place.
He hadn't been.
He was.
Jack Black's always been JackBlack, but he always usually played
a side character to a degree.
Then after this he starts toget into some of the more major stuff.
Like he'd had a couple likeSchool of Rock I think was prior
(17:45):
to this.
But like there wasn't anythingthat was like, oh, Jack Black's a
mega star.
But this put him back off.
And then we talked about Tom Cruise.
And then.
Yeah, it's just like.
And McConaughey at the time,it was not far off of his bongo weed
session around this time too,I think.
(18:07):
So, like, we didn't even talkabout Mon.
That's just so funny to hearthe TiVo reference.
You get your T.
He uses the.
TiVo to save the day.
It's terrible.
The best part of that wholething is when he runs away, like,
they leave his ass.
They're in the chopper, heturns around and just back into the
(18:29):
woods or the jungle.
Like, I liked all thatbecause, like you said, though, it's
so holly.
Like, it's so Hollywood, all that.
And even it was funny becausethey had the movie version of the.
In the award ceremony, like,make what.
What was the phrase?
Making a true movie.
That was fake.
That was true.
(18:52):
Oh, that was just too perfect.
Because that's all the.
Like when they.
In the movie they were making,when Ben Sarah's character dies,
like, the arms up being shot.
But then in the real one, hestill kind of does, like, because
he doesn't know how to notact, even though it's actually happening.
Yep.
(19:12):
No, I.
I love the satire of it all.
And I love the.
The moment when DowneyJunior's pulling off the.
The wig and the costume andhe's having this, like, crisis of
conscience that was caused byStiller's character because he always
gets so deep into his characters.
And, like, because you alwayshear about the method actors, the
ones that take it too far,like the Jared Leto's and the.
(19:34):
Well, like, Ledger who diedfor it.
Yeah.
Like, you.
You hear about these guysthat, like, get into character and
never come out of it formonths at a time and send people
animal heads or whatever totheir trailer because they're the.
They're playing the Joker andthey gotta.
You know what I mean?
So it's just like, how far istoo far to be a great actor?
(19:58):
So I love that they ask thesequestions, and I.
I love that it was a popularmovie in that it turned kind of the
face of acting and some of theproblems that acting has in Hollywood
in general back on itself.
Because I also laugh at thefact that the whole conversation
of, like, Ben Stiller'scharacter dying, like, and he's like,
(20:20):
I'll get you a G5 and a lot of money.
Like.
And they have this, like,dance party.
Like, then in order to, like,celebrate the fact that they'll be
able to utilize him as a taxcredit and you Know the.
All the different things thatthey'll do, like, some charity.
Like, it was just like, holy,this is up.
(20:41):
But you have to go somewhere.
There's probably aconversation like that going on.
I mean, if they got theisland, God knows there's people
that wouldn't be sad ifsomething happened to an actor that
they can then utilize it.
Right.
So it's like, oofty.
What a dirty business to be in.
And so I love that aspect of it.
I love it.
I think it's the best part ofthe movie.
(21:04):
So my favorite part of themovie is water buffalo.
Oh, yeah.
With the bull ring thatsomebody would have had to have put
there.
This is supposed to be a wildwater buffalo, but there's a nose
ring in it.
Every time.
Yeah.
I love, like, the.
(21:24):
I just love Jack Black, like,running around, like, the long.
The farther into the detox hegets, like, the crazy, like, the
whole being tied to the tree piece.
Like, if you come over hereright now, I will suck your dick.
That whole thing.
And then, like, you get, like,the mountain, like, the plateau of
(21:45):
heroin that he just, like,runs over to, and then he uses it
to get out.
It's fistfuls of heroin.
Like, that's not even how youuse heroin, but sure, whatever.
Like, what's the guy that.
Not Nick Nolte, but theexplosion guy that I know you don't
like very much.
Jj, that character.
That actor's name.
I can't remember his name isthe dude that was over the explosions.
(22:08):
Alex said it earlier.
What?
Danny McBride.
Danny McBride I like, like.
And that's one of the reasons I.
Pineapple Express.
I like scenes that he's in.
He just.
He makes me laugh at him andNick Nolte.
I like their.
Their yin and yang.
I thought they actually workedquite well together in this because
every.
There can be too much Danny McBride.
And I can understand that hecan wear in people, but I thought
(22:29):
there was, like, the perfect amount.
And especially once he foundout Nick Nolte wasn't his character
wasn't actually a war vet andhow offended he was.
I love that.
No, I love Danny McBride inthe right dose.
Like, I think he's a genius.
When you get them again, he'sone that can go too.
(22:49):
Like, you take it too far, andthere's a little too much, like you
said.
But he misses great.
Nick Nolte's funny as.
And I've always.
I mean, we've talked aboutNick Nolte in the past on the podcast.
I love Nick Nolte.
I think he's so underratedbecause he got, again, got himself
into some trouble and thendidn't have a lot to go back on.
So it's.
It's interesting.
(23:10):
And I don't know that I everreally thought about it until I was
prepping for the podcast andthinking about it as I was watching
it, going, there's a lot of,like, Hollywood outcasts in this
movie, especially at the time.
So it fits the narrative thatthey're trying to say that Hollywood
is nasty and it can turn onyou in a heartbeat.
And, you know, here's a bunchof people that have, in real time,
(23:33):
have had that happen to them,with the exception.
I don't know that Ben Stillerever went through something like
that.
But he's also, like, his dad'sbeen in the business for ages now.
His dad's funny, as his dad'sone of the funniest people ever.
And I just wish.
I just wish Stiller was thesame way.
He just.
I cannot.
(23:54):
One of my favorite parts ofthis movie is with Danny Ryden.
Nick Nolte, though.
And he's like.
He's like, what kind of gunyou got there?
He's like, I don't know.
I just know the sound it makes.
Whoa.
I wasn't expecting you to go there.
Like.
Yeah, the Nick.
(24:14):
No character.
Like, the whole, like, put himin the jungle.
I'm like, send him in.
And then they come to find outthat he's nothing.
He's not a fraud.
And then, like, you have,like, one of the scenes with Stiller
that does make me laugh iswhen he's using the, like, the amputee
clause, the prosthetic claws, like.
(24:34):
And he's got, like, the, like,the wanton or whatever the hell he's
holding on to.
And they're doing the articleabout it, like, the news about him
on whatever.
Oh, yeah.
Christina Menounos or whateverthe her name was.
And he, like, breaks it withthe thing.
I'm like, okay, that's funny,because he's, like, leaning in to
(24:55):
try.
Well, I'll do.
You know, I'll do some methodacting and try to get into character.
And I'm just like, oh, it's so ridiculous.
That part made me laugh.
I do love Al Pacino, too.
I forgot.
What.
Why am I forgetting the Albucha?
What part is he in?
Well, he's the other AfricanAmerican dude.
(25:16):
Oh, yeah.
Alpa Chino.
He's got the weird Butt Sweat soda.
And what was the chocolate bar?
Oh, Booty Sweat.
And I Bust a nut.
Yeah, because that's the firstcommercial I think you see in the
show in the movie.
Yeah, the commercial for BustaNut and Booty Sweat.
(25:39):
So gross.
Oh, those, those.
The trailer parts, dude, thoseare up forever.
Be funny to be.
Because that's like reallymaking fun of Hollywood, especially
the Simple Jack one is socringy to me when I'm like, oh, that's
painful.
But it was designed to be that way.
I'm like, man, they hit that, right?
Because yeah.
Hurts every time I see it.
(25:59):
I mean, it's not far off too,because I think the ringer had come
out right around that time,that whole movie.
If you've ever seen JJExtremely offensive.
Like, and I love watchingwhat's his name trying to keep a
straight face when.
Oh, what's the.
There's a part in that moviethat made me laugh my ass off the
(26:20):
ringer because what was the.
Dude, Johnny Knoxville playsthe main in that.
And there's a moment when the.
The is like, yeah, it took himto get some ice cream.
And one of the kids was like,when we get ice cream and you see
Johnny Knoxville just likeloses and have to look away.
And they kept it in the moviebecause it was completely off the
(26:41):
cuff.
This kid was like, he.
That was completely ad libbedfrom this kid in the movie.
He's like, I took him to getsome ice cream.
Where the.
Did we get ice cream?
So.
But yeah, like that.
Yeah, the whole.
That, yeah, that part in themovie, you're just like, oh, God.
But it's also a thing whereHollywood makes weird mistakes, makes
(27:02):
movies about.
They shouldn't make moviesabout, that's for damn sure.
But yeah, to me, this movie is just.
They put too much in thismovie and it can get.
It gets a little chaotic andhard to know, like the direction,
but when you do on like a percharacter basis.
And I get what you're sayingabout Ben Stiller.
(27:23):
I like him in some things, obviously.
I like dodgeball.
I like.
What else do I like?
I love heavyweights.
I think when he playssomething over the top, that I know
it and like that line has beencreated from the beginning.
I could be okay with it.
There's some other movies thathe's in that get aggressively, a
little bit more outlandish,that I have a harder time when his
(27:43):
Ben Stillerisms kind of takeover and like JJ says, does one too
many things.
But this movie, there's justso many different funny parts from
so many funny people.
But I don't think it's likethe best written movie.
And I think that's what youcould say about most comedies.
But Tom Cruise, man, Like this.
For that alone, like, thismovie I will always turn to for just.
(28:04):
Because when he comes on,especially the first, it just makes
me.
He tells I gotta punch the director.
It just makes me laugh.
Yeah.
Because it's so unexpected.
It's Tom Cruise.
Because the Tom Cruise I thinkof right now, pretty boy, Smooth
assassin.
And he's just this old, ugly dude.
(28:26):
And then there's just these weird.
Like, Robert Downey Junior'scharacter, just.
Even when he wasn't a methodactor, they still made him Australian.
They didn't make him this dudefrom America.
I was like, he's still, like,technically method acting for me
because he's not Australian.
So.
With the weirdest eyes.
Like, oh, his eyes, dude.
I'm like, how do they do that?
Like, his eyes are crazy.
(28:47):
Just contacts, man.
I know, but wow, Alec, you'vebeen stunningly quiet during this
review, buddy.
I just like Tropic Thunder.
I don't know, man.
It's hard for me to say Idon't like it, but I don't like it.
It's hard for me to say I likeit, but I like it.
It's right in the middle, hotand cold, all over the place.
(29:10):
Because there are so manyfunny parts where I.
I've never laughed harder.
Yeah.
And then there are so many parts.
Or I'm like, I.
I'm gonna turn it off right now.
Need to see any more.
This is stupid.
And so it's that those bigshifts from one to the next and frequently
happens in the same scenewhere you go from almost dying of
(29:34):
laughter to whoa.
Or vice versa.
All right.
And you're like, oh, but then,oh, funny.
And I.
It's hard for me to get areading on it because I go back and
forth all the time.
So this is a movie that Idon't watch a lot.
Just because it's somethingthat, you know, it's.
(29:55):
It's almost more work thanit's worth to have to actually sit
down and watch it.
What's funny is when you likethe movies that you guys like the
most.
Well, that's common.
Like anything.
How many times do you thinkyou've seen the movies that you like
the most?
Oh, a lot.
I rewatch movies a lot.
(30:16):
Like, what's a lot?
Are you talking, like, 20, 30?
No.
So I've probably seenCasablanca, which is one of my favorite
movies of all time.
200?
300.
Are you serious.
And that's probably a low ball.
That's.
What about you for like themovies you read?
Like, what is that for you?
Yeah, it's tricky for mebecause to be honest, and I know
everybody makes fun of me.
(30:37):
We've been making fun of me onthis podcast for almost five years
about this.
But I don't re watch a lot of movies.
But when I do re watch them, Ire watch them a lot.
Like the Star wars films.
And I won't even go therebecause Casablanca couldn't even
touch what I've watched theStar wars films.
Are you still re watching them?
Absolutely.
(30:57):
At least once a year I watchthe Star wars trilogy.
The original trilogy, minimum.
Once a year.
How many.
If you're watching Casablancathat many times, how many times a
year are you watching it?
It.
Oh, a lot.
I'll.
I'll watch it probably threetimes a month.
Are you serious?
I.
I could watch Star Wars Gladiator.
(31:18):
I could watch Gladiator.
Oh, I love Gladiator Anytime.
Anything.
I know you guys know thisabout me.
Like I have movies.
I really like all.
Any movie that like, you know,you guys, I love Braveheart.
I love JJ just said one of themovies at Gladiator, for instance.
Movie like whatever.
And there's other movies out there.
I've probably seen all of those.
(31:39):
All of my favorite, mostfavorite movies less than a hundred
times.
It may be less than 60.
It probably is less than 60 times.
It's probably closer to like40 if that, like, the more that I
say it.
I, I'm trying to think ofmovie I've watched the most.
Could be Revenge of the Sith.
(32:00):
I've seen that like, and thatmight be like seven times, eight
times maybe.
That.
That's funny numbers I didn't like.
I don't like Braveheart very much.
I've seen it 40 times.
But that's what's funny withthe people that are like, I'm like,
damn.
Like, I don't know how.
Now the thing that I findmyself like a TV show, for instance,
(32:23):
like Seinfeld is probably thething I've.
But there's so many differentepisodes that that's where I have
spent most of my rewatchability is Seinfeld.
But it's different shows butlike a movie.
I just don't do that.
And I, I like watching thosewe get.
I just don't.
For whatever reason, I think I re.
I re watch all the movies Ilike, but I watch re watch all.
(32:45):
And it takes me forever to getlike through it.
Where like, I can't evenimagine watching the same movie three
times in the same month.
That's crazy town for me.
Oh, that's like regular nuts.
Yeah.
See, I, my problem is I'll geton to like, look for something and
I'm like, there's nothing onor back in the day.
And I, I grew up in a nonstreaming world, right?
(33:09):
So like, you watched what youhad or what was available to rent
or was available at the movie theater.
Like, and it wasn't always thecase, like, especially when I was
younger, where I could just belike, I'm just gonna go over to Blockbuster.
And we certainly didn't haveNetflix when I was a kid.
And we certainly.
I didn't even, Neither did I, jj.
I know, but like, so, but I,what I did, if I was not playing
(33:33):
sports, I was watching moviesbecause that's what I did back then.
And I, I mean, still, to adegree, like, I don't, there's not
a, there's rarely a day in theweek that goes by that I'm not watching
something.
Like, and if it's notnecessarily rarely, is it re watching
like Casey again.
And I get on and we watch some terrible.
Because that's what's outthere right now.
(33:54):
But I don't.
Again, like, we're always justputting on a movie.
Let's watch a movie.
Yeah.
Or let's watch TV show.
I can't.
Fat Tay likes to re.
Watch a lot of especially TVshows, but she'll do some movies.
But I don't know.
I, I, it's the same thing Ilike to do with food.
Like, I, I have my go to, butI'm that type of person.
I like finding new things toeat and do in like that movie that
(34:17):
I just watched the other day.
It's, it's what's inside on Netflix.
I'm glad I watched it.
I liked it.
It was interesting.
And I try to do that more than not.
But man, like, to your point,jj, it does get.
It's funny you mentioned streaming.
Now I feel like it'sexacerbated the problem of just watching
what you want.
But because we're so inundatedwith so many new things you could
(34:39):
watch.
But you also know, I mean, wedo this and we've been doing this
for like, what, four or five years?
There's so much crap out there.
So it's so easy to be like,let me just pick from the 30 things
that I remember.
Oh, and then you always havethat thought, oh, I haven't Seen
that in a while, and then youjust end up watching that thing that
you haven't seen in a while,but you have seen it.
I rewatch now more than I ever have.
(35:00):
There was a time when I wouldnever rewatch because it was like
I'd go to Blockbuster and comehome with five or six movies that
I'd never seen before, and Ihadn't had a chance to go to the
theater to see them, so Iwanted to watch them, right?
And there used to be a Gap.
Fuckers.
Like, little kids, listening, watching.
There used to be time betweenmovie theater and when it came out
on video.
And when I say time, I didn'tmean a month or two.
(35:22):
I meant there's sometimes ayear before I could watch it in my
house, okay?
So I would pick stuff up andwatch and whatnot.
Now, like, there's no Gap.
Like, if I don't go see.
Well, what was the one that.
So Wolverine.
Like, Deadpool.
Wolverine.
It was not that long ago thatmovie came out in theaters.
It's already streaming, andit's already getting ready to be
(35:44):
on Disney plus for free if youhave the subscription.
So it's like, there is no Gap.
And to your point, Madsen,most of the shit that comes out,
that's new, that's straight to streaming.
It sucks balls.
So a lot of what times whatwill happen is I'll go.
We'll go, okay, let's watch a movie.
I'm 10 minutes into the moviegoing, this movie sucks.
Let's turn it off and watchsomething that.
And I have to like.
(36:05):
I.
So I rewatch now more than Iever used to because I go back and
go, I can't watch this garbage.
And now I'm pissed because I.
It's garbage.
How often do you go to movietheaters now, Jay?
Because I used to go a lot.
Like, I had the amc and thennow I got rid of it because it was
a little further away.
But then a lot of it was justbecause I was like, there's nothing
(36:25):
I really want nowadays.
Like, besides Doom 2 earlierthis year, there has been nothing
that I've been like, I have tobe in theaters for that.
And I feel like that happensall the time now.
Like, and I know you love togo to the movie theater in Alec Pride,
too.
Way more than I loved going tomovies growing up.
But now, like, there's not areason to go.
(36:45):
There's nothing that I want togo see.
It's like, few and far between.
Yeah, I went and saw Deadpooland Wolverine.
I Think before that I saw Dunetoo, but I saw Deadpool in theaters.
I forgot that's the last thingI saw.
I have.
That's the last thing I saw.
I haven't been to the theaterto see anything other than Deadpool
or any.
Because it's just like.
And it's sad because I lovethe theater, but.
(37:05):
And I mean I saw TropicThunder in the theater when it came
out.
And then this was the firsttime I'd watched it since then.
But you say to a good point,because a lot of these like so.
So movies will just come outand streaming like two months after
they premiere.
And I'm like, well what's thepoint of me going to the theater
then?
Because unless you have thatmembership, it's buku expensive to
go just watch a movie.
(37:26):
Like for.
For me and my ninte.
Like it's stupidly expensiveunless you have that membership.
But justify a membership ifthere's no good movies to go see
either.
Well, I don't even have mineanymore either.
Like I was going to see.
There was a time when I had itand I would go see a movie.
Like a couple.
Yeah, I did too.
You know what I mean?
At least two or three movies a week.
(37:47):
I don't even.
Like I said, it's been monthssince I've been to the movie theater.
Like because I.
Why and to your point, likenot even, even the great movies come
out and streaming soon afterthey're in the theater.
So it's not like I have to go,oh, I gotta go see that in the theater.
That was the other thing.
Like if I wanted to see amovie when I was a kid, you either
saw it in the theater or itwas a while.
(38:09):
Like it was at least six,seven months before you might get
it on hbo.
Like you didn't have stream,like you couldn't just pay for it
digitally and watch it.
You had to wait for it to comeout on HBO or Cinemax or Stars or
whatever the hell it wascoming out on.
Then you could go rent itsomewhere if you didn't have the
premium channel subscriptionsor pay for that through your cable.
(38:31):
So now we're so to your point.
We're so spoiled the contentthat the content's crap because they're
just like, we know it doesn'tmatter if it sucks or not.
We have to release content tokeep people paying for our subscription.
And that I just even like my.
My in laws love like theHallmark Movie Channel for instance.
And it's just makes me laughbecause there's people that like,
(38:52):
like them and watch them and.
And I'm like, they're just oneof many studios that are just cranking
out stuff to make content.
And I know a lot of streamingservices are losing money and they're
trying to tighten theirbudgets, and I think that's a great
thing because we have too much content.
Delusion is what I come down to.
Like, just because you canmake it doesn't mean you should make
(39:13):
it.
And that goes for anything.
You mean from Star wars to Marvel?
Like, you look at any of thebiggest things to the smallest things,
like all.
Especially Star wars andMarvel, for instance.
And Marvel is a great exampleof it.
They found it, the secretsauce, and then they went too far
and they diluted their product.
And now, like, it's so funny.
What do we have, four or five?
How many years away are wefrom Endgame?
(39:35):
It's been like five, six years.
What is Marvel now?
Marvel is.
It's so.
Is.
It's nothing.
And like, Star Wars.
Jay would say the same thingagain, we've talked about that on
this podcast.
And you literally said, she'slike, don't get me wrong.
I love that we're making newStar wars content, but I think when
we were in the throes the lastfew years, they were making so much
(39:56):
stuff, it was just too much.
And it wasn't, at least for me.
It didn't feel like the vibesof what we wanted and they were making
just because they could.
And now they're kind ofpulling back, and I think.
I think they're being a lotmore intentional again.
But that's a lot of what'shappening these days.
Yeah, agreed.
And it fits within thediatribe of this movie, right?
Like, Hollywood sucks.
(40:17):
They have some really shitty practices.
And it's all about money.
All about.
Is all about the money.
Think about all the sequels,remakes, reboots.
How much original content arewe really getting that actually is
worth watching?
It's.
I can't think.
It's.
(40:37):
There's not much out there.
There's.
There's no original content.
Yeah, you've seen it already.
Like, and when I think it'sfunny, now that we're talking about
this, when I think about,like, the 90s or the 2000, like,
how did we.
How did they make so many.
The same type of movies andall things.
And, like, I mean, we'relooking at a period of cinema.
(40:59):
Like, this isn't a golden ageof cinema.
We're far from a horrible CGIJust fast track plots, remakes all.
Like, well, I feel like we'lllook back in 20 or 30 years and this
will just be a dead periodwhere it's like, oh, that was movie
during that period.
Like, yeah, we'll pass on that.
It feels like we're in thatright now.
It'll be the 50s.
(41:21):
Seriously though, you have ahalf dozen movies that were good
and people remember.
Here'S the crazy part.
And then we can rate thismovie because we've gone a little
off track.
Even though it's exactly ontrack, it just feels off track.
I.
What I would like to see.
And this is hard for me to saybecause we know how much I love movies
and when we do this podcast.
(41:42):
But, like, I think we need togo back to the days where content
was more difficult to see andyou had to wait.
Because I appreciated stuff,even if it wasn't great.
Because I'm not going to sitand say that every movie that I ever
watched back in the 80s, 90s,2000s, before streaming was a thing
was great.
There was a lot of contentthat was there, but I took it with
(42:05):
a grain of salt because Iunderstood I may not see another
movie in my house for six months.
Right?
Like, or I'm gonna have towatch the same things that I've seen
before because there's not new things.
What I don't want to go awayis, like, the television shows, the
access to content, like TVstuff, or like the episodic stuff,
(42:25):
I think is great to have inthe streaming zone.
That's good because it'seasier to digest.
You can take longer to make it.
People are.
And there's more ability to do that.
Movies to me, should be special.
Like, that's why I've alwayshad a hard time with movies that
are based off of TV shows thatwere successful.
Like, I don't usually.
(42:45):
I can't think of one off topof my head where it's like, here's
this awesome TV show that ranfor four or five years.
Let's make.
But then the ratings fell offand they canceled it before they
were done.
So they made a movie to finish it.
I don't.
I cannot think of one that was great.
What I can think of is greattelevision and I can think of great
movies, but there was a reasonthat they're great.
(43:07):
And I.
So I like streaming contentfor tv.
I really like it for, like,real content, like documentaries
and things.
Like, I think that's great.
The streaming space is wonderful.
I think it kills the movieindustry because again, they're making
too much.
And they weren't original tobegin with, let's be honest.
Not in decades has there beenactual original content.
(43:31):
Because they just take thesame and they regurgitate it and
they make some updates to whatthe content might actually be.
But it's the same story.
It's always been the same stories.
It'll always be the same stories.
It's just how unique can youtell that story?
But because we're getting thesame stories every day, once a week,
(43:52):
six times a.
You know what I mean?
Like, it's constant, a barrageof the same.
You get numb to it.
So I would love for them topull movies, new movies out of the
streaming piece.
Fine.
All the old movies that wecould rent at the theater, like,
there's no more.
There's no such thing asrenting movies anymore through, like
(44:14):
physical put all the stuffthat's come out.
But there needs to be a Gap,Deadpool, Wolverine comes out.
Needs to be a minimum sixmonths before you can actually grab
it.
In my opinion, that's whymovies are also getting hurt.
Because you're right, Jake.
Because people now know, like,shoot, I'll just wait two months.
And I don't have.
I'm already paying for thestreaming service instead of having
to pay $60 for two movietickets and like, popcorn, all that
(44:38):
crap.
Like, I get why people arewaiting, because we.
You're giving them reason to.
What's the incentive?
Yeah, wait, great example.
Episode one.
I camped out for three days toget tickets to go see it in the movie
theater.
Because I knew and I watchedit six times in the first week in
the movie theater.
(44:59):
And I won't even say the number.
I watched it while it wasstill in theaters.
Like, we hunted down dollartheaters across the state to go find
it so that we could keepwatching it.
Because we knew once it wasout of theaters, we were a minimum
of a year before I could getit in my house.
So it made going to the moviespecial, even if the movie wasn't
(45:23):
great or wasn't the best thingI've ever seen.
Now, going to the movies isn't special.
It just isn't.
And I.
Because.
And that's unfortunate, butit's because to your point, why,
I just got to be patient andwait a few months at most before
I can watch it.
If it's an absolute dud in thetheater, it'll be in the fucking
(45:44):
streaming in six weeks,sometimes less.
What are your thoughts, Alec,before we rate this thing?
Yeah, I mean, I am a big Fanof not having streaming at all.
And I hate the way that it'skind of gone.
(46:05):
Because the idea of streamingwas the ease of access.
The, you know, you watch it onyour time.
You don't have to deal withcommercials or breaks or anything
like that.
But now every single streamingservice has ads broken in there.
So it took all the.
(46:26):
It's.
It's a huge bait and switchbecause it was.
You know, there used to begood content.
Now you're looking for stufflike we tried to get Young Frankenstein
fucking nowhere.
Anywhere.
But, you know, we have 47movies that were made this last month
that are all dog shit.
So it took kind of that.
(46:47):
The whole reason that I thinkit was originally brought about was
the ease of access.
Go find stuff that you can'tfind anymore.
Right.
Hey, we uploaded a copy ofthis movie from 1963 that nobody's
ever seen before because wefound it and like, let's digitize
it, throw it up there.
And.
Oh, it's.
You know, you don't have toworry about commercials or anything
like that.
And then now it's.
Yeah, ads and commercials justall thrown in there.
(47:11):
So it's.
I think it's the biggest baitand switch that we've ever seen.
And I don't even remember whatthe last movie was I went to go see
in theaters.
Yeah.
But probably something for the podcast.
Yeah, it might have been.
But it's just one of thosescenes where it's like, it was such
a great concept that's turnedinto the biggest money grab ever.
(47:37):
Yeah.
I remember when Hulu was pure.
Yeah.
Before it was owned by a corporation.
It was.
They put old TV show episodesup there that you could go watch,
you couldn't find anywhereelse because reruns.
Right.
Yeah.
And then like all the perks ofhaving streaming just got kind of
pulled out.
Yeah.
It's just a new version of cable.
(47:57):
It's now the new version of cable.
Except it's twice as expensiveas cable was.
Yeah.
I don't know.
Cable was really expensive.
I mean, we're getting to apoint with all the getting close
streaming services now where.
Yeah.
You kind of have to at somepoint, unless you're jj, Gotta maybe
pick like your top three.
Wow.
And that's.
I mean, if I.
When I go back and look atwhat I pay for streaming to have
(48:19):
it all, it's.
It's less than I was payingfor full cable, but it's not far
off.
And the sad part is, like, Idon't even get my.
Unless I Pay extra.
I don't even get like thesports and that I used to get with
real cables.
So it's.
It's a tough.
It won't be long beforethey're gonna.
Something's gonna have to givebecause you can't have both sides
(48:42):
be.
The thing that got me a littlewhile ago was I was on Amazon prime,
right?
I think I was looking for Django.
And you can watch Django onAmazon prime if you use Amazon prime
to get a star subscription.
Yeah.
Or something stupid like that.
Now Amazon prime is like themiddleman for other streaming subscriptions.
(49:05):
No, the worst part.
The worst part.
It's even worse, Alec.
Amazon Prime.
I pay for Amazon prime, right?
Which used to come with primevideo, which means I can either get
serious some videos for freebecause they're part of the prime
subscription or you haveaccess to rent things through prime,
(49:26):
whatever it is, the newer stuff.
Now Amazon prime has afreaking premium subscription.
So I don't have ads.
So I gotta pay an extra fivebucks a month in on top of my hundred
and some odd dollars for myAmazon Prime a year in order to be
able to watch without.
They're all doing that now.
(49:46):
I know, but it pisses me out.
I pay for a membership just tohave to pay extra.
I.
I get like having it.
I kind of get having an adfree version.
Like I get with the concept, right?
What I don't hate what theworst part for me was Amazon because
I'm already paying for your subscription.
Dick hole.
You can't make me pay on topof this subscription.
So I don't have ads on thatI'm already paying for horseshit.
(50:08):
Anyway, there's my soapbox.
Let's rate this movie.
Matson, this was yours.
You start us off, buddy.
Yeah, I'll give it a three anda half.
It's like not a great movie,but there's a lot a collection of
great actors.
It's funny.
There's some really funnyscenes, some quotes that I really
enjoy.
But Tom Cruise's characterjust takes it for me.
(50:30):
Will always make it funnybecause of that.
And I love how this moviestarts with the different trailers
of the characters that are inthis movie.
Makes me chuckle.
Ben Sibler's a little over thetop at times.
I can understand that.
I just like a lot of actors inthis movie and there's certain parts
it just.
It's enjoyable to watch andthis movie has rewatch ability to
(50:51):
me.
I don't know like we justtalked about.
Couldn't tell you.
Next time I'M gonna watch itprobably a long time, but when I
do, I gotta love it.
Yeah, I'm gonna give it a twoand a half.
I'll give it right down the middle.
I think it's, it's a tale oftwo movies for me, like the movie
itself and what it's trying todo, and a lot of the supporting cast
(51:12):
and even a couple of the maincharacters are really funny to me
and really enjoyable.
I think it's well written.
I think it tells a hole.
It tells a true, actually kindof awful story and tale within the
boundaries of a comedy.
I hate Ben Stiller, and heruins this movie for me, though,
because I just don't like him.
I, I don't like him in this movie.
(51:32):
I don't like him in anymovies, really, that I can think
of.
He just takes things too far.
He's not funny to me at all.
And I think if you're going tolead a comedy and be the comedy guy,
you better be funny to me.
But I know some people findhim hilarious, and kudos to them.
I wish I could, but I just don't.
So he takes his way down a notch.
I won't actively look to watchthis movie.
(51:53):
Like I said, I hadn't seen itsince I was in.
Seen it in theaters.
I've seen clips, right?
Because there's some funny stuff.
Like I'm just a dude dressedas a dude playing another.
Like, there's some greatquotable lines in this movie, but
none of them come from BenStiller, who just brings this movie
down to me.
I think J BE shows like, thehidden gem in this movie because
(52:15):
he's just, like, really funny,trying to be the grounded person
in the whole group.
But I don't know.
I, I.
There are parts that I reallyenjoy, then there are parts that
are just to me.
And that's unfortunate, but.
All right, Alec, your turn.
I think we found our cold opening.
I'm gonna go right in betweenyou guys.
(52:35):
I'm gonna give it a 3.
There's not a lot of good thatI can say about this movie, but there's
also not a lot of bad.
Like it.
I appreciate what Mata was saying.
Like, it knows what it is, andit does not try and do anything else.
And that's something you don'talways see.
Where you'll get kind of thatvibe from or the cast, whatever.
(52:59):
That's what it feels like isit's making fun of itself, and then
it tries to throw, you know, acurveball in there with some big
moral Life lesson or something other.
This movie just does not give two.
It knows what it is.
It shows up.
It does not, you know, try andbait and switch or change up what
it is.
It is just making fun ofHollywood and a lot of drug jokes.
(53:25):
That's what it is.
And so, yeah, I'll give it a three.
I don't think I'll really.
I'll watch it again.
I can't tell you when though,because it's just one of those like.
Like we.
Like I said earlier, thebeginning, I would have rather played
a ghost game then watch TropicThunder right off the bat.
(53:45):
But yeah, I give it three.
All right, there it is.
Interesting scores, but it was fun.
Good chat.
Completely off and on topic atthe same time.
Really weird.
I love movies like that.
People listen to us.
Yeah.
You can't argue with the factthat it.
It's a.
It's a conversation starterfor sure.
(54:07):
That is true.
So with that, Alec, telleverybody where they can find us.
Happy to, jj.
So thank you for tuning in toweek two of all time Favorite comedies
month.
Matt's came through with abanger on this one, Tropic Thunder
special.
Shout out to our patrons whohad a hand in picking the topic and
(54:30):
the movies for said topic.
Richard, mel Brooks and JJ'sluscious lickable lump.
Yes.
If you too would like to be apart of the Patron crew, join us
on Patreon at what's our verdict?
Reviews where you also couldbe a member of JJ's Luscious Lookable
(54:51):
Lumps and company.
That's the place to do it.
To get involved in any kind ofcontent voting.
That's the best place to find us.
Other than that, find us onYouTube where we can see our smiling
faces and Matson's face palms.
With that, I will kick it backto the Titan of terror, the colossus
of clout.
A jj.
(55:11):
Yeah, look, if for no otherreason to join the Discord or the
Discord.
The.
I got too many things.
I'm part of the Patreon.
You get to force Alec to sayridiculous names every week.
So.
Yes, yes, and we appreciatethe first one that's been.
This one's a lot.
(55:33):
I mean, yeah, it's good.
So.
Yeah, as always.
Look, we appreciate you tuning in.
We'll catch you on the next one.
Boy.
Hasta la vista, baby.
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