Star rating: 3/5

The fact that there’s a whole string of cameos from Tom Cruise and Tobey Maguire to Tyra Banks and Alicia Silverstone in Ben Stiller’s new comedy is quite possibly an allusion to his unofficial status as the head humor honcho of Hollywood. And rightly so, for Tropic Thunder is a neatly packaged mess that earns its laughs more from spot-on observations about the pomposity of the Hollywood film business rather than empty, below-the-belt visual gags.

Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr. and Jay Baruchel play a group of actors starring in a Vietnam War movie that’s a month behind schedule only five days into shooting, no thanks to their prima donna antics. Threatened by the studio boss (Tom Cruise in his most morbidly humorous role to date), their rookie director dumps them into the real jungle that’s been rigged with hidden cameras and special effect gadgets in order to capture the movie “guerrilla-style.” Unfortunately for them, they have been dropped right in the middle of the Golden Triangle, thus running into a heroin producing gang—and a real war ensues.

While the humor becomes a little tiresome after the first half of the movie, it does draw some hearty laughs throughout. A few of the best parts occur right at the beginning, where fictional movie trailers starring the characters in their previous blockbusters are played (so make sure you don’t get there late). Great chemistry between cast members make their acidly funny exchanges even zippier, with Downey Jr. delivering a particularly fab performance. The supporting cast of Matthew McConaughey in a self-parody and Nick Nolte as a dour Vietnam veteran also adds value to your buck in this reasonably stellar Stiller effort.