Three Things to Think About• Use of Satire:– Where the film’s humor

is directed• Layers of Performance:– The acting, and the idea

of “performing”• Form/Production:– How the film looks, and

how it was produced

The Satire• Satire: Use of ridicule, mockery and pointed humor to challenge a

person (usually a powerful one) or a belief system (usually a mainstream one)– “Comedy evokes laughter mainly as an end in itself, while satire . . . uses

laughter as a weapon” (M.H. Abrams, Glossary of Literary Terms)

• Who are the targets of satire in this film?• Is this film trying to have it both ways, by making you laugh at people with

disabilities and laugh at Hollywood’s treatment of people with disabilities at the same time?

• Does the film assert its own set of values, or is it just attacking other systems of belief? – Does satire ever build up, or can it only tear down?

The Performances• Tropic Thunder conveys the idea that

race, masculinity, soldierliness, etc. are, at some level, performances.– For example, how does Robert Downey

Jr.’s character “perform” blackness? How does Brandon T. Jackson’s character?

• How do the performances mesh with these (“real” and “fictional”) actors’ celebrity personas?– Star Text: “A celebrity image that

combines the star’s acting ability, and prior record of acting performances with their offscreen lifestyle, personality and behavior” (Monica Cyrino)

Formally: The Production• Mise-en-scene, Cinematography, Editing,

Sound– Try to be conscious of framing, camera

placement and movement, shot transitions, and the overall sound design.

• What genre is Tropic Thunder? – How does it balance commitment to

comedy with desire for legitimacy as an action/war film?

– When is there verisimilitude, and when does the film sacrifice realism for comedy?

• Tropic Thunder cost $92 million dollars – where can you see the money onscreen?– When are special effects or CGI used?