Tropic Thunder (2008)

Tropic Thunder roasts actors harder than this website does, and a couple of its jokes haven’t aged as well as its targets. Ben Stiller’s Tugg Speedman is famous for Simple Jack, a fake Oscar-bait movie, and that gag punches down harder than the satire means to. Robert Downey Jr. plays Kirk Lazarus, a method actor who darkens his skin for a role, and while the joke is clearly aimed at actors like Kirk, it’s a lot to sit with today. The jungle middle wanders, too. That said, the fake trailers up top are perfect, Jack Black’s Jeff Portnoy is an unhinged mess in the best way, and Brandon T. Jackson’s Alpa Chino keeps calling out everyone’s nonsense. There’s also a studio boss whose dance break people still rewind. Critics liked it more than audiences did. A 7.3 because the satire is sharp and mostly aims up at Hollywood ego, even when it slips. $40.93 says you start narrating your chores in a deep movie-trailer voice by Friday.

What works: The fake trailers, Jack Black’s chaos and a cast fully committed to mocking Hollywood’s biggest egos.

What doesn’t: The Simple Jack gag and Kirk Lazarus’s makeup land badly today, and the jungle middle loses steam.

Who it’s for: People who love behind-the-scenes Hollywood gossip and want to watch movie stars make fun of themselves.