Tropic Thunder has the potential to be one of the funniest movies to premiere in Summer 2008. Or it could be one of the most angrily controversial movies in recent memory. Either way, it should be interesting to see the public’s reaction.

Starring and directed by the sometimes funny Ben Stiller, Tropic Thunder tells the story of a group of narcissistic actors (is there any other kind?) filming a new Vietnam War epic in the spirit of Apocalypse Now. One is a typical action star (Stiller), one is a comedic actor looking to establish himself as a serious actor (Jack Black), and one (here comes the controversy) is a white actor who is so serious about portraying a role written for an African-American actor, that he dyes his skin black (Robert Downey Jr.). The film crew eventually gets fed up with their high-maintenance cast that they dump them in the jungle to fend for themselves, all to the blissful obliviousness of the cast, who thinks the cameras are still rolling.

The idea of having a movie that stars a white guy in blackface is certainly raising some eyebrows, but Stiller insists that the movie is poking fun at pampered actors, not black people, as seen in this article in Entertainment Weekly. That may very well be the case, but is that what the audience will allow themselves to see? Given the mixed feelings I have about Ben Stiller movies, I’ll wait to RENT IT and find out.

Tropic Thunder is not yet rated and opens on August 15. (Official site)

This trailer just hit the internet and I nearly fell out of my chair. Ben Stiller’s back in another Farrelly brothers movie! How has it taken this long for that reunion to take place?

The trailer got off to a slow start, but it definitely had me laughing toward the end. It looks like this movie might not be the ‘junk caught in a zipper’ type of humor of Something About Mary, but it should be funny none-the-less. And I love the bit about the post-marriage personality change.

This is most definitely a SEE IT. I really can’t wait.

The Heartbreak Kid is rated R and opens October 5.

So I’ve watched the trailer for Night at the Museum about ten times now, and I can’t for the life of me figure out what rating to give it. I think that my basic problem is that I can’t figure out what type of movie this really is.

The theme of this movie (a security guard trapped inside a museum that literally comes to life at night) is clearly a very child-friendly theme. However, the cast of the movie (Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Ricky Gervais…) seem more appropriate for the next Todd Phillips project than for a heartwarming kiddy flick. With all three of those guys, especially Wilson and Gervais, the humor is usually on a far more cerebral level that doesn’t seem like it would register as well with children. In fact, the only real hint that this movie is really directed toward kids (other than the plot) is the presence of Robin Williams, who’s made more G-rated movies than Barney.

So this is why I’m stuck. Personally, I have no desire to see a children’s movie about a museum that comes to life. With all the other amazing pre-Oscar movies coming out, this one seems like an obvious throwaway. On the other hand, I’ve never yet missed an opportunity to watch Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson riffing off each other (and bringing Ricky Gervais into the mix seems like a splendid idea). Plus, the reality is that the trailer does actually look funny. Perhaps Ben Stiller fighting with a monkey is meant to make children laugh, but it made me laugh pretty hard, as well.

With all that in mind, I guess I’m going to have to say RENT IT. My feeling is that Night at the Museum might actually be a good movie, but it’s probably not worth paying ten dollars for. However, I am going to put this one caveat on my rating. If you find yourself stuck with the family this holiday season, and there are kids and grown-ups all trying to agree on one film to go see together, I think that this is probably the perfect choice. The kids will certainly be enthralled by the plot, and the grown-ups will probably be entertained by the actors. On the other hand, if you’re just a couple of guys or girls looking for a laugh, I say skip this one for now and watch it when it comes to DVD.

Night at the Museum is rated PG and opens December 22. (Official Site)