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‘Tropic Thunder’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Van Lathan, and Joel Anderson

May 12, 2026 · Tropic Thunder (2008) · Action · Comedy · War · 2:13:11 · ▶ Listen on Spotify

IMDb ↗Letterboxd ↗

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Horlbeck Runtime Scale

Bill Simmons▶ 1:03:02Movie was 107 minutes, rated a plus-7 on the Horlbeck scale, though it feels like a plus-14

Most Rewatchable Scene

Bill Simmons▶ 1:03:53Runs through many favorite moments/scenes from the movie (the opening fake trailers, the battle scene with Tug's hands blown off, Les Grossman's entrance and 'corn syrup' rant, the Kirk/Tug conversation about Jack), without settling on one definitive single pick, though he calls the Kirk/Tug scene 'top three for me.'
Chris Ryan▶ 1:08:19The Kirk Lazarus/Tug conversation about Jack (Sean Penn/Simple Jack) - calls it 'the most rewatchable scene for me,' comparing it to Tarantino's Top Gun rant.
Van Lathan▶ 1:07:23The scene where Kirk Lazarus and Tug talk about Jack (the Sean Penn/Simple Jack conversation) - he says it's problematic but he laughed for three minutes and calls it brilliant comedy writing.

Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:22:34Well-done fake movie trailers within a comedy are a guaranteed home run and Hollywood needs way more of them (he estimates 'we're like 50 short' on career fake trailers).

Great Shot Gordo Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:26:12Tug running in front of the bridge as it blows up
Chris Ryan▶ 1:26:17The reenactment of the Willem Dafoe death scene (from Platoon) as a stealth homage

Butch's Girlfriend Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:27:36The last third of the movie could have been 7-8 minutes tighter; wanted more scenes of the guys hanging out before it got weird instead of dragging out the back half/jungle sequence.
Chris Ryan▶ 1:28:42Also picked Jack Black (agreeing with Van), noting he's much funnier in other roles (e.g., compares him to Steve Coogan in Reign of Madness) and felt hemmed in here.
Van Lathan▶ 1:28:13Jack Black - funny at times but only really works in two scenes; otherwise he's 'whacked out' and pulls focus from the funnier stuff like Kirk Lazarus/Tugg/Al Pacino.

Van Lathan's Five Movies Not Getting Greenlit in 2026

Ranked list · Van Lathan · ▶ 1:35:43

  1. 5The Ringer (2005)▶ 1:35:43
  2. 4Tropic Thunder (2008)▶ 1:36:09
  3. 3Juwanna Mann (2002)▶ 1:36:14
  4. 2The Birth of a Nation (2016)▶ 1:36:38
  5. 1Soul Man (1986)▶ 1:37:17
  6. ·The Crying Game (1992)▶ 1:37:58

Categories, continued

Casting What-Ifs

Bill Simmons▶ 1:44:03Ran through casting trivia: Stiller wanted Keanu Reeves as Tug (didn't happen, Keanu was considered for Rick Peck instead); questions whether Keanu is a good fit for roles generally; notes Kevin Hart and Mos Def turned down roles (Mos Def wanted to change his character to an R&B musician instead of a rapper); Tom Cruise vacated Rick Peck, Owen Wilson was cast but dropped out after his 2007 breakdown, leading to Matthew McConaughey being cast as essentially the third choice.
Chris Ryan▶ 1:44:19Discusses how hard it is to cast Keanu Reeves in specific role types, comparing his John Wick era to Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man run; also notes Yvette Nicole Brown played Peck's assistant early in her career before becoming a bigger cultural presence.
Van Lathan▶ 1:44:44Says Keanu is perfectly cast in Utah, Speed, John Wick, and as Shane Falco in The Replacements.

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Bill Simmons▶ 1:47:47Says you could argue Grossman should've been just the one scene, but then you'd lose the great 'lots of money' negotiation scene, so he's fine with the extra scenes; also loves the dance through the credits.
Chris Ryan▶ 1:47:01Wonders if one less Grossman scene would have made it one of the great one-scene cameos of all time; jokes it should have just been Alec Baldwin in Glengarry Glen Ross style, one scene and speechless.
Van Lathan▶ 1:47:29Thinks the extra Grossman scenes came from Cruise's commitment/enjoyment of the role driving them to add more; says the third/final scene was 'really good' but 'probably a little too much,' and enjoyed the dancing through the credits as something a 14-year-old would love.

Apex Mountain

Bill Simmons▶ 1:51:16Robert Downey Jr. — this plus Iron Man the same year, 'I think this is it'; also yes for Vietnam War parodies; no for Ben Stiller as the headline, and no for Cruise, Jack Black, and McConaughey.
Chris Ryan▶ 1:51:43On the Vietnam-parody apex: agreed it's over culturally ('we're done with Vietnam now'), musing whether it can ever come back the way WWII stories do since audiences still crave the Band of Brothers experience.
Van Lathan▶ 1:52:51Floated the Endgame era as Downey's alternative peak ('because he's the biggest star') but conceded this is probably it; ruled Jay Baruchel's real apex is How to Train Your Dragon ('that dude's caking'), not Tropic Thunder.

Sequel/Prequel/Limited Series/Remake

Bill Simmons▶ 1:58:14Scorcher Seven (sequel to Scorcher) - jokes it's 'untouchable' like plutonium, and after the director wins his Oscar for global meltdown, they'd do Scorcher Seven like Interstellar, going to another planet
Van Lathan▶ 1:58:29Suggests Scorcher Seven should have them 'go to another planet'

Is This Movie Better With

Bill Simmons▶ 1:59:15Wanted Jodie Foster's character from Nell in this movie, referencing a Simple Jack-esque Oscar-bait role
Chris Ryan▶ 1:58:54Played the 'weight Grossman' phone call bit (Ben Stiller's agent rant) as his pick/impression rather than naming a new utility player

Coach Finstock Life Lesson

Bill Simmons▶ 2:05:33References 'porn sets the tone for everybody' but full context unclear from transcript

Who Won the Movie

Bill Simmons▶ 2:06:07Robert Downey Jr. (Downey)
Chris Ryan▶ 2:07:52Agrees Downey Jr. is great but pivots to praising Tom Cruise's performance/creative input as Les Grossman

Movies Referenced (85)

This Is the End (2013)

7 mentions · Van Lathan, Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 9:36IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Iron Man (2008)

6 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Van Lathan▶ 7:18IMDb ↗Lb ↗

There's Something About Mary (1998)

6 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 4:06IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Interstellar (2014)

5 mentions · Van Lathan, Chris Ryan▶ 24:46IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Platoon (1986)

5 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons▶ 11:13IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Fight Club (1999)

4 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons, Van Lathan▶ 1:38:17IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Zoolander (2001)

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Van Lathan▶ 1:03:37IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Apocalypse Now (1979)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 11:13IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ghostbusters (1984)

3 mentions · Van Lathan, Chris Ryan▶ 12:40IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Greenland (2020)

3 mentions · Van Lathan▶ 35:00IMDb ↗Lb ↗

How to Train Your Dragon (2010)

3 mentions · Van Lathan▶ 1:52:51IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Neighbors (2014)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 9:39IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Directors Referenced (8)

Sean Penn

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Van Lathan · Known for Mystic River, 21 Grams, Dead Man Walking▶ 19:57IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ben Affleck

1 mentions · Van Lathan · Known for Argo, Gone Girl, The Town▶ 22:48IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Kosta Jokic

1 mentions · Van Lathan · Known for Fair Play▶ 25:39IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Logan Thoreau

1 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for Trainwreck▶ 38:58IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Peter Bogdanovich

1 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for The Last Picture Show, Paper Moon▶ 39:08IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Quentin Tarantino

1 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, From Dusk Till Dawn▶ 1:08:21IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Vic Tayback

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, All Dogs Go to Heaven▶ 40:27IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Werner Herzog

1 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for Fitzcarraldo, Jack Reacher▶ 39:04IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Actors Referenced (70)

Tom Cruise

22 mentions · Bill Simmons, Van Lathan, Chris Ryan · Known for Top Gun, Mission: Impossible II, Minority Report▶ 6:57IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jack Black

15 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Van Lathan · Known for High Fidelity, School of Rock, Nacho Libre▶ 6:57IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ben Stiller

13 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Van Lathan · Known for Tropic Thunder, Zoolander, Zoolander 2▶ 6:57IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Bill Hader

9 mentions · Bill Simmons, Van Lathan · Known for The Skeleton Twins, Inside Out, It: Chapter Two▶ 13:06IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Robert Downey Jr.

9 mentions · Bill Simmons, Van Lathan, Chris Ryan · Known for Iron Man, Iron Man 3, Avengers: Endgame▶ 7:15IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Nick Nolte

6 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for Warrior▶ 30:16IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Colin Farrell

5 mentions · Chris Ryan, Van Lathan · Known for The Lobster, In Bruges, S.W.A.T.▶ 38:09IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Lance Bass

5 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Zoolander▶ 46:28IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Larry David

5 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons▶ 15:09IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Rick Baker

5 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Planet of the Apes, Men in Black▶ 1:48:50IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Danny McBride

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for Pineapple Express, Your Highness, Tropic Thunder▶ 40:32IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Flo Rida

4 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Tropic Thunder, Furious 7, Deadpool▶ 1:09:58IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Writers Referenced (5)

Etan Cohen

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Idiocracy▶ 58:21IMDb ↗Lb ↗

James Toback

1 mentions · Van Lathan · Known for The Gambler▶ 32:06IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Richard Nixon

1 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 36:45IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Richard Stanley

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Color Out of Space, The Island of Dr. Moreau▶ 38:44IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Roger Ebert

1 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 1:03:33IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Cinematographers Referenced (1)

Michael Grantland

2 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Taking of Pelham 123, The Other Guys▶ 39:27IMDb ↗Lb ↗