Studios Bet Big on R-Rated Comedies

No targets are safe in Ben Stiller's gross-out war comedy

(NEWSER) - The action comedy Tropic Thunder, a send-up of Vietnam War movies, crosses some lines—intentionally. In fact, Peter Hartlaub writes in the San Francisco Chronicle, "if you're not offended by at least one aspect of this film, then you're probably not getting out enough." But it has a secret weapon, he writes: It's "laugh-until-your-stomach-hurts hilarious." More»

(NEWSER) - Hollywood spoof Tropic Thunder bombarded the box office this weekend by banking $26 million in top spot, Variety reports. Batman flick The Dark Knight fell to second but raked in $16.8 million and became the second-highest grossing domestic pic ever. Filling out the top five were Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Mirrors, and Pineapple Express, Bloomberg reports. Woody Allen's Vicky Cristinia Barcelona debuted on 692 screens and came in tenth. More»

Tropic Thunder media mogul to star in comedy

(NEWSER) - Foul-mouthed movie producer Les Grossman—fresh from a show-stealing performance at the MTV Movie Awards —is getting a movie deal of his own. Paramount and MTV Films have announced plans to develop a film that will star the obnoxious Tropic Thunder character, played by Tom Cruise. Cruise and his Tropic Thunder co-star Ben Stiller will be among the producers, CNN reports. Cruise and Stiller have obtained the lifetime rights to the Grossman character. More»

The House Bunny hops to second place

(NEWSER) - Tropic Thunder banked $16.1 million to become the third flick this summer to win two straight weekend box office crowns, Variety reports. Sorority laffer The House Bunny earned $15.1 million to debut in second, followed by Universal’s remake of Death Race ($12.3 million), The Dark Knight ($10.3 million), and the animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars ($5.6 million). More»

'Retard' a painful word for mother of daughter with Downs

(NEWSER) - Patricia E. Bauer suffers every time her Downs syndrome daughter hears the word "retard." When Bauer saw ads for Tropic Thunder, which jokes about retardation, they echoed every insult that her blond, blue-eyed daughter had endured for 24 years. After weeks of debate, Bauer remains stunned by ads that feature "the word ‘retard’ without a thought to the consequences," she writes in the Washington Post More»