Tropic Thunder: The Development of Kirk Lazarus
David West — Wed, 01/20/2010 - 23:35
"Tropic Thunder" was a satirical film produced in 2008 that featured many famous actors and portrayed the story of a group of prima donnas and their attempts to shoot a blockbuster film about the Vietnam War. Arguably the most famous and arrogant of the group of actors portrayed in "Tropic Thunder" was Kirk Lazarus. Robert Downey Jr.'s character was an award-winning actor known for his ability to "become" the characters he was chosen to portray. Following is a musical exploration of the development of Kirk Lazarus throughout the film.
We are first introduced to Kirk Lazarus in a fake movie preview for "Satan's Alley" at the beginning of "Tropic Thunder." The preview established that Lazarus was an award winning actor and that he showed a lot of emotion. It was an effective introduction to Robert Downey Jr.'s character.
1) Another One Bites the Dust – Queen
Then we are launched head first into Vietnam. The audience is met with brash exclamations of "C'mon you damn dirty heathens!" and "Want some, get some!" as we first meet Sergeant Lincoln Osiris. Lazarus' character spends the majority of the scene yelling and ordering the other characters around. As Osiris runs to rescue the other main protagonist, Tugg Speedman (Ben Stiller), he yells, "Cover me, you limpd*** f***ups!" As I watched Kirk Lazarus shooting his gun and yelling, "Peek-a-boo, I see you," the song that immediately came to mind was Queen's Another One Bites the Dust.
“Out of the doorway the bullets rip
To the sound of the beat, Yeah
Another one bites the dust
Another one bites the dust
And another one gone
And another one gone
Another one bites the dust
Hey, I'm gonna get you too
Another one bites the dust”
2) Hold My Hand - Hootie and the Blowfish
Next, we see Lazarus and Speedman together in what is supposed to be an emotional scene. Lazarus, in his typical overacting style, breaks down crying, and Ben Stiller's character can't finish his lines. One line that emphasizes the atmosphere of the scene was Lazarus saying, "The scene is about emotionality! Where is it?" While the Hootie and the Blowfish song I chose is not action oriented, it is about emotion, and the title of the song fits perfectly with the scene because Lazarus holds Speedman's "hands" for a majority of the time. I think that the laid back melody of the song contributes to this feeling of "emotionality." Listening to the song and watching the movie makes you want to hold someone's hand!
3) Are You Gonna Go My Way - Lenny Kravitz
Early in the movie, conflict between Downey Jr. and Stillers' characters is noticeable. After the actors are flown deep into the jungle and the director is killed after stepping on a landmine, Lazarus immediately begins to question Speedman's enthusiasm to continue shooting the film. I feel the following lyrics show the feelings Downey Jr.'s character has toward continuing to film the movie. He is worried for the other characters and for himself. Lazarus wants to try to convince the other characters that they should head back to the helicopter instead of following Speedman's lead.
...
So tell me why, we got to die?
And kill each other one by one”
and of course the chorus is most applicable in this situation:
But what I really want to know is…
Are you gonna go my way?
What I got to got to know is.
We are also introduced to the apparent identity crisis of Kirk Lazarus when Speedman questions him about his overacting. After arguing about the movie, Speedman asks Lazarus why he refuses to drop character. The following dialogue shows Lazarus cannot explain why he acts the way he does.
Speedman: “Then why are you still in character”
Lazarus: “I know, but I don’t have to tell you”
Speedman: “You don’t know”
Lazarus: “Man, I don’t drop character till I done a DVD commentary”
4) (I'm a) Problem Child - AC/DC
The movie becomes to approach a climax as the actors progress into the jungle. Speedman and Lazarus begin arguing more and more about the map. This comes to a head as they get to the banks of a river in the middle of the jungle. Lazarus' exclamation, “’Cause we’re tired of being your trail donkeys! Acting like you some one-man GPS! God damn it! We lost! We f***ing super lost, man!” caps his arguments with Speedman and convinces the rest of the group to follow his lead.
The open willingness Lazarus had to abandon the movie and the frequent arguments with Speedman that caused derision with the group made me think of "Problem Child" by AC/DC. Lazarus acts like a "problem child" until he gets to the banks of the river and then gets the rest of the actors to go with him and abandon Speedman in the jungle.
“I'm hot
And when I'm not
I'm cold as ice
Get out of my way
Just step aside
Or pay the price
and the chorus:
I'm a problem child
I'm a problem child, yes I am
I'm a problem child
And I'm wild”
I think that the Angus Young's piercing guitar solo represents the movie moving toward the climax and the tension between Speedman and Lazarus coming to a head.
5) Be Yourself - Audioslave
The next major scene portrays a new conflict between Lazarus and Chino because Chino doesn't think Lazarus, an Australian, should be portraying an African American with a leading role. The verbal jousting between the two not only riles Lazarus up, but also causes him to further question his role and his identity.
While the lyrics do not fit completely with the situation, the title of the track and chorus explain the internal conflict Lazarus faces. There is a line in the song about feeling pain from hiding yourself within. This is revisited later in the movie.
And to be yourself is all that you can do
To be yourself is all that you can do
6) Shakin' All Over - Johnny Kidd & the Pirates
The next time we encounter the actors together is when they are sitting around a fire that they set up above the heroin camp at which Speedman is being held hostage. Lazarus begins to question his decision to abandon the movie and describes how nervous he is before getting serious and deciding that rescuing Speedman is necessary. His flip-flopping, nervousness, and discussion with Chino later show that Lazarus is continuing to question himself. The song I chose for this scene represents the nervousness and uncertainty Lazarus experesses.
Quivers down my backbone,
I got the shakes in my knee bone.
The tremors in the thigh bone,
I’m shakin’ all over!
Unfortunately, since it is an older song (1965), I could not find complete lyrics. However, I believe the light-hearted melody of the song and the multiple meanings behind the lyrics represent the scenes and the interactions between the characters well.
7) Wu Tang Clan Ain't Nuthin' to F*** With - Wu Tang Clan
Once the actors decide to rescue Speedman, they have to figure out a way to get into the camp. Lazarus dresses up as a farmer, goes to the heroin camp, and begins talking to the leader. When the camp leader figures out Lazarus is an actor and not Vietnamese, Downey Jr.'s character pulls out two machine guns and shouts, "Here's my mother****ing farm! I'm a lead farmer mother****er!"
This made me think of a song by the Wu Tang Clan. Wu Tang is known for their extreme lyrics and hardcore style. This is reflected in the behavior of Lazarus at the camp.
“Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuttin Ta F*** Wit
Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuttin Ta F*** Wit
Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuttin Ta F*** Wit
There’s no place to hide once I step inside the room
Dr. Doom, prepare for the boom
BAM! Aw, MAN! I SLAM!
JAM!, now scream like Tarzan”
Sorry about the poor sound quality in advance and please be aware of the profanity (there is a lot of it) …
8) It's Not Easy to Be Me - Five for Fighting
The rendezvous between Speedman and Lazarus is one of the most important scenes in "Tropic Thunder." A key dialogue and monologue occur that discuss the identity of Kirk Lazarus.
Speedman: Tugg who? I don't know. Who are you?
Lazarus: Me? I know who I am. I'm a dude playing a dude disguised as another dude. You a dude that don't know what dude he is!
Speedman: Or are you a dude who has no idea what dude he is and claims to know what dude he is... by playing other dudes.
Lazarus: I know what dude I am!
Speedman: You're scared.
Lazarus: I ain't scared. Scared of what?
Speedman: Or scared of who?
Lazarus: Scared of who!
Speedman: Scared of you!
This dialogue between Speedman and Lazarus really emphasizes the idea of an identity crisis. It leads to Lazarus having a breakdown and dropping character for the first time in his career:
He's right, you know? I'm NOT Sergeant Lincoln Osiris...
... nor am I Father O'Mallie...
... or Neil Armstrong...
I... I think I might be nobody.
To this end, the Five for Fighting song I chose seems to match the mood of the scene and also represents the identity crisis Lazarus seems to face. I think that the piano and the quiet, gloomy lyrics match the depressed, resentful feelings Lazarus and Speedman experience during the scene. The lyrics discuss figuring out who you are and evaluating yourself by looking inside. This song discusses the pain caused by internal conflict that become more evident in the scene with Chino. This internal conflict is found throughout the movie in the interaction between Lazarus and the other actors.
I can’t stand to fly
I’m not that naïve
I’m just out to find
The better part of me
9) Fly Away - Lenny Kravitz
In the end, Lazarus begins to understand and embrace his own identity instead of that of the characters that he attempts to portray. As the group escapes from the camp and the movie concludes, Lazarus seems to be at peace with who he is. The song represents both the literal departure of the helicopter and the actors from Vietnam and the Lazarus' realization of who he really is.
Other songs considered but not included:
Welcome to the Jungle – Guns N’Roses
Fortunate Son – CCR
Cold – Crossfade
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Fantastic treatment of a
rwalden — Fri, 05/07/2010 - 12:51Fantastic treatment of a hilarious film. I loved this movie, and the soundtracks you incorporated were quite appropriate. I think if you put a wee more detail in how the songs relate to the scenes, you will be perfect.
I really enjoyed the
whitneynagel — Thu, 05/06/2010 - 16:44I really enjoyed the perspective you took with this project with a character as opposed to a story development. Tropic Thunder is such a funny movie and I think the music selections you chose added more to the humorous aspect of both this movie and the ridiculousness of Robert Downey Jr.'s character. I especially love the Wu Tang Clan selection...I can picture that situtation occurring in my head and it is hilarious when set to that music.
First off, I really not only
redens — Thu, 05/06/2010 - 01:00First off, I really not only liked this movie, but I also enjoyed your musical choices for the soundtrack. The "Hold My Hand" choice was very ironic and I definitely enjoyed that. I thought that scene was hilarious. The Wu Tang choice adds additional comic material and I feel that it actually works. Expanding a little bit of the analysis could lengthen the soundtrack, but overallI feel that it is done very well and has a certain, comical flow. Good inclusion of lyrics.
Good job
Jenny Qin — Tue, 03/23/2010 - 18:04Overall, I really enjoyed your song selections. The Queen opener was very befitting the general chaotic environment the characters are thrown in. It also reflects their oblivious arrogance well too. The Audioslave piece was a nice, slower interlude between the faster song choices. The Wu Tang Clan song matched with the humorous scene it was meant to describe. That scene was really funny because of the swagger each character had when approaching the situation and the song represented that well.
However, I would have liked to see less direct quotation from the movie and more of your personal analysis of the music.
Nice
kmccayunc — Mon, 02/08/2010 - 16:41This film was one of my favorite comedies. I really like your music selection and think it flows quite well with the plot. I'm interested to know why you chose Kirk Lazarus rather than Robert Downey Jr.'s character. I thought he was much funnier and had more value to the movie than Lazarus. However, great job.
Great subject for a
Dan Anderson — Mon, 02/01/2010 - 23:12Great subject for a soundtrack. The layout has a nice flow--there was a glitch with the repetition of the youtube players. If you add some analysis of the sounds of the songs, it will help you explain the choices in more detail--e.g., hold my hand. Be careful as you work through what happens in the film that it doesn't drift to the plot too much. Focus on what makes Lazarus tick, the themes, etc.