Tropic Thunder is a movie.
Justin Theroux . He is also known as a screenwriter for films such as Tropic Thunder , Iron Man 2 , Rock of Ages , and Zoolander 2 . Tropic Thunder is a 2008 satirical action comedy film co-written , produced , and directed by Ben Stiller . The film received generally positive reviews , with critics praising the film 's characters , story , faux trailers , and the performances of Stiller , Downey , and Tom Cruise , though the depiction of the mentally handicapped proved controversial . Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks released the film in the US on August 13 , 2008 .