Why so much hype?

not as good as all the hype

A different way of telling a story

The movie runs out of plot and jokes well before the end of a two-hour running time, long for a light comedy.

Do yourself a favor and skip this one. Whole movie is sadly unfunny. Story line is empty. Paid commercials, videos and reviews made me watch it and I regret it. Don't make same mistake as I did. Planet Earth and mankind did not deserve this. In whole movie you can see just three funny scenes. It shouldn't be labeled as comedy movie.

In my opinion this movie was absolutely awful even if you exclude the low budget and how fake they made it. My great great Grandpa was in the army I bet he's turning over in his grave. This is the worst comedy I watched. Can't believe Jack Black and Robert Downy Jr. were in this they've done so much better. No surprise Ben Stiller and Danny McBride were in it. This is the third worst insulting comedy I've ever seen. I wish movies like this weren't allowed on IMDb I love comedy movies with a passion just not these bad portraying comedy's. I respect other peoples opinions. I just hope they never make a sequel. Third time I've ever been this disappointed in a comedy. Jack Black and Robert Downy Jr are two of the great actors they could and have done better.

I must have seen this movie at least 10 times and I can tell you it is a great movie. Gets better every time. It's smart, hilarious and awesome. It's well directed, very well acted (especially RDJ) and it has been my favorite movie for a long time. All the characters are funny. The premise is great and it's just so funny. Seriously, this film is comedic gold. The fake trailers at the beginning is genius, and there are also hilarious references to old war movies. This film is a satire that mocks Hollywood in a really smart and funny way. Brandon T Jackson is great, Jack Black is great, of course, Ben Stiller is great and Robert Downey Jr is just flat out hilarious. Tom Cruise is probably the funniest one after RDJ, with a role he plays perfectly. I'm a huge Ben Stiller fan and I'm glad he made this wonderful film.

I don't include plot synopses in my reviews as one can find that information elsewhere. Instead, I concentrate on the all around artistic merits of a film, and the quality of its production.  This was a movie I had to make two passes at.  Normally not a huge fan of silly comedy and instead choosing a more cerebral examples of the genre, I started this movie once in 2008 only to put it down for 8 years until I recently pulled it back off the shelf. While I'm not as frothy in my enamor of this movie as many - and certainly not the buddy with whom I finally watched it on its entirety - I will say that I'm glad I stuck with it this time. And I may not have again has I not had an insistent watching partner. It was obvious quickly both the reason why Robert Downey, Jr received a nod for an Oscar nomination and why he was uncomfortable playing his part in the 21st Century version of blackface. But he pulled it off without, I think, being offensive by poking fun at the type of actor who goes to ridiculous lengths to reach the depths of a particular character. Cruise was brilliant, and I'm nobody who usually gushes about Cruise, though when he is "on" I find him terribly difficult to ignore. Stiller is typical Stiller. One always knows what one will get from Stiller, who directed as well. Jack Black was uncharacteristically under- the-top while still playing his guy large. The rest of the cast is rounded out by reliables like Bill Hader, Jay Baruchel and Brandon T. Jackson (hysterically as rapper "Alpa Chino".) What struck me over an above the sight gags was the budget they dedicated to the project. Nothing was done inexpensively, a sign of respect for the body of work Stiller is beginning to amass. Not only that but at a 1:47 runtime for the theatrical version and another 16 minutes for Stiller' cut, it's long for a film of its ilk. Look for: a hysterically funny scene in which Stiller has a run in with a Panda, the interaction between Jackson and Downey, Jr., and again, Tom Cruise' priceless parody of film producers...absolutely brilliant. In particular look for the subtle yet unmistakable over sized prosthetic arms on Cruise, as well as the redistribution of his hair from his head to his arms and chest. Again, small things making huge differences.  I'll say I thought it a bit long for my taste - a little slapstick goes a long way for me. But other than that it was hard to complain here.