There's laughs to be had in Ben Stiller's new vietnam-film-gone-awry comedy, and some of them genuinely hilarious, but I don't see the summer's final comedic offering earning a spot among previous laugh legends like Anchorman or Dumb and Dumber.  The star-studded cast and endless supply of cameos definitely makes the film worth seeing, but I'd wait till this one reaches the bargain bin before purchasing the inevitable "unrated" DVD.

The shining points of this modern Three Amigos story come from the excellent work by the film's leading stars as they play three misfit actors attempting to make a Vietnam war epic based on the absurd faux war story of a grizzled 'Nam vet (Nick Nolte).   By far one of the best parts of the film is the introduction of the three characters (Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr) in spoof trailers for each star's previous movie. Stiller's character plays an action hero in the sixth installment of a tired effects-driven franchise.  Black's character pokes obvious fun at Eddie Murphy in a trailer for Nutty Professor-esque fat suit movie. Rounding out the trio, Downey Jr plays an oscar winning actor from down under in a trailer for a gay 15th century monk drama along side a certain web-slinging star in an obvious chide at the indie film market and recent oscar hopeful Brokeback Mountain.

While much ado is made about Robert Downey Jr's performance as an Ozzie turned Black soldier (and well earned), Stiller and Black also manage to elicit many hearty laughs with their tried and true comedic personas.  On a personal note, I was also glad to see Danny McBride (of this summer's indie comedy The Foot Fist Way) continuing to develop is comedic chops as the Nam film's redneck pyro expert.

Offensive? Yes. Funny? Incredibly.This is where my review is going to branch from every other review.  It seems like everyone universally agrees that Tom Cruise's ridiculous performance as the hairy producer Less Grossman is one of the greatest performances of the movie.  And while I agree that he does elicit the occasional laugh ("...playa...") I felt for the most part his character fell completely flat.  The audience in the theater seemed to eat up most of movie,  but when the movie ended on what was supposed to be (I can only assume) a scene meant to have audiences laughing on the way out, it produced only bemused muttering as we picked up our empty popcorn tubs and left.

While I recommend seeing this movie if you haven't already, you will be groaning as much as you laugh.  The level of gore, while meant to be comedic, might also give you pause if you don't have a hearty stomach.  And ironically, I think the film could have been far better had it listened to its own advice: "Nobody goes full retard."