The summer movie season has been especially kind to comedy fans over the last few years by giving us such treats as “The 40 Year Old Virgin,” “Knocked Up” and “Anchorman” among others. Movie studios know that comedies can bring in the bucks like a movie with a lot of explosions and with “Tropic Thunder,” audiences get both. This is a brilliant comedy from writer/director/star Ben Stiller that starts off with some hilarious spoof trailers and commercials and keeps the audience laughing until the credits start rolling. And even the credits have some funny stuff, too, so be sure to stick around.

The plot is about three very self-absorbed actors making a Vietnam War movie on location. Stiller plays Tugg Speedman, an action movie star looking to branch out into more serious work, while Jack Black plays Jeff Portnoy, a comedian known for movies where he plays multiple characters dealing with flatulence issues. They are joined by five time Oscar winner, Kirk Lazarus (Robert Downey Jr.), who has taken the role of the African-American sergeant and has undergone a pigment transplant to play the role with authenticity. Lazarus never steps out of his role as Osiris, much to the chagrin of his cast members. The movie they are making eventually moves off set and the stars end up getting involved in some serious action, but “Tropic Thunder” stays funny the whole time.

A lot is being made of Downey Jr.’s performance and people who haven’t seen the film wonder if playing a role in what can be described as black face is appropriate. I can say that Downey Jr. is terrific and maybe even too understated. The role is definitely not racist and Stiller’s script keeps the character from going for nasty or mean-spirited jokes. Now the controversy seems to be focusing on the storyline behind Speedman’s last film, “Simple Jack,” a role Speedman took because actors who play mentally disabled people tend to win Oscars. I don’t think people should take too much in “Tropic Thunder” very seriously, they should just sit back and enjoy the very funny ride.

Nearly everything is right in “Tropic Thunder,” from a cast that also features Steve Coogan, Danny McBride, Nick Nolte, Bill Hader, Tom Cruise and Matthew McConaughey, to a script that lets its satirical and freak flags fly. Stiller keeps the pacing good and the explosions and actions fit the story well. The big three in this movie are fantastic, particularly Black who is terrific as a star starting to detox in the jungle. Brandon T. Jackson and Jay Baruchel play the other men in the unit featured in the film and get some good lines in as they play straight men to the stars of the film.

I’ve always been a big fan of Ben Stiller and “Tropic Thunder” seems to be a culmination of playing to his strengths. For instance, “The Ben Stiller Show” was filled with brilliant spoofs and satire and “Zoolander” wasn’t afraid of spinning its story into weird places. “Tropic Thunder aims to skewer Hollywood and ego-centric actors and also goes off on a very strange and funny tangent. It is by far my favorite comedy of the year and may eventually usurp “There’s Something About Mary,” as my favorite film starring Ben Stiller.

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