Make ‘em laugh: “Tropic Thunder” aims for funny bones, gag reflexes 

Now that “Tropic Thunder” has opened in theaters, questions about the goofy war movie spoof are flying like fur.

Is “Tropic Thunder” a clever satire of Hollywood types? An offensive slur on African Americans and people with developmental disabilities?

Most importantly, will “Tropic Thunder” wallop “The Dark Knight” at the box office?

“Tropic Thunder” is the latest in a long line of boundary-pushing comedies — most of which rake in huge returns. They’re rude, crude and frequently raw.

So why are gross-out gurus like the Farrelly Brothers, Judd Apatow, Kevin Smith and “South Park” creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone so successful?

Without further ado, I bring you “The Six Habits of Highly Disgusting People.”

UNLEASH YOUR INNER 8-YEAR-OLD

Locked inside each and everyone of us is a second-grader who still giggles at poop jokes. While some filmmakers rely on clever wordplay and plot twists to get their point across, these guys gleefully plumb the gutters for gags about diarrhea and dogs biting people in the crotch. And guess what? It’s still funny.

BE A POTTY MOUTH

Like it or not, swear words get our attention. That’s why you’ll see F-bombs and detailed descriptions of various sex acts floating through many an obscene comedy. Extra points if you get a little old lady, a minority character with a funny accent, or beloved game show host Bob Barker to utter your filth.

GET ‘EM TALKING

It took moviegoers and news anchors buzzing about Cameron Diaz’s hair gel faux pas to make “There’s Something About Mary” the sleeper hit of 1998. The same goes for Ben Stiller’s cat-milking scene in “Meet the Parents.”

MIX SASS WITH SWEETNESS

Look past the porn jokes, perversity and painful nerdiness of “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” and you’ll find a man searching for romance in a harsh world. Apatow in particular excels at mixing bro humor with touching themes of love and male friendship.

WHEN IN DOUBT, SING

As the “South Park” guys know, there’s something endearing about characters launching into song: whether it’s a cheerful tune about trapping animals (”Cannibal! The Musical”) or “Everybody’s Got AIDS” (”Team America: World Police”).

CONTROVERSY, CONTROVERSY, CONTROVERSY

Few things heat up a theatrical run like boycotts and angry protesters.

You could cast Alanis Morissette as God (”Dogma”) or give moviegoers an unsolicited look at Satan’s love affair with Saddam Hussein (”South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut”).

Or you can go the “Tropic Thunder” route and load up on jokes about self-centered actors willing to break every social taboo to bring home Oscar gold. Works (nearly) every time.

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I’m inventing a new phrase, friends and neighbors. It’s called “trailer betrayal.”

Trailer betrayal is the sad state of affairs that occurs when a movie trailer promises things the film itself cannot possibly deliver. Hilarious gags. Fantastic action sequences. Thrilling climaxes.

When you watch the movie, however,  the dialogue falls flat, the plot limps by, and the fight scenes are cheesy, boring and overdrawn. Rest assured, moviegoers. All the best jokes are in that two-and-a-half-minute reel.

The trailer for “Pineapple Express,” the latest from super-producer Judd Apatow, falls into the same group. If you believe the hype, Seth Rogan and James Franco are the funniest stoner duo since Cheech and Chong and “Pineapple Express” is a comedic masterpiece — a  slick, smart laughfest  undercut with memorable lines and great tunes.

The movie looks good. Almost too good. And there’s a reason for that.

In reality, “Pineapple Express” is an confused mishmash of stoner comedy and action thriller. Torn between oddball humor, high times  and violent he-man posturing, it never quite gets off the ground.

Stoner comedies, such as “Half Baked” and “Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle,” succeed when they’re silly. Really silly.

Some of the best scenes in “Pineapple Express” rely on that time-honored formula and shine. Not suprisingly, Rogan and Franco (reunited for the first time since “Freaks and Geeks”) have an easy chemistry as a pot-smoking process server and his equally clueless dealer.

Between frequent tokes, they go on weed-fueled flights of fancy, suffer from pot-flavored paranoia and occasionally remember they’re on the run from murderous gangsters. Watching the duo freaking out in the forest or engaged in a brutal fight with a pudgy suburban drug dealer (Danny McBride) are almost worth the price of admission.

Other scenes feel straight out of a ’70s blaxploitation movie, or an ’80s action flick. (If drug czar Gary Cole and bad cop Rosie Perez were in those movies, in fact, they’d be bumping tonsils for a full five minutes instead of trading a couple of saucy lines.)

There are memorable lines, laugh-out-loud sight gags and  lots of bro love — enough to make some of my fellow moviegoers squirm in their seats. But any time “Pineapple Express” really gets rocking, an errant twist or needless subplot mars the flow.

The movie also fails to utilize some of its strongest talent. One glimpse at Bill Hader’s stoned Army private or thugs Kevin Corrigan and Craig Robinson (Darryl from “The Office”) and it’s clear that they deserve more screen time.

It could be that “Pineapple Express” is brilliant, and I’m too sober to see it.

But with a confusing plot, uneven humor and some uncomfortably vicious scenes, chances are Rogan and co-writer Evan Goldberg are simply one toke over the line.

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Would you trust these men? If you believe “Step Brothers,” you shouldn’t

Another week, another batch of audio clips courtesy of McClatchy Interactive:

“Mad Men,” AMC’s show about hard-edged men and women during advertising’s Golden Age, has garnered an astounding 16 Emmy Award nominations, and no wonder. It’s smart, original and — most importantly — a smoky, boozy, sexy portrait of the era.

Star Elisabeth Moss talks about her newfound connection to the ’60s.

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Meanwhile, the documentary “Man on Wire” takes a fresh look at tightrope walker Philippe Petit’s high-stakes stroll between the World Trade Center towers in 1974. As Petit shares here, it was a terrifying, but thrilling experience.

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“Step Brothers,” the new movie starring Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly, is daring in a different way.

The movie follows two grown men who become stepbrothers when their single parents marry. As you might guess from a film directed by Adam McKay and produced by Judd Apatow, their relationship is a mix of boyish exuberance and violent, foul-mouthed antagonism.

Check out this scene from “Step Brothers.” You’ll hear the voices of Ferrell, Reilly, Richard Jenkins and Mary Steenburgen.

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