The Best Thing Mission: Impossible 2 Gave Us Was Ben Stiller As Tom Cruise's Stunt Double
A champion of the theatrical experience and one of the most daring stunt performers of all time, Tom Cruise is a movie star from another stratosphere. Before some of his sillier roles in films like "Tropic Thunder" and "Rock of Ages," Cruise was mainly known for his intense drama and action movies. He rarely poked fun at himself or his reputation. That's why his "Mission Impossible 2" sketch with Ben Stiller from the 2003 MTV Movie Awards is such a gem.
In "Mission: Improbable," Ben Stiller plays Tom Crooze, a devoted but dim-witted stuntman who follows Tom Cruise around like a lost puppy. He believes they are BFFs and tries to emulate him in every single way — from his floppy hair, sleek sunglasses, and aggressive nodding. The juxtaposition between Crooze's obsessive dedication and Tom Cruise's apathetic acceptance of him is what makes this short so hilarious. Crooze takes his job super seriously, wanting to "become one with Tom" by overanalyzing every move he makes or anticipating everything he's going to say. Crooze never lets himself contradict Cruise, often changing what he says to agree with him.
We also learn that Crooze was even Tom Cruise's stunt double for non-action scenes, like the sales pitch in "Magnolia," the famous "Risky Business" dance, or mixing the drinks in "Cocktail." It's funny because it's so ridiculous; Cruise is famous for doing his own stunts and they get riskier as the years go on. In the upcoming "Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning – Part One," he literally drives his bike off a cliff. The parody culminates in the best way when Stiller perfectly matches Cruise's trademark laugh — boisterous and energetic, maybe a bit too much — and finishes his sentences. Ben Stiller's overall impression of Tom Cruise is eerily on point.
The blueprint for Tropic Thunder
According to MTV Movie Awards producer Joel Gallen, this entertaining sketch almost never happened due to scheduling conflicts. Ben Stiller was on his honeymoon with Christine Taylor during the only time Tom Cruise was available. However, Cruise refused to do the short film with anyone else. After a pleading email from Joel Gallen, Ben Stiller agreed to cut his honeymoon short, boarded a 15-hour flight, and returned to shoot what would become one of the funniest MTV Movie Award skits ever.
Looking back at it now, "Mission: Improbable" feels like the blueprint for Ben Stiller's Hollywood satire "Tropic Thunder," released five years later. Both mock self-important performers who take their craft too seriously. Stiller plays Tugg Speedman, a dumbed-down, Tom Cruise-esque action star looking for a comeback as a serious actor in his own version of "Born on the Fourth of July," a Vietnam War drama based on a bestselling memoir. As Speedman, Stiller brings the same over-the-top cluelessness and macho posturing as he did playing Tom Crooze.
The real Tom Cruise was actually up for the role of Tugg Speedman. While it would have been really interesting to see Tom Cruise parody himself, his unexpected turn as Les Grossman is even better. Cruise completely transforms himself into a sleazy, bald Hollywood producer who dances to Flo Rida's "Low" and is willing to let Speedman die for a huge insurance payout. We rarely, if ever, see Cruise in such a repulsive role. According to an oral history of the character, Tom Cruise came up with Grossman himself. "Mission: Improbable" laid the groundwork for Tom Cruise and Ben Stiller as a dynamic comedy duo.