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Tropic wonder
Today, my theme will be race – and there’ll not even be mention of You-Know-Whobama. The first is news of the new action-film parody Tropic Thunder, a Ben-Stiller-Jack Black-Robert-Downey-Jr. send-up of Vietnam war movies. Think Zoolander meets Platoon, except with a twist: the characters are playing actors who are making a Vietnam war film. The comic potential is as rich and lush as the jungles of Southeast Asia. But reviews have popped up here and yon with invective for the film, mainly focused on its use of blackface. Downey’s character is an Australian actor, and once he learns that his part in the film was originally intended for a black actor, the Downey character decides he’s good enough to play a black man and dons blackface for the film.
Here’s one journalist’s quick video review of blackface in American film, and he doesn’t like it. My initial reaction is also not to like it – the whole stumbling block thing that St. Paul talks about – but after watching the video, I became ambivalent. Tell me what you think. Is blackface okay in a parody like Tropic Thunder?
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Blackface? That’s nothing compared to the outrage over the film’s portrayal of retarded people.
What I don’t understand is why all the outrage over this film when there wasn’t a peep being said when There’s Something About Mary was released. I find it hard to believe Tropic Thunder can go lower than Mary
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To answer your question: no. I see no problem with blackface if done properly. Just like I have no problem when Eddie Murphy or Dave Chappelle do whiteface.
I’m sure Nick will have something to say…
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I wasn’t able to watch the video, but I have seen a couple interviews with Robert Downey Jr.
According to him, the point of it is that his character is an arrogant actor who actually thinks he can accurately portray “the black experience”.
So, from that perspective, I guess it’s not a bad thing. It’s not making fun of blacks, it’s making fun of arrogant actors.
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“dons Blackface”? It’s not even close to being the same thing. That video was a pretentious piece of PC garbage. It’s disappointing that HSK would fall for it. Why is it that intention is the first thing to go out the window when people want to be offended? Suddenly the letter of their “moral” law becomes far more important than mens rea/intention/spirit. It’s beyonod ridiculous.
“the whole stumbling block thing that St. Paul talks about”
What does THAT mean? Where’s the “stumbling block?”
I also think that the objection to the use of the word “retard” is a product of oversensitive ninnies who have nothing better to do that find something to be offended at.
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I get the feeling most folks on this board have little idea of what the movie is about, much less the controversy, which is likely why HSK is raising the point.
Tropic Thunder is simply satirizing Hollywood. Ben Stiller has a long history of satire, and this movie is satirizing Hollywood actors who think the world revolves around them. Ben Stiller himself is playing a Tom Cruise-type character who does action movies, and struck out playing a mentally-challenged/”retard” guy in the film “Simple Jack” (a la Dustin Hoffman in “Rainman”). All the rights groups are going crazy about this, and are giving this movie tons of PR it wouldn’t otherwise be getting. I think they’re doing this with much ignorance of what’s going on.
The film is making fun of Ben Stiller’s Tugg character, for being supremely shallow.
Downey’s character serves as an object of satire throughout the film, with the film’s actual black character next to him mocking him for much of the performance.
Ironically, nobody has picked up yet on Black’s character, an Eddie Murphy-type who is reputed to go through drugs and withdrawal stuff in the movie…a riff on Downey Jr.’s real-life experience.
Many folks are going crazy over this movie–great publicity for them, comparable in some ways to Passion of the Christ–without understanding the underlying matter.
Tropic Thunder is NOT mocking handicapped folks. Nor is it saying blackface is good or anything. To the contrary, the film is mocking the ACTORS who seek acclaim for playing a “retard” or who think that a white guy can play a black guy (or vice versa). A central point of a major monologue in the film is the white-guy-playing-black (Downey as Lazarus) lecturing Stiller as Tugg (who got shot down for playing a “retard”) on why he shouldn’t have played a “full retard”. I’m willing to imagine, given Stiller’s understanding of Hollywood, that the monologue is not only spot-on, but also hilarious as well.
Sadly, the activist groups and suddenly concerned critics will likely miss this completely.
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I find the video host’s comment to be quite interesting: One people, one planet. I am of the mind that people are people, no matter their skin color. In reality from the viewpoint that I agree with, per Ken Ham, we are all of one skin color…..just different variations or tints depending on culture or geographic locale. Refer to Genesis, where the Tower of Babel is.
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Additionally, I’ve heard a major Hollywood player has a prominent cameo in the film as Stiller’s agent (in the movie). (Think Rain Man and Mission Impossible.)
Hollywood also enjoys mocking itself as well.
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Well beside disagreeing with the host on the subject of White Chicks, I didn’t really think he had a whole lot to say about this particular instance of black face. He’s arguing for a generalist understanding of crossing identity categories and his main point seems to be that the white guys themselves should know better. But Downy isn’t doing a minstrel show!
I haven’t seen the movie, but certainly nothing here is a compelling reason not to. If he wants to argue that generalism is a good way to evaluate race oriented aesthetics he has a burden to prove that he isn’t over generalizing.
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Two points:
(1) As Lester points out, “whiteface” has been done several times before, and the result has been funny and applauded. “Blackface” can be done the same way.
(2) IF this movie (or any other movie) is offensive, big deal. Don’t see it. It’s not the film industry’s job to make everyone comfortable and happy–it’s their job to make money. If enough people are offended and refuse to see the movie, the film-makers will suffer.
But I seriously doubt that will happen here. Tons of people will see it and the movie will make lots of money. All of the offended people will continue to make noise and demand apologies and govt intervention.
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