Last Monday, the Westwood premiere of new comedy “Tropic Thunder” featured celebrities, paparazzi and, surprisingly enough, protestors. (Read the story on page 5.)
Disability groups such as the American Association of People with Disabilities and the Special Olympics are angered with the film, which comes under fire for the film within a film “Simple Jack,” because it portrays intellectually disabled people poorly and “adds to stereotypes.”
The groups seem to have gotten their message across, as news outlets across the country and across the globe reported on the incident. However, to protest a film that is so clearly a spoof (within a spoof, within a spoof) seems a little over-the-top. If even the crew behind the film, such as co-star Robert Downey Jr. in “blackface” and director Ben Stiller among others, clearly do not take the film seriously, then why should these groups take such offense?
Most who have seen “Tropic Thunder” probably know the joke is more a stab at the skills of the actor behind Simple Jack than a stab at the intellectually disabled.
It’s understandable for these groups to be unnerved with the extreme portrayal of “Simple Jack” and the heavy use of the term “retarded” in the film.
On the other hand, limiting such protests to films more worthy of the bad publicity, those who more purposefully or at least more seriously misuse the term, seems even more rational.
“Tropic Thunder” was created to poke fun at Hollywood, and Hollywood alone.