TROPIC THUNDER & COMEDY LIMITS IN 2023
Jack Black, Ben Stiller (Director, 2008), and Robert Downey Jr. from Tropic Thunder Poster
Tropic Thunder is a movie about making a movie, where a group of ego-driven actors join forces in a farcical, yet real, war film. Think a satire of The Expendables (dir. Stallone, 2010), which may be where Stallone got the idea for his franchise. Part of the allure of Tropic Thunder is Stiller's uncanny knack at using irony to point out our own personal flaws. If you laugh at the method acting, black-faced Downey Jr, or the horrible acting that embodies Simple Jack, then you are flawed, because those are off limits by societal decision.
Simple Jack trailer as seen in the film Tropic Thunder
Making fun of race, ability, sexuality, religion, or any other sensitive issue should be prohibited to some. I would argue that without satire, we never understand where those limits are, or when they are being abused. Comedy is the SAFEST place to test this! We've all been in serious, heated discussions. They don't go over as well as a good action comedy.
Last week Ben Stiller brought this film back onto the radar with the following tweet:
I'd like to say there are two camps to this debate; those of us that are free speech purists, and those that get butt-hurt easily. Okay, so that's rude, but understanding the subjectivity of film viewing tells us there are millions of impressions of this movie. There are certainly a wide-range of opinions as to whether Tropic Thunder is offensive or not.
Robert Downey Jr in Blackface using the word "retard."
Just two of the controversial issues broached in Tropic Thunder
Still, just because I find THIS satirical approach to blackface funny (I don't think all blackface is funny), I don't find joy in the hurt feelings of others. It's funny because it's SO wrong. It's shocking and then Downey Jr. played it to a tee. He employed every stereotypical, tropey aspect of method acting, ACTING like he was good enough to pull it off... lot of layers to that character actually. He was nominated for an Oscar, so the Academy acknowledged this. For me, this is the whole reason I agree with Stiller, he should not apologize. Can comedy go too far? I can only answer for me, and yes, there are times I have found comedic representations offensive. In this case, the portrayal pointed out the absurdity. As much as I hate the word "retard," the Simple Jack scenes would have fallen short without it and would have been less absurd, ensuring some would miss the point. Whether it's right or offensive or stupid, I still don't think it should be brought to its knees by "Cancel Culture."
The best outcome from any of this is a cultural discussion about meanings and intent. Even better, make us really think about the Les Grossman character that is a total asshole and preys on others. I'm sorry that it took almost a decade after Tropic Thunder to actually catch up to Harvey Weinstein.
Tropic Thunder is comedic satire, which doesn't inherently protect it from controversy, but it sure opens the door to parody a lot of ridiculous aspects of the film industry. Would we accept an expose on the extreme egos of actors and the lines they may cross to remain famous? Well, they exist! It's a fact that documentary isn't going to draw the same audience as an action flick. Like the gawkers that hold up traffic staring at an accident, we would rather be shocked then simply informed. Tropic Thunder does this to make us ask, how far is too far? How ridiculous is too ridiculous? I mean, there's a movie called Cocaine Bear coming out next week! We will hear from animal rights activists. It will gross millions.
INTENT MATTERS! In their own words, hundreds of times, Ben Stiller, Justin Theroux, and Etan Cohen have said they are proud of the film and the issues it raised. It was intentional and entertaining! That's exactly what I want from my art. They were asking us to think about how we value celebrity. We ARE the consumers of superstardom. We crave unique, thought provoking performances that are Oscar worthy. We want to see our favorite stars pushing boundaries and giving us something we've never seen before. We will stop buying tickets or streaming if we aren't impressed. And as I've just had 23 out of 24 students tell me Citizen Kane is quite assuredly NOT the greatest movie of all time, audiences are changing. That's what I think Tropic Thunder was asking and telling us at the same time. At the absolute heart it was a funny action movie, as it was intended, with some scenes that would even make Michael Bay proud.
Moviefone Interview
To be media literate is to understand the mediums you are consuming. Tropic Thunder is a piece of art entertainment that sought out to enthrall a contemporary audience while making them laugh. Maybe 15 years ago audiences were different than the current one that won't blockbust anything other than Superhero movies.
To understand Tropic Thunder's intentions means you understand this film was trying to show you a line, and then like all good comedy, they attempted to push past it to make a point. It worked for me.
I give this film 💜💜💜💜💔 4 purple hearts and broken heart for anyone who was really hurt by it.
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