Tropic Thunder is a movie seemingly made to inspire controversy.  From the very beginning, it was easy to notice this film, because for Hollywood the notion of no bad publicity still holds true.  From a funtional standpoint, it's hard not to notice Robert Downey Jr. blackface, but for Tropic Thunder, the blackface is just the beginning.

It is the "retard" issue that seems to have been more of a problem, at least according to the media.  While I have no doubt that some people are offended by Downey Jr.'s portrayal, the way the film has structured that plot line is clearly meant to calm that anger.  Also, no one is writing scathing rebukes of the film on various outlets about that issue.  Instead, epitomized by Timothy Shriver's column on CNN.com last week, it is the use of the word "retard" that has most people up in arms.  Which is to say, I haven't seen anyone protesting the film because of the blackface issue.  I think my favorite part of Shriver's column is when he calls upon "Steven Spielberg, Stacey Snider, Ben Stiller and the entire "Tropic Thunder" team to stop showing the film," like that would ever happen.  At some point, aren't easily offended types going to understand that by making ridiculous demands don't help their cause?  In fact, drawing attention to the film in any way isn't going to help Shriver et al's ultimate goal of having the film be a bomb since the more ruckus they cause, the more people want to see what the fuss is about.

Continuing with the "retard" issue, I wonder how much help drawing lines in the sand is anymore.  It's been a long time since George Carlin and Lenny Bruce before him broke down the notion of "dirty words" and it is somewhat amazing that people out there still feel that certain words should be deemed unacceptable and that comedians will steer clear of them for that reason.  Shriver should understand that as soon as we say something isn't allowed, it becomes an obvious choice for someone looking to push the envelope.

As it's been noted, the "Simple Jack" plotline is a very poignant satire of the way Hollywood gives accolades to certain types of performances.  And I think enough has been written about it.  But, there are two aspects of Tropic Thunder that haven't been readily discussed, both are extensions of the Robert Downey Jr. blackface. 

Downey's character who is so crazy and method, Kirk Lazarus, is a highly acclaimed Australian actor.  In his character's fake trailer, "Satan's Abbey," he plays a gay monk.  When he removes his afro wig in Tropic Thunder's penultimate scene, he reveals a shock of blond hair.  Between all of these elements and of course the overarching 'getting too deep' character trait, I couldn't help but think that the character had been based on Heath Ledger.  "Satan's Abbey" is a version of Brokeback Mountain, with a little bit of the Order thrown in.  Not that there's really a problem with that; they took a cliché to what they thought was its extreme, though it turned out that there was another extreme in the end. 

Although Downey's transformation has been the focus, there is another element of race-adapting that exists in Tropic Thunder, Tom Cruise's character Les Grossman.  Cruise doesn't stop with the face, either, he's in full "jewbody" mode with fake nose, bald cap, padded stomach and ass, hairy chest and of course the oft reported gigantic, hairy hands.  And, let's not forget the diamond-studded dollar sign that he wears around his neck, the brutish way he treats people or the plot point of wanting to leave Stiller's character to die in the jungle so he can claim the insurance money.  Somehow, this has really only been discussed in "you wont recognize Tom" terms by the likes of E! News and Access Hollywood, but the anti-semitism here is plain as day.  Although, it's so routine by now that even Tom Cruise donning a full on heeb suit doesn't make the radar.

Stiller himself plays an interesting part in terms of the anti-semitism here.  Maybe it's just coincidence, but when Stiller plays a nebishy nerd put upon by the world (Flirting with Disaster), when he plays the spineless cuckold (Along Came Polly), or the constant jackass (Meet the Parents and about five others), he always plays a jew.  I'm sure they even had to re-write parts of Meet the Parents to accommodate his jewishness, since I refuse to believe that the writer who first invented Gaylord "Greg" Focker intended him to be jewish until Stiller was on set.  However, in the case of Tropic Thunder and Stiller's previous directorial effort Zoolander, he plays goys.  Yes, both Derek Zoolander and Tugg Speedman are idiots, but they are also required to be good-looking, rich men.  Why they are also required to be goys is anyone's guess.

There are a lot of funny things about Tropic Thunder and the hubbub around it.  But I think the most interesting point is hidden in the film itself.  The film is a comment on Hollywood excess, on the personal stake that one takes in their art, and how far we'll go to get what we want.  Most of the time, it really comes off; the film is most successful, especially when it's delivering on stock Hollywood moments, like Platoon and the Nutty Professor.  But, it also falls prey to the Hollywood tendencies that it mocks, specifically with regard to the Cruise character.  In typical Hollywood excess form, what should have been a one scene cameo ends up being a featured role.  As well with the Downey character.  What should have been a funny portrait of an overly-intense actor becomes an inadvertent judgment on someone's life.  The inadvertant is the result and the satire is serious.

 

 

**originally posted on stevesword.com