Ryan Tubongbanua / The Collegian

‘Tropic Thunder’ protests take the movie a bit too seriously

OF ALL THE ISSUES THE NEW BEN STILLER movie “Tropic Thunderâ€Â showcases, it was inevitable a controversy would arise.

Robert Downey Jr.̢۪s character undergoes a pigment surgery to turn his skin black and portrays a stereotypical African American throughout most of the film.

Jack Black̢۪s character makes drug addiction funny with his signature over-the-top antics.

And let us not forget that the entire film is potentially making light of war.

The main uproar against the film, however, comes from Ben Stiller̢۪s action hero character and his previous film choice.

Before “Tropic Thunderâ€Â (the movie within the movie), Stiller’s character played a intellectually disabled farmhand in “Simple Jackâ€Â and finds himself without the Oscar or recognition he is convinced he deserves.

It takes Downey Jr. to shed the light on how one should never go “full-retardâ€Â to win the hearts of America or of the Academy. He uses the example of Tom Hanks in “Forrest Gumpâ€Â (who won the Oscar) versus Sean Penn in “I Am Samâ€Â (who was only nominated). Whereas the audience was rooting for Hanks, as Downey Jr. says, they felt bad for Penn.

It is the usage of the “R-wordâ€Â that has prompted disability advocacy communities and groups such as the Special Olympics to boycott the movie.

What first brought the attention was a faux Web site for “Simple Jack,â€Â which upon loud requests, was quietly removed. The studios even offered special screenings of the film for the groups to show that no harm was meant from it all.

Still the pickets happened.

Perhaps the fight is only for the use of the “R-word.â€Â Just like pink is the new black, the “R-wordâ€Â is the new “N-word.â€Â Anyone who owns the album, knows that Black Eyed Peas’ radio version of the song “Let’s Get It Startedâ€Â is really “Let’s Get Retarded.â€Â

Johnny Knoxville’s “The Ringerâ€Â got a stamp of approval regardless of the “R-wordâ€Â being used randomly throughout the film and even though Knoxville’s character pretends to be an athlete in the Special Olympics in order to fix the games.

Evidently, there is a fine line somewhere with unwritten rules.

Maybe the stereotype portrayed by Stiller’s character adds to the negative connotations the “R-wordâ€Â carries.

By breaking down what Stiller has done for his Simple Jack, one can see the harmlessness. The stutter has been executed to death and perfected better by any one of Adam Sandler̢۪s creations.

A speech impediment can be heard even in Christian Bale, the latest Batman, who in reality has a lisp.
And the bad teeth? Well, so do the British.

The movie, like this author, never purposefully hints at insensitivity. It is beyond political correctness to the point that no one should be offended.

The aim of “Tropic Thunderâ€Â is to make fun of itself. It is to show that actors, and the people who work for them, take themselves way too seriously at times.

We as a society take ourselves too seriously. We put these people so far under the microscope that it is about time we laugh at how ridiculous things are getting. Sure the film may take jabs at certain issues that hit home for America, but not distastefully and that is also the point.

The main fact is, “Tropic Thunderâ€Â is plagued with stereotypes and nonsense for the sake of pushing the envelope and making a Ben Stiller movie worth watching.

“The Heartbreak Kid,â€Â anyone?