A comedy film made 15 years ago that earned one of its lead actors an Oscar nomination has been pulled back into the spotlight as a topic for debate over "cancel culture". People who were perhaps too young to have encountered the film when it was released reacted with horror when they learned that Robert Downey Jr had "blacked up" to portray the character Kirk Lazarus in Tropic Thunder.
The film was also criticised for its depiction of disabled people. Ben Stiller’s character Tugg Speedman played a character called Simple Jack in a film within Tropic Thunder, intended as a satirical jibe at actors who chase acclaim by playing disabled roles.
It happened when a Twitter user showed screenshots of people upset with Downey Jr's performance in Tropic Thunder. Back in 2008, the satirical action film was a box office hit, earning Downey Jr an Academy Award nomination. But commentary started after some commentators too young to have known about the film when it was released began airing their opinions over the actor being in "blackface" for most of its 107 minutes.
Other users hit back, pointing out that the film was a parody about method actors "going too far" and that although it would probably not be made today, it still held its own, with Downey Jr's performance remaining valid.
A tweet stating: "Woke teenagers discovering Tropic Thunder is my favourite tweet genre," by user @VitoGesualdi appeared to have triggered calls for the "cancellation" of Downey Jr. Dozens of users expressed their shock at how the film was allowed to be made in the first place. One wrote: “I’m not much of a Boycott guy, but there is a 'film' I’ve just encountered. . . Tropic Thunder. It is a very graphic parody of the Vietnam War, w/much blood/guts – only none of the stars of the film ever served. I find it deeply offensive, and trust you do too.”
Another urged people to “boycott Tropic Thunder for perpetuating the dehumanisation of people with intellectual disabilities!”
Starring Ben Stiller, who also directed, Downey Jr, Jack Black, Tom Cruise and Steve Coogan, the film was awarded 7 out of 10 on the Internet Movie Database IMDb and an 82 per cent positive rating. Critics on Rotten Tomatoes also gave it 82 per cent, calling it a "biting satire, with plenty of subversive humour and an unforgettable turn by Robert Downey Jr".
One of the memorable quotes from the film, spoken by Downey Jr's character is: "I am playing a role within a role within a role so I know who I am."
Against calls for a fresh boycott of the film, one fan wrote: “I knew eventually the ‘woke kids’ were gonna learn about Tropic Thunder and try to cancel RDJ. . . they literally can’t handle it. These kids are absolutely screwed for life if Tropic Thunder is too much for them.”
The film did in fact receive a backlash when it was first released because of how it portrayed minorities and people with disabilities. However, Stiller stated on Wednesday that he had “no apologies” for it, adding he was “proud” of it.
Stiller’s comments came after he was told to “stop apologising” for the movie by a fan who claimed that today's cancel culture made it even funnier. He wrote: “Please stop apologising for doing this movie. It was and still is funny. . . Even funnier now with cancel culture the way it is. It’s a MOVIE. Ya’ll can just get over it. I was DYING laughing when I first saw it back in the day and so was everyone else.” Stiller responded: “I make no apologies for Tropic Thunder. Don’t know who told you that. It’s always been a controversial movie since when we opened. Proud of it and the work everyone did on it.”
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Downey Jr also appeared to defend the film when he appeared on the Joe Rogan Experience Podcast in 2020 - and argued the role was about “how wrong [blackface] is”.
“[Ben Stiller] knew exactly what the vision for this was, he executed it, it was impossible to not have it be an offensive nightmare of a movie.
“And 90 per cent of my black friends were like, ‘Dude, that was great.’ I can’t disagree with [the other 10 per cent], but I know where my heart lies. I think that it’s never an excuse to do something that’s out of place and out of its time, but to me it blasted the cap on [the issue].
“I think having a moral psychology is job one. So sometimes, you just gotta go, ‘Yeah I effed up.’ Again, not in my defense, Tropic Thunder is about how wrong that [blackface] is, so I take exception.”
Asking 'could you make Tropic Thunder today?', Joe Rogan described the movie as "hilarious" and said: "It worked. But it might be the last time we see a studio take a chance on a guy wearing blackface - and the prolific use of the word retard."
Downey Jr replied: "By the way, the funny thing too was that all the heat got deflected to Ben and Simple Jack. That was people were ******** off about. And I go 'wooof! Great! But you never know when it''s gonna be your time in the barrel."
He also revealed that his mother was "horrified" by the role, but he said: "I get to hold up to nature the insane self-involved hypocrisy of artists and what they think they’re allowed to do on occasion. Just my opinion.”
Dory Jackson, associate editor of celebrity website People, backed the film and its makers, saying she did not know what to say to people who "don't get that it's complete satire"..
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