Tropic Thunder
Scandal: When did it become OK to celebrate (“ironic”) blackface by way of an Oscar nom?! ... And then there's the "R" word.
The Issue: Ironically, boldly, offensively Robert Downey Jr. dons blackface in his eye-popping role as Kirk Lazarus, a thesp gunning to get an Oscar nod by taking it to another level. Yeah, we’re supposed to laugh, take it lightly -- and revel in its “ironic” brilliance -- just cause Kirk gets a black cast mate to tell him about his "wrongness" alongside other winks to the audience. But c’mon, are we really there yet? And are Tropic's writer/director Ben Stiller and his star Downey Jr. the anointed ones to be given “a pass” to present this storyline? Ironically, it took whipping out this tacky, racially insensitive plot device to get another nom for Downey Jr. -- extending the parody even further -- in a role that could’ve been met by protest. RDJ can thank his dad (edgy filmmaker, Robert Downey Sr., Putney Swope) and his own fierce acting cred, for saving him from being skewered by jaded, bitter (black) audiences who’ve watched the phenom unfold, rather silently -- though don’t bring it up at a party.
What the Press Is Saying: “Though we enjoyed Tropic Thunder, we're still dumbfounded with the ironic reality of Downey's supporting actor nod (he played an actor obsessed with academy recognition). Regardless, Oscar speculators know that comedy equals death in this game, and frankly we're OK with that. Downey's been much better in roles that didn't require face paint.” -- Merie Weismiller Wallace, Associated Press
"What does it say about racial politics in America that two days after the first African American president is inaugurated, Robert Downey Jr. is nominated for a supporting actor Oscar for essentially playing a part in blackface?" -- Rachel Abramowitz / LA Times: The Envelope
"The passionate outrage of groups like the Special Olympics ... which rallied outside the premiere of the film and demanded a boycott, has successfully diverted any negative attention from Robert Downey Jr.'s outrageous turn ... Downey's performance is undeniably funny, but might white critics also be tempted to overpraise him simply for having gotten away with something so forbidden? New York magazine went so far as to say that Downey "really does make a damn fine Negro," a comment that dips its paternalistic toe further into the tar of racism than anything in Downey's performance." -- James Hannaham, Salon.com
Leave it alone?: It’s only "comedy," and to make a point, filmmakers and audiences claim. Well, the absence of any black male actor Oscar noms, for a bevy of fine performances this year, makes us think we can’t even touch how messy this one is. Calm yourself with the fact that our beloved Heath may win for “whiteface”? Um, we're just being "ironic", of course!
Wrongness-meter: 4.5 out of 5 stars
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