Entertainment

Tropic Thunder - Ben Stiller Movie

Disability advocates are planning to picket the Los Angeles premiere of movie "Tropic Thunder",  Ben Stiller's latest movie, in protest over its depiction of people with learning difficulties.

Disability advocates are planning to picket the Los Angeles premiere of movie "Tropic Thunder",  Ben Stiller's latest movie, in protest over its depiction of people with learning difficulties.

Tropic Thunder has been slammed by disability groups who oppose the repeated use of the word 'retard' in association with one of the films characters, Simple Jack. Groups that advocate for the disabled called on Sunday for a national boycott of the Ben Stiller comedy "Tropic Thunder," citing what they say is its negative portrayal of people with intellectual disabilities.

A particular sore point has been the film’s repeated use of the term “retard” in referring to a character, Simple Jack, who is played by Ben Stiller.

According to Reuters, advocacy groups for the disabled have called a national boycott of Ben Stiller's film, citing a negative portrayal of people with "intellectual disabilities."

Peter Berns, spokesman for Special Olympics, one of the groups opposed to the film, says, "We are asking people not to go to the movie and hope to bring a consciousness to people about using derogatory words about this population. That will be the start of a nationwide protest. We will continue to be vocal about the destructive effect of this film."

"Not only might it happen, it will happen," says Special Olympics chairman Timothy Shriver to the Times about the expected campaign.

The president of the American Association of People with Disabilities calls the new movie "Tropic Thunder" offensive from "start to finish."

Chip Sullivan from the film's studio Dreamworks, says, "Tropic Thunder is an R-rated comedy that satirizes Hollywood and its excesses, and makes its point by featuring inappropriate and over-the top characters in ridiculous situations. The film is in no way meant to disparage or harm the image of individuals with disabilities."

Bernard Siegel a rep from the Los Angeles County Commission on Disabilities, speaking from his wheelchair, said he didn't agree with the picketers. "As far as I'm concerned, the whole thing is a satire. And with satire you make fun of things."

Studio heads have refuted the claims, insisting they have met with disability advocates to discuss the movie, and are not planning any changes to the controversial footage. However the film's advertising has been altered, but none of the scenes in the film were edited as a result of the opposition.

Hollywood actor Robert Downey Jr was so keen to work with Jack Black and Ben Stiller in Tropic Thunder that he was willing to have his reputation "destroyed" by playing an African-American in the film.

Tropic Thunder Plot

Through a series of freak occurrences, a group of actors shooting a big-budget war movie are forced to become the soldiers they are portraying.

Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr. lead an ensemble cast in "Tropic Thunder," an action comedy about a group of self-absorbed actors who set out to make the biggest war film ever. After ballooning costs (and the out of control egos of the pampered cast) threaten to shut down the movie, the frustrated director refuses to stop shooting, leading his cast deep into the jungles of Southeast Asia for "increased realism," where they inadvertently encounter real bad guys.

Tom Cruise, whose character as a balding, fat, and foul mouthed Hollywood executive in Tropic Thunder has been attracting a lot of publicity online.

Tropic Thunder will be released on August 13, 2008.

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