Disability groups protest “˜Tropic Thunder’ premiere
Most of the people lingering around Westwood’s Mann Bruin Theatre Monday afternoon didn’t come for the movie ““ they came for a protest.
While Ben Stiller’s Vietnam-flick spoof, “Tropic Thunder,” premiered to generally positive reviews, the American Association of People with Disabilities, the Special Olympics, The Arc of the United States and other groups weren’t so thrilled.
The mass of close to 100 people, which included representatives from the Special Olympics, Best Buddies and many people with intellectual disabilities, gathered outside the theater Monday to express disapproval of the film’s treatment of intellectually disabled individuals. Their objections implied a belief that the movie-within-a-movie character, “Simple Jack,” whom the other actors refer to with the pejorative “retard,” marginalizes the intellectually disabled population and represents an institutional insensitivity akin to Hollywood’s blackface minstrelsy of the 1920s and ’30s.
“This movie is a setback. This would be like going back to making movies in the ’40s about African Americans. This is just the kitchen sink of insult. We can’t let it go,” said Timothy Shriver, chairman of Special Olympics International and brother to Maria Shriver.
But studio representatives defended their decision to include the controversial character. Earlier on Monday, Chip Sullivan, a spokesman for DreamWorks, released a statement saying that the movie 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 studio’s steady defense, however, didn’t signal its readiness to face the protesters directly. At the premiere, a wall of vined trellises shielded the red carpet from the demonstration. Barricades lined the street corners and a larger-than-normal staff of policemen and security guards monitored the demonstrators.
“We’re here basically just to protect the rights of all the citizens involved and maintain public safety,” said Sgt. Kinchla, an officer stationed by the Mann Village Theatre.
While other officers looked on, loud rock music blanketed the red carpet, drowning out the chanting.
“Ban the movie, ban the word.”
“”˜Tropic Thunder,’ colossal blunder.”
“We found out the worst was true. We asked for screenings ““ some of our athletes, some of our people, self-advocates, and people with special needs and their parents did get a chance to see the film. We carried on a dialogue with the studio just to say, “˜How could this be?’ And they just said you’ve got to have a sense of humor,” Shriver said.
These protesters represented only a small fraction of those mobilized nationwide. Together, these demonstrators and organizations plan to boycott the film, request that theaters refuse to play it, encourage others to contact DreamWorks, and “spread the message of acceptance and inclusion,” according to a pamphlet distributed at the protest.
“Individuals with Down syndrome, or others with cognitive disabilities, are first people with great potential, but have been stereotypically categorized for hundreds of years, and this movie will only reinforce the view that they have limited potential,” said Nancy Litteken, a protester.
Considering the backlash’s extensive media coverage and the sheer number of people involved in participating organizations, this protest just might start the public discourse necessary to bring the intellectually disabled out of the margins and into the spotlight.
“We’ve had some success the past 10 years. We made a movie with the Farrellys that particularly attacked this using humor. We’ve seen some strides in Hollywood, with … people with Down’s syndrome acting, and we’ve seen some sensitivity, some progress, so we thought we were further along than this,” Shriver said.
Regardless, the demonstration accomplished its goal of drawing attention to the cause.
“I hope the studio is set when it’s all said and done that they’ll be helpful to our cause. I have no reason to be cynical about it, but I hope that they will,” said Shriver. “But in the meantime, everybody that goes to see this movie walks out with a new joke at our expense. It’s disappointing.”
