Jill Simonian is a correspondent for Dailies (ReelzChannel TV, weeknights @ 6PM ET), and occasionally shares stories from the field. This week: Tropic Thunder
In the movie business, "R" usually means "Restricted." No persons under 17 without parent or adult guardian admitted. May contain very strong/sexual language, mild explicit nudity, strong/gore violence or strong drug content.
Tropic Thunder is certainly "Restricted," but another R-word took center stage at the Los Angeles premiere: "Retarded." It's a scripted word that the Tropic Thunder stars use frequently in the film, and it's generated enough attention to eclipse Robert Downey Jr.'s Anglo-turned-African-American makeup in the movie.
In addition to covering the red carpet arrivals, I found myself drawn to the street-corner protest led by Tim Shriver, Chairman & CEO of Special Olympics. Along with Shriver, about 50 outraged citizens were condemning Tropic Thunder's multiple usage of the R-word. Complete with bullhorns, signs and unstoppable spirit, Shriver encouraged passers-by to "think of a person with special needs when you watch that film." He rallied listeners to have compassion and respect for those with intellectual disabilities, to consider the work of disabled actors like Edward Barbanell (The Ringer, 2005) and also challenged Hollywood to stop abusing disabled people for the sake of comedy and entertainment.
As for the red carpet? Some stars expressed support for the protesters' plight. The co-writers of the movie, Justin Theroux and Etan Cohen, were also sadly disappointed and upset that their words were being "misunderstood" in the movie. "The lines that they're objecting to are coming out of the mouths of very stupid people," Theroux told me. (In other words, the movie makes fun of the ignorant characters that Stiller, Black and Downey Jr. play, and not the disabled.) Theroux continued, "I'm hopeful that they [the protesters] might come back to see the movie and get in on the joke."
You can decide for yourself today, because Tropic Thunder is now in theaters nationwide.