Ben Stiller stars in the new movie, “Tropic Thunder,” along with Robert Downey, Jr. and Jack Black. The film has recently come under fire from disability advocate groups because there is concern over “negative portrayal of people with intellectual disabilities.”
“Tropic Thunder” is Ben Stiller’s New Movie
Advocate groups such as The Special Olympics, Arc of the United States, the National Down Syndrome Congress and the American Association of People with Disabilities among others met with film studio executives to voice their concerns. One example of their protest deals with Ben Stiller’s character. The word “retard” is used multiple times in reference to him.
“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,” said Peter Wheeler, spokesman for Special Olympics.”
“Tropic Thunder” is set to release Wednesday, August 13th. On Monday about 50 people gathered to protest at it’s Los Angeles premiere. The group chanted and held signs saying “Eliminate the R word.”
“That will be the start of a nationwide protest,” said Wheeler. “We will continue to be vocal about the destructive effect of this film.”
Dreamworks acknowledged the concerns of the groups and said they looked forward to working with them in the future but no changes would be made to this particular film. Despite the controversy, it’s getting some great reviews. You can see the trailer for “Tropic Thunder” below.
“Tropic Thunder” Video
Photos: WENN
Ben Stiller would interpret the offenses of any special interest group as a compliment