Tropic Thunder, a comedy out this week that parodies the movie industry, has drawn criticism from disability rights groups over the repeated use of the word “retard” to refer to a character played by Ben Stiller. Stiller plays an actor trying to get an Oscar by playing a mentally handicapped guy named “simple Jack.” This has mightily offended disability rights advocates, including higher ups at the Special Olympics and National Down Syndrome Congress, who plan to picket the film at its premiere tonight and call for a boycott:

A coalition of disabilities groups is expected as early as Monday to call for a national boycott of the film “Tropic Thunder” because of what the groups consider the movie’s open ridicule of the intellectually disabled.

The film, a movie-industry spoof directed by Ben Stiller, is set for release on Wednesday by Paramount Pictures and its DreamWorks unit.

“Not only might it happen, it will happen,” Timothy P. Shriver, chairman of the Special Olympics, said of the expected push for a boycott. Speaking by phone, Mr. Shriver said he planned to be in Los Angeles with representatives of his group and others to picket the movie’s premiere on Monday evening in this city’s Westwood district.

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 Mr. Stiller in a subplot about an actor who chases an Oscar by portraying a mindless dolt.

Mr. Shriver said that he had also begun to ask members of Congress for a resolution condemning what he called the movie’s “hate speech” and calling for stronger federal support of the intellectually disabled.

“The most disappointing thing, the most incredible thing, is that nobody caught it,” said Mr. Shriver, who, as a co-producer of the DreamWorks film “Amistad,” is no stranger to the studio. He spoke of what he described as the studio’s and the filmmakers’ blatant disregard for the disabled even as they stepped carefully around other potentially offensive references, notably in a story line that has Robert Downey Jr. playing a white actor who changes his skin color to play a black soldier.

[From The NY Times via We Smirch]

The Special Olympics chairman has a point. Robert Downey Jr. plays a white actor playing a black man using makeup, but no one uses the “n” word to refer to him in the film. Saying someone is a “retard” is just as offensive and hurtful to many people.

Ian Spiegelman over at Gawker reminds us that this is a send up of all the actors who play handicapped people, not a mockery of people with special needs. He says that their ire should be directed where it belongs – at producers and actors who portray mentally challenged people without a second thought. Spiegelman tries to explain their reasoning, “Because it’s fine for actors to cynically go bobbing for Academy apples every year by playing a special character, but it’s not okay for a comic actor to make fun of them for doing so.”

I think what the advocate groups are objecting to is the repeated use of the word “retard” and not the portrayal. There was even a ad for the film online that read “Once upon a time there was a retard.” Dreamworks says that despite objections they’re not changing a thing about Tropic Thunder. It’s probably way too late at this point anyway without pushing back the release and losing millions:

In a statement on Sunday, Chip Sullivan, a DreamWorks spokesman, said the movie was “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.” Mr. Sullivan, in the statement, added that the film was not meant to disparage or harm people with disabilities and that DreamWorks expected to work closely with disability groups in the future. But, he said, “No changes or cuts to the film will be made.”

[From The NY Times]

Dreamworks may not have been able to edit the movie but they did respond to the criticism by taking down the website for the “Simple Jack” subplot of the film.

The Times notes that this is the largest coordinated boycott of a film by disability rights groups ever. If they want to take a stand against use of the “r” word, this seems like the right way to do it. Everyone knows better than to use the “n” word in that context and maybe this boycott will help spread awareness of how demeaning and derogatory it is to call someone the “r” word.

Here are photos from “Tropic Thunder.” I’m pleased to see that Nick Nolte’s in it and am not ashamed to admit I’m a fan. It also stars Jack Black and Robert Downey, Jr. Thanks to All Movie Photo.