DISQUS

Mike Belgrove · 1 year ago

One of the other writers on Highbrid Nation wrote about Robert Downy playing a black man. He worries that Al Sharpton might have something to say about it, lol. Honestly as a black person I think it's kinda cool that movie make-up has gotten to the point where you can make someone look like another race and if the pics I've seen of Robert Downy in costume are accurate than they did a really good job! Plus Robert is a very capable actor so I'm sure he wont come across as stereo typical or offensive. I could be wrong though.

n-2-me-i-c · 1 year ago

Carmen,
Robert Downey Jr. playing a black man in this movie has GOT to be a hoot. LOL. I don't go to many movies but I look forward to seeing this one. It might even be a top grossing movie...Blacks, Whites, Latinos and Asians will pay to see this one. LOL.

What a great idea! Makes me wonder why no one thought of it before. Maybe because no one could overcome the black minstrel show idea? Ben Stiller won't have to spend much on promotions and advertising because the news and entertainment media along with the internet will do it for him.

BTW, black politicians like Al Sharpton won't care. They'll be too busy trying to keep the Democratic Party from self-destructing.

Carmen D. · 1 year ago

Hi Mike. Welcome to the conversation. I expect to like the movie, too. I agree with your comment. From everything I've read it looks like a smart choice Stiller and Downey made not a smarmy one. We'll see.

Carmen D. · 1 year ago

Hey n-2-me-i-c. You wrote: "They’ll be too busy trying to keep the Democratic Party from self-destructing."

Let's just call that 'Mission Impossible.' ;)

Tyler · 1 year ago

I think what is disturbing about this is that it's a comedy. Now if it were a drama, that could be interesting. Or even a satire that makes a point about how superficial changes to an actor in a part can win them awards even if the acting is passable. That could be interesting. There is something to be said there. But a Ben Stiller comedy worries me.

Will the humor derive from a white man playing stereotypically black or black in a more three-dimensional way? For instance, the Adam Sandler/Kevin James movie is offensive because the kind of "gay" they were playing was stereotypical. There was nothing remotely intersting or realistic about those representations.

Will the same happen here? If so, it doesn't matter if the makeup is more realistic, it is still blackface because blackness is represented one-dimensionally and for laughs.

One wonders if the black character that Downey's character is playing is the kind of idiot that most token black characters are in mainstream films. Or is he playing a character that is deracinated and a black actor plays it solely to integrate the film. These are the kinds of questions that one should consider when thinking about this film. Essentially, what do they mean by "black"?

Let's face it, in Hollywood there are two kinds of black. One is the stereotype (be it a buffoon or a criminal) or the deracinated dropped-into-a-"white"-role characters where race as it truly functions is completely ignored (think Will Smith and Denzel Washington for most of their careers). Either one of these things is offensive even if you didn't add a white man playing either of these blacknesses on top of it.

I happen to loathe Ben Stiller's comedy. I think he's mean-spirited. But I adore Robert Downey Jr. and I'm sure he'll do the best job he can. But if the script is bad and the script is offensive, there is only so much he can do.

Tyler · 1 year ago

Just read the hyperlink...looks like it is a satire. That could be interesting...I'll reserve anymore judgment for when the film is released.

Carmen D. · 1 year ago

Hey Tyler. I think your point about dimension will be one of the key measures of effectiveness for 'Tropic Thunder. Even if 'Tropic Thunder' is parody, it had better be smart and move away from hackneyed jokes about what white people think it means to be black. There is no better way to foster examination of America's racial attitudes than to create a movie where we can laugh and nod at the truths we see on screen. That's why 'Blazing Saddles' is one of my all time favorite movies. (The Wagon Train scene is one of the funniest ever!)

Andre · 1 year ago

I'm not a fan of any skits, movies, or the like where people carry out a role in blackface, whiteface, or whatever. I suspect that I have the most opposition to whites carrying out performance in blackface. But in the interest of keeping things on an even keel, I try to be equally critical of blacks playing the role of white people (i.e. "White Chicks").

For me, the one exception to this rule is "Soul Man" with C. Thomas Howell. But the major difference is that Howell is not playing the role of a black person; he's playing the role of a white person who turns himself black for a specific purpose. But at the end of the day, his role was still white.

Carmen D. · 1 year ago

Hey Andre. That looks like the premise here. RDjr. plays a white actor playing a black actor. It just may be convoluted enough to be smart. Or, maybe not. :)

Pablo Zulu · 1 year ago

As a 61 year old blackpuertorican vietnam vet, racially conscious since the age of thirteen,Im worried sick about the state of Black America. The open use of the "n"word.Black women looking like white(wannabe black)women that exposed themselves to sunlight to the point that, when I see Queen Latifah lately I think that if she was puertorican, she might as well be Queen La Tiza(Reina Chalk).

For the past 5 years Ihave been working on a documentary titled "Deep-low(Bajo y Profundo)". this work is based on Sylvia del Villard's a racial/cultural activist black woman who died denouncing what she considered an inmoral act:"An actor/actress painting him/herself black.

My big problem is that downhere in Puerto Rico we, shall I say some of us thought that it was illegal to paint oneself black in the USA. Spike Lee's Bamboozled made me think about the issue. Close to bringing my subtitled documentary to NYC this summer Im trying to make sense behind Mr.Downey"s action.

Hoping to see some of the people concerned with this matter at my documentary showing as a preview I must say that in Puerto Rico the most prominent black face is according to many..."Diplo"a black face character that became very popular in the 1950's.

abw · 1 year ago

Heck no.This is NOT good because the way blackface was once used. I believe he is funny, and the makeup today-in comparison to the past-is much better. But this is not a trend that should catch on(or people should take to lightly)since people may think it is okay to revert to the old style of blackface and this trend may be an excuse not to hire blacks since white-face performers in blackface will be used as standins.It also don't helped that blackface has been often used for the purposes of ridicule-period! Of course, we can continue to make our own movies and some of them need to get better BUT STILL; and I too had some issues with whiteface.