One of the last high-profile, non-politically correct movies was “Tropic Thunder,” produced by Ben Stiller. It had it all: stereotypical portrayals of Jewish Hollywood executives (Tom Cruise’s character) and Vietnamese people, Robert Downey Jr. in blackface for the entire film, Ben Stiller’s portrayal of a mentally disabled man in “Simple Jack,” and numerous other jokes that get the politically correct upset.
And, of course, it was funny. It wasn’t a mean-spirited movie, but rather one that, like “South Park,” is funny because it makes fun of everyone and everything in a light-hearted manner.
So the wokies are coming for it as they attempt to purge everything that doesn’t fit with the woke present.
That led one person on Twitter to say that Ben Stiller has apologized for the film and to call on him to stand by it, saying “@BenStiller Please stop apologizing for doing this movie. It was and still is funny AF… Even funnier now with cancel culture the way it is. It’s a MOVIE. Ya’ll can just get over it. I was DYING laughing when I first saw it back in the day and so was everyone else.”
Stiller commented and said that he doesn’t apologize for the movie. In his words: “I make no apologies for Tropic Thunder. Don’t know who told you that. It’s always been a controversial movie since when we opened. Proud of it and the work everyone did on it. 🙏✊😊”
I make no apologies for Tropic Thunder. Don’t know who told you that. It’s always been a controversial movie since when we opened. Proud of it and the work everyone did on it. 🙏✊😊
— Ben Stiller (@BenStiller) February 21, 2023
Steve Sailer, commenting on Stiller’s surprisingly (at first) unnoticed post, said “This is a rather interesting example of Twitter shadow-banning. @BenStiller is a major popular culture figure of the 21st Century with, rightfully, 5.6 million followers on Twitter. But his defense of perhaps his greatest movie, “Tropic Thunder,” has 79 likes.”
Stiller has, however, apologized for the film. In fact, he admitted as much on Twitter in 2018, saying “Actually Tropic Thunder was boycotted 10 years ago when it came out, and I apologized then. It was always meant to make fun of actors trying to do anything to win awards. I stand by my apology, the movie, Shaun White, And the great people and work of the @SpecialOlympics.”
That boycott was reported on at the time by ABC News, which said:
Ben Stiller’s new movie “Tropic Thunder,” which he wrote, directed, produced and stars in, is supposed to be a send-up of actors who will go to any lengths to advance their careers.
But a coalition of disabilities groups believes the comic actor went too far with the film’s repeated use of what they call the r-word, or “retard,” when referring to the character Simple Jack, whom Stiller portrays in a subplot.
The coalition of 22 groups, including the Special Olympics, the Arc of the United States and the National Down Syndrome Congress, launched a nationwide boycott of the film — which opens for wide release Wednesday — at Monday’s premiere in Los Angeles. Stars Stiller, Robert Downey Jr. and Jack Black walked down a red carpet past dozens of protestors and picket signs that read “Ban the movie, ban the word.”
For reference, here’s the clip that caused the boycott:
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