Question: Who is that African-American actor sandwiched between Ben Stiller and Jack Black?Answer: Robert Downey Jr.
And no, it is not just some sort of in-joke that Downey is playing a black character. In the film, Tropic Thunder (due out this August), Downey plays an actor playing a black soldier in the film-within-a-film. The intent is a satire on actors...not African-Americans.
All that said, what do you think about such a brazen comedic move? Is it too much? Is it an ingenious satiric element? Or is it a non-issue not even worthy of a blog post?
I first saw this photo in an Entertainment Weekly article, and they seemed to think it was worth discussing.
I have an opinion on this...but you give me your thoughts first...
4 comments:
Do you mean "Comedic move" or "comedic movie". Regardless, I vote against this as worth of a blooged post. Just as I vote, early and often, against Robert Downey films with my feet.
No, I mean "move," as in, decision. Obviously this is a bold comedic decision, and I wondered what people thought of it. Offensive? Clever? A non-issue?
You obviously vote "non-issue."
First thing that popped into my head was, it's just one more way to avoid hiring a black actor. But I understand the joke aspect. And I am a Robert Downey Jr. fan.
Yeah, I am a Robert Downey Jr. fan as well (sorry, Vig). He is finally having a major career resurgence. He was wonderful in "Zodiac" last year, and now he is in one of my most anticipated movies of this summer, "Iron Man." It may be male bastion...and I may buck like hell against male bastion...but I think it looks like cinematic fun the likes of which we haven't seen in quite some time.
To get..."off-topic" for a sec, there are other really great summer fun movies opening in the wake of "Iron Man," so look for a Summer Movie Preview post in the near future (and it better be VERY near, since "summer" in movie terms starts the first week of May).
Anyway, when I first saw the photo in "Entertainment Weekly," I was not aware of the "film-within-a-film" aspect, and thought Downey was just cast as a black guy. Now that might have stirred a little more controversy.
Nonetheless, I get the joke, and I actually think it's pretty damn funny. Hope the movie holds true to the humor of the premise.
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