In the movie "tropic Thunder" two of the lead characters have an exchange that makes use of the "R" word (Retard), and some people are very upset about this. Okay, this is a problem of audience perception that in my experience goes back to such excellent examples as" All in the Family," the Randy Newman song "Short People" and the sitcom "Married with Children."
Some audience members simply can't grasp the idea of a lead character being presented as flawed, or even as a complete ass. They believe a lead character is the "HERO" of the show, perfect and noble or at least unflawed- the image of how one SHOULD be, as presented in much of television and movies.
So if the lead is doing something stupid, they perceive the show is presenting this stupidity as right and good.
No, folks, that's not the only way it works. Flawless "Heros" are for entertaining action fare, like the "Lone Ranger," any John Wayne movie, etc., and there is nothing wrong with that, I love many of those kinds of shows.
But I am very aware that a play, movie, or even a song with a flawed lead (or lead vocal) reflects much more insightful writing, meant to make us identify with those flaws and learn something. When a piece of writing has only a "hero" and a "villain," we identify with the hero and don't identify with the villain and learn nothing about ourselves, since no one is that black and white, that simple. We are complex people with a mix of flaws and virtues.
"All in the Family" gave us lead character Archie Bunker, a bigot, not presented as a simple villain to hate, but someone to laugh at and actually like a bit, so we would identify just a little with that kind of thinking- and maybe find a it little stupider and laughable in ourselves. Randy Newman sang about "short people" having "no reason to live:" a perfectly ridiculous, unbelievably exaggerated prejudice that made those who got the joke laugh at the general stupidity of prejudices of all kinds- but a lot of people didn't get the sarcasm. And "Married with Children" gave us an entire dysfunctional family to identify with and learn from, as they reflected the new lack of caring and general selfish neglect of the needs of others that was permeating society since the "Me Decade" of the seventies seemed to become the "Me Era-" but many people just identified with the lack of caring rather than laugh at it's shameful ridiculousness.
In all these cases, there was a vocal protest from people who just couldn't "get" that the "heros" of these pieces were not supposed to be identified with as "right" but as totally and completely WRONG.
Jerry Seinfeld even felt he had to write a final episode of his sitcom that ended with his entire cast being thrown in jail after being tried and convicted of being too self-obsessed and uncaring- because so much of his audience didn't seem to be "getting" that their actions were supposed to be laughed at as shamefully ridiculous, not copied as normal.
For those of us who always "got" these sorts of shows, it's extremely frustrating to watch people get upset at the very insights they should be laughing at and learning from.
So, finally "Tropic Thunder" presents a bunch of EXTREMELY flawed Hollywood actors- totally self-obsessed, drug addicted, self-deceiving, out-of-touch with reality- and has them doing stupid things that we laugh at. Including the use of the "R" word, much as Archie Bunker used the "N" word. Folks, GET it! The characters are clearly portrayed as JERKS, so they're not telling us to agree with them and think this is all right, they're telling us only JERKS use the "R" word. The writer (Ben Stiller) is actually on the side of all that is right and good, and understood Literature 101, "the flawed protagonist."
Now go ahead, go to the theater and appreciate this very funny movie.
-Bruce Bennett
1 comment:
I LOVED TT, and was surprised to learn of the controv after I saw it. Good points, all, and liked your references.
Post a Comment