Tropic Thunder is arguably Ben Stiller’s most controversial title by far, but may be one of the actor’s best movies, depending on who you ask. The edgy comedy aimed its sights at poking fun at those actors willing to do virtually anything to win an award, but had mixed reviews. The reception was hot-button even back in its 2008 premiere due to its use of Blackface and offensive language regarding disabled people. Although Stiller has previously stood by the parody film, he has an honest answer about the likelihood of Tropic Thunder getting greenlit today.
The actor/director sat down with Collider to talk mostly about Stiller’s excellent crime-drama, Escape at Dannemora, but he also expounded on past, present and future projects of his. When asked about whether or not he thought that the outlandish action comedy would be possible today he had a very frank answer. He also revealed and credited Tropic Thunder seeing the light of day to a big-name director. He said:
I doubt it. Obviously, in this environment, edgier comedy is just harder to do. Definitely not at the scale we made it at, too, in terms of the economics of the business. I think even at the time we were fortunate to get it made, and I credit that, actually, to Steven Spielberg and DreamWorks. He read it and was like, “Alright, let’s make this thing.” It’s a very inside movie when you think about it.
The possibility of Tropic Thunder being made today seems virtually impossible unless there was a monumental overhaul of the script, and rightfully so. I do understand the angle and can see the humor in the idea, but the reality of what the movie is and the choices made just aren’t galvanized enough to say anything relevant to modern audiences.
Later, Ben Stiller weighed in on the choice of Robert Downey Jr.’s character’s use of Blackface, which the Iron Man star has reflected on before. He shared the thought behind it and how the angle was apparent enough that it wasn’t meant in any ill fashion:
But yeah, the idea of Robert playing that character who’s playing an African American character, I mean, incredibly dicey. Even at the time, of course, it was dicey too. The only reason we attempted it was I felt like the joke was very clear in terms of who that joke was on — actors trying to do anything to win awards. But now, in this environment, I don’t even know if I would have ventured to do it, to tell you the truth. I’m being honest.
It was more than dicey, to say the very least. The Reality Bites director seems to be coming to terms with the idea that not even the “right storyline” and “angle” can hold up anything that has much deeper weight to it. The honesty of his statement is nice to hear, and I’m glad he is this open about such a controversial piece of his work.
Beyond the 2008 film and how it’d be received today, Ben Stiller has plenty ahead for audiences–including an Adam Sandler sequel. His film return happens soon on our 2024 movie schedule with the film Nutcrackers which will be available with a Hulu subscription. And of course, we’re all anxiously looking forward to Severance Season 2, including Stiller along with his reunion with Adam Sandler on Happy Gilmore 2. Let’s just hope the 58-year-old continues to weigh in on about projects ahead.
If you’d like to watch Tropic Thunder, you can do so with a Paramount+ subscription. I you’d like to watch Escape at Dannemora, you can so with a Netflix subscription.