I thought it wasn't racist at all. Robert Downey was so fucking good that I wanted to jump up and do a backflip, but I seriously don't know how.
I don't understand the hype about Tom Cruise. His role was easy. All he had to do was yell. Robert's roles was hard to nail.
Loved the "commercials" at the beggining.
Hated the gay jokes, though.

i haven't seen it. but i know a lot of people are calling for a boycott of it due to the intense use of the word "retard" and general cruelty towards people with developmental disabilities.
see: http://www.washingtonpost.com/.....01869.html
and also see: http://jfactivist.typepad.com/.....ie-on.html
i haven't seen the movie, but i have seen the ways that people are totally awful to people with developmental disabilities, so i pretty much believe it.

elizabeth I think you could've linked back to mollygood on that also.

did tom cruise have his signature loud laughfest in this film? i can't think of a film where he doesn't do the big crazy laugh.

elizabeth- People are awful to people with developmental disabilities. But this movie makes fun of the characters for using the word "retard" and for misrepresenting the mentally challenged in Simple Jack. Did you see how I flipped when someone made THAT FUCKING WARPED joke about Tyra being like she is "mentally retarded"? I liked this movie.
Don't let the activist decide for you.
PS
MG covered those protests already.

Oh, I'm sure some beg to differ. The sort of people who can't understand that Sarah Silverman does satire.

I get the Sarah Silverman thing overall but I totally don't get the singing out of her vagina thing.

I refuse to see a movie with Tom Cruise in it in the theater. I don't want to support him in any way. That and I have no money.

sar- Some of her stuff isn't funny. I agree, that Amazing Grace song sucks. But I love her delivery… and some of her jokes are wonderful satire…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GA72qW1P9NQ
(it's real short)

I saw this movie yesterday and the only thing I really enjoyed was Robert Downey Jr. He is amazing. I loved his character and I dont think it was racist at all. I do think the term 'blackface' is a tad archaic. But overall… the movie wasn't that funny.
I did love Tom Cruise's big hairy hands though.

if anyone should be offended by robert downey jr.'s role, it should be russell crowe and any other self-important method actor (australian or otherwise). ditto for actors like sean penn and cuba gooding jr. who think playing a person with mental retardation=oscar gold.

and can someone please tell me where i can buy a bust-a-nut bar?

I have a feeling that if I don't go see this movie then I will miss out on some of the inside jokes and be out of the loop.

/dammit

Worst movie ever.

Worst ever?? Did you ever see Fresh Horses, hissingsissing?? If you did, you may change your vote. For the record, I thought the movie was good buy RDJ was AMAZING!!

i meant but not buy

Any form of blackface is inappropriate. Racism these days is more subtle and undercover. His Blackface implies what it means to be a black man. It sends off a certain attitude of what it means to be black, in a socially constructed way. What? Just because Robert Downey wasn't being blatantly racist doesn't mean his role doesn't set us back 300 years in stereotypes about Black people.

You know what was also pretty funny???
"Saving Grace", those crazy Irish, growing, selling and smoking green, and who doesn't want to see Craig Ferguson as a grave digger…I do!

Shit! That man set us back 300 years. Now we have to start from scratch teaching everyone about equality! Auuugh why did people take that movie to heart!!

saving grace is one of the best movies ever.

tropic thunder was hilarious.

it's one thing to pan a movie as offensive after seeing it. quite another to pan the movie and "believe" critics without seeing the movie and making up your own mind. would you ever do that in another context? like wedding dress shopping? food critic? "yeah, i didn't try the surf and turf, but the people at the next table enjoyed it, so i believe it's the best surf and turf in town."

I find it hard to believe that anyone who saw the movie could think that it set us back 300 years. I'm part of the "us." I say it highlights some of the problems black actors face in hollywood. Hiring white dudes to play black dudes. He's a dude dressed up like a dude pretending to be another dude. I mean the whole exchange at the end between Stiller and Downey slaps you in the face with the irony of it all. I don't see how that sets us back.

Did you see the movie? If you did, then I guess I just disagree with you.

STM that reminds me of the whole Golden Compass hubbub. It seemed like tons of people who saw the movie changed their tune about what it was "about."

"His Blackface implies what it means to be a black man. "
I guess I am confused by this statement. His blackface pretty much meant that he looked like a black man instead of a white man. So yeah… I guess it was implied. I find it funny when people can dress up and emmulate any other race but African Americans. Well, funny is the wrong word. I'm sure someone out there knows a black guy who acts just like RDJ in his 'blackface.' I'm sure there is someone out there who knows the douche-y country club white guy Dave Chappelle plays. It's a character. Not a statement about an entire group of people. And I hate to say it, but stereotypes came about because there is some truth to them. Not everyone fits them, but you can't tell me that you know a lot of people who do.

Thanks stop the madness, I was trying to stop the madness of this conversation! Lighten folks!
Yours truly,
MOCT!
AKA
a black woman

"AKA a black woman."

ha! that's funny.

sincerely,

STM
AKA
another black woman.

Ha, ha! And, I meant "lighten up"!

Tastycar - I, too, generally refer people to "Fresh Horses" when discussing the worst movie ever. Cheers.

No. 15 Well… - RDJ's character's blackface did imply what it meant to be a black man - and the real black man (character) in the movie called him out on a lot of shit. That's half the point.

Something like "American History X" was not panned as a racist movie because it featured racist characters. This shouldn't be either. Same thing goes for the discussion in the movie of mentally disabled people.

The whole point of Robert Downey Jr.'s role was to satirize the racism so prevalent in the movie industry and make obvious through absurdity the difficulty black men have getting parts. You know, "Hollywood is so racist they will give the part of a black man to a white man."

Kudos to people not getting it. I would normally say subtlety isn't your strong suit, but this wasn't even subtle.