Can’t be Bothered to Read ? Don’t worry we got you covered, go check out the Video of this Article.
Despite how beautiful our world is, human beings have always been plagued with distasteful emotions that has led to a horrible history of wars, prejudice, discrimination and racial injustice. Even in modern times where there’s active laws and systems put in place to fight against inequality, it seems that racial tension is still loud and very present even in our most evolved state. But there’s one group of people in society that use this to their benefit, a group that isn’t afraid to really lean into stereotypes and speak loudly about our racial differences, in fact it’s their bread and butter. Comedians have always been famous for pushing boundaries and for finding creative ways to make light of negative situations. Hollywood has been utilizing racial tension for decades, some portrayals of race are just distasteful and damn right insulting and others seem to walk that fine line between hella racist and brilliant social commentary.
today we’re going to be taking a look at Robert Downey Jr’s portrayal of a African American sergeant, in the satirical action comedy, Tropic Thunder. We’ll also be diving into the 90s Action/Comedy, Rush Hour; starring Chris tucker and the legendary Jackie Chan. Both movies were released in a less sensitive era and no cancel culture meant less consequences surrounding content that could be classed as offensive. Some content from this era did NOT age well. But this freedom also left lots of room for more bold, raw, creative expression in entertainment that had something important to say about society. So, why are both these movies still loved by fans despite the sensitive racial humor ? In which context is racial humor and stereotypes acceptable ? And how does a movie tastefully execute a racial joke in a way that adds to the story and says something deeper about the world we live in ?
Let’s start with Tropical Thunder ! Ben Stiller sat down one day and said, “I’ve been in Hollywood for a hot minute now, starring in huge movies alongside some of the biggest actors in the game, now wouldn’t it be hilarious if I made a movie about these actors and how they take themselves far too seriously” ? And so Tropic Thunder was born, a film centred around a group of egotistical actors attempting to finish a War movie in a forest that happens to be desperately close to a real life terrorist group. When the director drops them off in the middle of a war zone in order to capture the “authentic experience” the actors struggle to come to terms with the fact that they’re no longer shooting a movie and this war has become real. There are many elements of this movie that’s brilliant. We have an awesome all-star cast and everyone in the movie seems to fearlessly take the comedy as far as they can, no safety wheels, just absurd scenarios, offensive humor and dangerously accurate portrayals of the reality of the entertainment industry.
But without a doubt, the stand out performance was from none other than Iron Man himself. In the movie Robert Downey Jr. plays an Australian actor named Kirk Lazarus, who is an esteemed award winning actor casted to play an African American character, named sergeant Lincoln Osiris. Yes, Robert Downey Jr is doing black face for this role, how the hell did he get away with this?! And why the hell does everyone love him is this hella racist role ?!
Answer. Because the role itself isn’t racist, the humor isn’t directed at Black people as a race, it’s actually pointing a figure at the absurdity of method acting and how ridiculously far Kirk goes in order to embody this character, to the point where he forgets who the hell he is. Robert’s acting is incredible as he fully leans into the stereotype and comedy surrounding the foolishness of this mindset. The true reason why this role works is because of Brandon T. Jackson’s character, in the movie he plays an opinionated rapper who has just recently gone into acting, and he’s a pivotal part of why this isn’t seen as problematical movie, he’s there to reaction for the audience and call out just how ridiculous Kirk is and the fact that he’s a White Australian actor that’s been picked to play a Black Man.
Alpa Chino never shys away from challenging Kirk on his craziness, especially at the point where it’s been clearly established that they are no longer filming the movie and they’re stuck in a real war zone, but the funny thing is Kirk refuses to come out of character ! He has embodied the roles so much that he’s even getting offended by any slightly racist remarks and refusing to acknowledge the fact that he’s not black. The reason this movie is brilliant and the racial humour works, is because the audience is left laughing at Kirk and Roberts excellent portrayal of him, it focuses on the absurdity of method acting and those that get so deep into a performance that they strip themselves of all logic and ethics, it also comments on how weird that this is socially accepted in Hollywood. We are left laughing at Kirk as a actor rather than laughing at Black people as a race, which is the reason why it’s an example of tasteful racial humour.
Now let’s take a look at Rush Hour ! This movie was released at a critical point in time, Black and Asian-American representation was at an all-time low in blockbuster movies. So when both Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan landed on the big screen, it became both historically impactful and an exciting point in time. This movie definitely doesn’t shy away from racial tension, in fact it’s at the forefront of the narrative and each punch line. Carter and Lee both meet each other with prejudice and disinterest, they’ve been forced together, and are being pushed aside on a big case that involves the kidnapping of a young Chinese girl. Shout out to Soo Yung !!
Carter assumes Lee doesn’t speak English and looks at him like a child he’s been forced to babysit, whereas Lee looks at Carter like a loud mouthed fool who he’s desperate to get away from, both underestimate each other and prejudge each other based on race and first impressions, so the jokes and insults also stem from this place. But we begin to see the chemistry and the friendship forming over their chaotic time together, despite their playful banter they both start learning about each other’s cultures and coming to respect each other along the course of the movie, moving from a place of ignorance to a place of brotherhood. Probably some jokes that wouldn’t fly in this day and age, but the heart of the movie is strong and meant a lot to the Black and Asian communities at the time. The union of these two minority groups, mixed in with fun action scenes, great casting and the playfulness around the racial tension, seemed to both shed light on these issues and slightly lighten tension surrounding them.
We all know racism is bad, racial prejudice, discrimination and stereotypes are often ways to tear communities apart, but there is power in calling out these issues, shedding light on our differences in order to begin appreciating each other’s cultures; if done properly, with class and good intentions, racial humor can often be a useful bridge to connect communities and different races, no matter our skin tones and birth places, there’s one thing we all have in common, we all love to laugh, so why not laugh together.
Thank you for reading and don’t forget to comment your thoughts down below. Keep opening yourself up to new cultures and stay respectful.
MOVIE MSFIT 
Leave a comment