We Weren't Wrong About 'I Am Sam' But We Are About Mental Disabilities in Movies

"Tropic Thunder" made a point, but it also showcased ableism at the box office

I’ve spent this week working on a chapter in my upcoming book Popcorn Disability about the filmic history of what Tropic Thunder referred to as going “full retard.” (A note: I do not condone or use this word but will use it when quoted in Tropic Thunder.) As Tropic Thunder laid it out, movies focused on characters with mental disabilities require them to be aesthetically pleasing to an abled audiences’ eye and be of use to able-bodied characters.

“Dustin Hoffman, 'Rain Man,' look retarded, act retarded, not retarded. Counted toothpicks, cheated cards. Autistic, sho'. Not retarded. You know Tom Hanks, 'Forrest Gump.' Slow, yes. Retarded, maybe. Braces on his legs. But he charmed the pants off Nixon and he won a ping-pong competition. That ain't retarded. He was a goddamn war hero.” -Tropic Thunder

When Tropic Thunder came out in 2008 there was a lot of discourse around the use of the R-word which ended up obscuring the content the script was focused on: that movies about the mentally disabled require non-neurodivergent actors to engage in pantomime and mimicry, crafting characters that would prevent audiences from being too uncomfortable with them. (I wrote about it during the film’s 10th anniversary.) Tom Hanks doesn’t engage in specific mannerisms that turn an audience off and is presented as likable and of use to those around him (he literally is a generationally wealthy guy who makes his friends wealthy, too). Dustin Hoffman’s Ray can help bring his brother Charlie (Tom Cruise) some quick cash. These characters aren’t making audiences feel bad about the state of mental disability.

When I told people about this chapter many asked if I’d be watching I Am Sam, the movie that Tropic Thunder cited as proof that if an actor goes too far into imitating a mentally disabled person, and makes the audience uncomfortable, it fails.