BRADY BUNCH - BRADY BUNCH STAR BOYCOTTS STILLER'S THUNDER

BRADY BUNCH STAR BOYCOTTS STILLER'S THUNDER

Former BRADY BUNCH pin-up MAUREEN MCCORMICK has pledged to boycott BEN STILLER's war comedy TROPIC THUNDER as part of a protest about the film's use of the word retard.
The actress has joined activists who are protesting the movie's controversial scenes, which poke fun at the disabled.
The protesters were out in force at the film's Hollywood premiere earlier this month (Aug08).
In a blog post, MCCormick writes, "I haven't seen the movie and I won't go see the movie because of what I've heard, but I want to add my two cents to the opinions on whether it's offensive to the mentally challenged.
"I know Ben Stiller has said that he's making fun of actors, not people with disabilities. Still, the movie is geared toward a younger crowd and I fear a lot of those teenagers and college students will leave the theater thinking 'r**ard' is (an) okay word to use. It's not. It's taken years to get people to stop using that word."
Disability advocacy groups are calling for a boycott of the film, which is America's current box office favourite, after taking offense to a scene in the film, in which Stiller and Robert Downey Jr.'s characters discuss how to play a special needs person.
MCCormick, who has a mentally handicapped brother, is a supporter of Best Buddies - an organisation designed to enhance the lives of those with intellectual disabilities.