Film has the potential to be a dangerous medium. If a certain portrayal is convincing enough, it can cement false stereotypes in the minds of viewers. For example, the idea that all Arabs are terrorists or that electric cars prefer the exclusive company of homosexuals. That’s why religious and social watchdog groups are quick to protest movies that offend their sensibilities. Here are nine examples.

Tropic Thunder

Designed to be risque, the comedy Tropic Thunder was protested and boycotted by advocates for people with intellectual disabilities.  Taking aim at dramas where the leads portray the mentally handicapped, the satire showed Ben Stiller‘s character as an actor trying to take a dramatic turn in the film within the film, Simple Jack. Problems arose from the film’s liberal use of the word “retard.” Oddly enough, no one was really rubbed the wrong way by Robert Downey Jr.‘s performance in black face.

The Siege

Though they missed the point of the film, Arab American groups were upset by the plot of The Siege. The Council On American-Islamic Relations felt the film’s portrayal of Muslims and Arabs as terrorists was dangerous in the sense that it would impress that belief upon American audiences. Director Edward Zwick refused to edit the material which was actually a plee for racial tolerance and condemnation of the use of martial law.

Silent Night, Deadly Night

The success of Halloween led to an overabundance of holiday-themed slasher films. But you just don’t mess with Santa. The public assembled outside of theaters screening Silent Night, Deadly Night and threatened to boycott newspapers that carried ads for the film. Hollywood got the message and eased up the holiday-centric fare. Otherwise, the plot of Groundhog’s Day would have been radically different.

Honestly, what the hell happened to Vince Vaughn? And no, I’m not making a joke about his weight. If I lived in Chicago and had access to the Italian beef and sausage combo on a daily basis, my ass would look a lot like Queen Latifah’s, so there’s no judgment there. Wha I am making a joke about is his career, which is also starting to look a lot like Queen Latifah’s.

It’s not like Vaughn was the next Peter Sellers, but he did star in some memorable films: Swingers, Old School, and Anchor Man, to name a few. His last decent film, The Wedding Crashers, was a critical and commercial success, bringing in close to $300 million. But it’s been six years since Vaughn’s been in something that didn’t suck less on screen than Chloë Sevigny. His latest film, The Dilemma, is currently tanking at the box office, which is due in no small part to the fact that it’s rocking a 25% favorable rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Critical reception isn’t everything, especially for a comedy. But considering that 25% is more than double what his last film scored, it’s clearly not an isolated incident.

Of his four previous films*, The Break-Up is the highest rated at 34%. Fours Christmases is next with 25%, followed by Fred Claus at 21% and rounded out with Couples Retreat at a whopping 12%. If you combine all four of those scores, the total is still seven points below Toy Story 3. I understand that not every attempt is going to be a hit. Making a film is extremely difficult work, and it’s easy for an asshole hack like myself to sit in my underwear and criticize via the Internet. But the fact that it’s easy for me to criticize doesn’t mean I’m wrong. Vaughn’s last five years of work are an embarrassment by any reasonable standard.

So, what caused Vaughn to pull an Adam Sandler? While there’s no telling for sure, it’s worth noting that Vaughn and his sister Victoria began Wild West Picture Show Productions in 2006, and the company was responsible for the five turds we’ve already discussed. This could just be a coincidence, but all things considered, it would be one hell of a fluke. Maybe the added responsibility of producing has clouded Vaughn’s judgment. Or perhaps he simply gave up all pretense of making a quality product and is now worried only about the bottom line. In either case, any moron (like myself) who knows how to use IMDB can spot the correlation between Vaughn’s career as a producer and a dramatic drop in the quality of his films.

To be clear, Vaughn is not only likable, but talented. That’s what makes the whole situation so frustrating. To see the guy who played Beanie Campbell in Old School sharing the screen with Paul Blart is depressing, and the fact that it’s in a romantic comedy just adds insult to injury. It’s one thing to see a struggling/washed up actor doing crap films to make ends meet. But Vaughn can literally do anything he wants, and he chooses to make Couples Retreat.

There may be hope for Vaughn, as there are rumors of an upcoming project with director David O. Russell. Although to put things into perspective, Ron Howard directed The Dilemma, so even a good director is no guarantee. But whatever happens, it’s high time Vince Vaughn decided to, once again, start making comedies that are actually funny.

Actually, scratch that. It’s high time Vaughn decided to start acting in comedies that are actually funny. He should leave the producing to someone else.

* Note: Into the Wild was not included because Vaughn did not have a starring role.

In other news, The Green Hornet’s next nemesis might be Vince Vaughn, whose Ron Howard-directed romantic comedy The Dilemma had to settle for second-best, making $17.4 million, which you math wizards already know is about half the weekend gross of The Green Hornet.

In the “exciting” world of limited release, the only shining light in Paul Giamatti in Barney’s Version (for which he won a Golden Globe last night), which made $17,925 per screen on four screens. Four screens! It’s like when an election is really close and you wonder if maybe the results would have been different if you’d voted. (The AV Club)

From Academy Award winning director Ron Howard comes a January movie. The Dilemma is about a dilemma that’s very real, but it’s not funny. So they fill the movie with contrived B.S. that’s also not funny.

Ronny (Vince Vaughn) and Nick (Kevin James) are couple friends. They’re best friends but they always hang out with their significant others too — Ronny’s wife Geneva (Winona Ryder) and Nick’s girlfriend Beth (Jennifer Connelly). They talk about what it takes to really know someone, and they dance because you liked Kevin James dancing in Hitch.

Nick and Ronny have a car idea for GM. That’s the big job they work on in between relationship issues. I always wonder who comes up with the jobs people do in movies when they don’t actually matter. Did screenwriter Allan Loeb really think, “I really want to tell the story of electric engine designers in crisis?” Or did he say, “Let Ron Howard figure out what they do for a living.”

While scouting a location for his own proposal, Ronny catches Geneva making out with a dude we’ll later learn is Zip (Channing Tatum). Does he tell his best friend? Would it be more human to wait until all the pressure of the GM deal is over? Well, it’s a movie so any mature decision Ronny could make is off the table.

Remember when Vince Vaughn used to keep it real? No gimmicks, just breaking the tension of real relationships with comedy. To fill out two hours in The Dilemma, he has to fall into some poison plants that make his pee hurt, argue over the audience trick shot at a hockey game, and climb trees to spy on Zip.

Vaughn is out of things to riff about, so he does the speech from Miracle. Ronny makes up lies about what trouble he’s been in because he can’t tell Beth he’s planning a proposal and he can’t tell Nick what he knows. Dropping a wad of cash (intended for a ring) and keeping secrets make it look like Ronny’s gambling again. Misunderstanding circumstances is not the same as a joke.

The women give some powerhouse performances though. Geneva shows Ronny how she can turn on the tears if she has to claim Ronny made a pass at her to cover her ass. It’s pretty evil, but evil is not funny. Beth is the most amazing girlfriend ever. In the face of ridiculous behavior, she wants to be supportive and Ronny’s the ass to refuse. Queen Latifah talks about her lady wood in an embarrassing bit part, and it’s so funny that she says it twice. But Connelly and Ryder make something out of this nonsense.

There is some good drama in the resolution, but this ain’t the drama version. They had their chance to make a drama and they made the wrong choice.

^{Artist rendering.}

You wouldn’t know it by the trailer for his most recent movie, but Ron Howard is a protector of comedy. The director won’t cave to the pressure that GLAAD is applying to edit the offensive Vince Vaughn line "Electric cars are gay," from both advertising and the final version of The Dilemma. He’s quoted as saying:

&quot’The Dilemma‘ is a comedy for grown-ups, not kids.  It’s true that the moment took on extra significance in light of some events that surrounded the release of the trailer and the studio made the decision to remove it from advertising, which I think was appropriate.  I believe in sensitivity but not censorship. I feel that our film is taking additional heat as an emblem for many movies and TV shows that preceded it that have even more provocative characterizations and language. It is a slight moment in THE DILEMMA meant to demonstrate an aspect of our lead character’s personality, and we never expected it to represent our intentions or the point of view of the movie or those of us who made it."

Very well put. When reached for comment, Vince Vaughn added:

"This pressure is gay."

And then Kevin James made out with a sandwich. (LA Times)

^{SOMEBODY GOT TOLD.}

Like all great vanguards, Vince Vaughn has come under fire for his radical views. The funniest part of the unfunny trailer for The Dilemma features Vaughn addressing a room with the line, "Electric cars… are gay," and now, a month later, controversy has sparked.

Rumored electric car lover Anderson Cooper went on "Ellen" and flagged the line as offensive. "I was shocked that not only they put it in the movie," Cooper told DeGeneres. "But that they thought that it was okay to put that in a preview for the movie to get people to go and see it." Just like the trailer for Vaughn’s Couple’s Retreat, the offensive material will be removed. Not to defend Vaughn’s fictional choice of words, but I have to agree he has a point. A car you plug into the wall? C’mon. (Deadline)

From Academy Award-Winning Director Ron Howard comes… a movie where Vince Vaughn gets poison ivy on his schlong. And Channing Tatum probably gets worse when he puts his in Winona Ryder. Despite the Farrelly-esque setups, The Dilemma looks funny. Hate on Vince Vaughn all you want but the man flawlessly delivers the line, "Ladies and gentlemen, electric cars… are gay."

Back to schlongs, Queen Latifah mentions that she’s sporting "ladywood." Cute, but I’d have called it a "HERection." I’m not an Academy Award winner though, so what do I know?

Check out the trailer after the jump…

The Dilemma Trailer – Watch more Movie Trailers

USAToday has a first look at Ron Howard’s new film, The Dilemma. It stars Vince Vaughn as a guy who discovers that his best friend’s (Kevin James) wife (Winona Ryder) is cheating on him with Channing Tatum. Not the real Channing Tatum, but the character he plays. In case you’re confused as to where this movie came from, it used to be called Cheaters.

It’s great to see Ron Howard taking on a comedy again. I’ve grown weary of his religious projects with Tom Hanks in long, stringy hair. Hopefully The Dilemma will be more Parenthood than EdTV. I’d also like to mention that the above scene takes place at Chicago’s famous hot dog joint, Weiner Circle. A more dangerous place to bring Vaughn and James I cannot think of.