द टक्सीडो

Disappointingly, this film was a step down for both Jackie Chan and Jennifer-Love, whom I actually idolize. Chan was trying to be funny while being 'manipulated' by the tux, but turned out to be corny (at least for me). I'm not sure if he's already too old for the job, but if he goes on with his upcoming movies like that, his name will just fade away from the movie industry, and the likes of Jet Li will very much make a better replacement for him.

The movie also proved that Love-Hewitt wasn't a comedienne after all. She's no match to Reese Witherspoon when it comes to actress versatility (the latter can do both funny and sad movies). She should just stick to drama or other pretty-girl films.

I like this movie now more than when I first saw it.

The movie is really a mixture of Hong Kong style action with Hollywood style production. And it has Jackie Chan style humor that goes with it.

When this movie was made Jennifer Hewitt was still a relative unknown, and it seemed odd that she was Jackie Chan's sidekick. She kind of lacked the softness or sexiness of a woman at the time, and didn't soften the touch of the team. But now she's well known, and it's much easier to pick out her signature style of being the "Brain".

It's amazing to see Jackie Chan mimicking the move that's supposedly the work of the "Tuxedo". Human Jackie Chan is making the tuxedo look like it's making the human Jackie Chan move like super human.

Maybe teaming Jennifer Hewitt with Jackie Chan was bit experimental at the time, but after a decade, I can see how beautifully this movie is made, and how interesting the action is with Jackie and Jennifer as a team.

* 1/2 out of ****

When it comes to pure charisma, the only Hong Kong actor who matches with Jackie Chan is Chow Yun-Fat (who is, overall, probably a better actor). What is it about Chan that appeals to so many people? It's not only that he does all his stunts for real, but he seems like a natural, care-free, fun-loving kind of guy. In every film he's been in, you can't help but notice his enthusiasm, even when he's starring in crap.

And thus we segue to The Tuxedo, a sort-of spy spoof which Chan stars as Jimmy Tong, a reckless taxi driver with a crush on a woman working in an art exhibition. Because of his top-notch driving skills, he's hired as Clark Devlin's (Jason Isaacs) personal driver. Devlin is one suave fellow, with a fine tuxedo to boot, but he falls into a coma after an incident involving an explosive.

Tong, as his good friend and employee, feels obligated to find out what happened to his boss so he dresses himself in Devlin's tuxedo, which apparently enables the wearer superhuman ability and agility. Posing as Devlin, Tong partners with a secret agent named Del Blaine (Jennifer Love Hewitt) to expose a crime to poison the world's water supply.

For a good twenty or so minutes, the film is actually pretty enjoyable fluff, with a cool car "chase," which is really just Chan driving real fast, but fun to watch, nonetheless. However, once Hewitt is introduced as Chan's partner, the whole thing goes downhill with mindless blather about water. It seems the villain intends to poison the world's water supply so that only his bottled water is safe.

Utter stupidity of the plan aside (poison water, ecosystem...dead, anyone?), it's just not the kind of set-up we want for a Chan flick. This isn't the first film he's posed as a secret agent (see the far superior First Strike or Who am I?) but this time around, it ultimately drags the picture down. For one thing, the film's most interesting character isn't Chan, it's Isaacs' Clark Devlin, who really is a cool and suave individual (Isaac himself has always been a very underrated actor).

Chan is his enthusiastic self as usual, but when it comes to performing nifty stunts, forget it, the stuff here looks too manipulated, which entirely defeats the charm of watching Jackie Chan take on countless opponents. The humor isn't very good, either, with relentlessly predictable jokes ("nice rack") and an astonishingly digressive segment involving Chan performing like James Brown, which is cringe-worthy, to say the least.

Last, and possibly least, there's Jennifer Love Hewitt, who's a fairly pretty actress and as far as genuine talent goes...well, I've seen much worse (Denise Richards, I'm looking at you). But here, she's just annoying, called on by the script to do nothing but whine and complain. Worse yet, the movie never even opts to give us a good cleavage shot, which might have made the more annoying bits bearable.

As far as story goes, the plot is lame, the villains make zero impression, and the gadgets...well, the tuxedo IS the gadget and it's not a very impressive one, at that. For superior martial arts entertainment, check out First Strike or Who am I?

I am surprised by how low rated this film is. Don't think. Just laugh.

Jackie Chan dryly pokes fun at action film clichés. He plays a non-hero, an unassuming regular guy who can't meet a girl, or do anything except drive, who gets sucked into a ridiculous situation.

Completely unbelievable and ridiculous. Not great cinema. All action movies are that way; this is funny because of the low-key irony.

Even Jennifer Love Hewitt seems deliberately miscast, but hilarious as she vacillates between superintelligent nerd, ditz, valley girl and superheroine.

We prefer this to Austin Powers with its completely over-the-top, zero subtlety. Here the sexual innuendo would not be missed by a teenager, but would go right over the head of kids, making it a film any age could enjoy. But you have to want to laugh, not critique.

Like so many others, a long time adherent of the Jackie Chan style of cinema - I even got a kick as it were, out of the ubiquitous WHO AM I? Again like others I had looked forward to (admittedly with growing trepidation) to THE TUXEDO, despite my utter contempt, dislike and physical animosity towards the unswervingly vacant Miss Love Hewitt. But people, there is simply no justification for this movie's existence.. not that this segregates it much from so many other films these days? (and given that I'm seeing THE HOT CHICK tonight, I don't hold out much hope of any late cinematic change!)

THE TUXEDO is formula film-making...NOT to be confused with formula Jackie Chan film-making which I and many others were hoping to see. Sure, the odd laugh surfaces (most sink without trace)..Jackie produces his trademark martial arts lunacy - but it never gels! The script is a stinker. the aerial combats stale and plain stupid and about the only reason one could manufacture to see this thing is the dubious opportunity of watching Chan do the Jackie Brown!

Its not enough! Rent out either RUSH HOUR'S instead! You would be doing yourself a favor!