The Tuxedo (2002)

Directed by: Kevin Donovan | 95 minutes | action, comedy, science fiction | Actors: Jackie Chan, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Jason Isaacs, Debi Mazar, Ritchie Coster, Peter Stormare, Mia Cottet, Romany Malco, Daniel Kash, Jody Racicot, Boyd Banks, Scott Wickware, Christian Potenza, Karen Glave, Scott Yaphe, Paul Bates , Noah Danby, Cecile Cristobal, Colin Mochrie, Kim Roberts

‘The Tuxedo’ is Hollywood’s sequel to Jackie Chan’s hit films like ‘Rush Hour’ and ‘Shanghai Noon’. Jackie Chan, the man with perhaps the most aliases in the world (check IMDB for the list at ‘also known as’) forms an unusual and unlikely couple in ‘The Tuxedo’ together with Jennifer Love Hewitt (‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’, ‘Heartbreakers’). Chan’s qualities, fight scenes in combination with humor, are unfortunately not fully exploited in this film. However, fans of Jennifer Love Hewitt, especially those who are attracted to her good looks, can feast their eyes on the outfits she wears. Her comedic talent, which she has, as witnessed by her performance in ‘Heartbreakers’, is not fully expressed in this film, but that could also be a shortcoming in the script. Her character is not very endearing, she rather plays a large spoiled child, with whom the viewer cannot and does not want to identify. However, the chemistry between the two is there, the fun they had in filming makes that they also form a strange, yet funny buddy team on screen.

The idea of ​​a costume that gives its wearer all sorts of powers is pretty crazy and doesn’t provide enough foundation for an interesting movie. It would be like having one of Q’s gimmicks star in a James Bond movie. The plot with the villain who plans to contaminate all drinking water with a bacteria so that he creates a monopoly for his own drinking water is nice in itself, but far-fetched. Of course, that’s not a disaster in a movie, which is only intended to entertain.

However, the film only partially entertains. Scenes that may be meant to be comical, such as the previously mentioned villain’s girlfriend horny for Chan (“Oh emperor,” she moans to the point of annoying) and the part where James Brown is accidentally knocked out so Chan takes over for a while, may be of no avail. The action scenes, the reason why you should actually watch a Jackie Chan movie, are too few. The few stunts that are in the film make it worth watching. Also, the special effects used in the scenes after someone drinks the contaminated water are well done. However, it is only small patches that manage to embellish this costume.