I guess the concept for this movie was going off the theory that the clothes make the man in Jackie Chan’s (Rush Hour 2) latest action comedy, The Tuxedo. Chan is Jimmy Tong, New York cab driver hopelessly smitten by an art gallery sales woman who is way out of his league. Tong is clumsy, lacking confidence and uncouth. Well uncouth is a little harsh, but wearing a Hooters T-shirt to ask out his dream girl is a bit boorish. Well the whole lunch invite does not go off, but Steena (Debi Mazar, Hush) gets into his cab and offers to double the fare if he can get her to her location before she finishes putting on her makeup. With creative driving and speed they arrive just as promised. She offers him a lucrative driving post for Clark Devlin (Jason Isaacs, Windtalkers), secret agent.

Devlin’s partner just showed up dead, he was on assignment at the Banning Water Bottling company where he was murdered when someone placed a bag over his head and filled it with water and he drowned, or did he? When the secret agents were going over what killed one of their agents, Del Blaine (Jennifer Love Hewitt, Heartbreakers) an annoying outspoken tart behind a lab coat and glasses volunteers that he did not drown, he died from dehydration. They assign her Devlin for her first case. Yes I know I told you the bag was filled with water. Tong is getting to know his ultra smooth boss and observes how good he is with the ladies. Then he is informed it is 90% clothes and 10% you. So Devlin tells Steena to order Tong a sexy suit because he likes him. Later that evening while exiting a Burger King drive thru, which was a cover for exchanging top-secret info, they are chased by a skateboarder with a bomb. Even though they get out of the car, Devlin is seriously injured in the exit. He tells Tong to wear his tux and gives him a clue on what he was working on. Turns out this tux can make you dance, fight, walk up walls and whatever else you might want to do as a secret agent. So Tong pretends to be Devlin and Blaine hooks up with him to solve the assignment, going after Diedrich Banning (Ritchie Coster, 15 Minutes). So while they both bumble their way through this case the tuxedo provided the comic relief.

Chan should stick to obnoxious male sidekicks because this annoying bitchy female thing was just that annoying. Love-Hewitt was not cute or perky in this film, she was mouthy and combatant. Hell even her boobs weren’t perky. Too much time spent in those spandex mini dresses and yeah even her chest is starting to droop. Well I guess it is a good thing she can sing because she sure can’t act. Also appearing in this Kevin Donovan directed film were Peter Stormare (Minority Report), Daniel Kash (Don’t Say a Word) Boyd Banks, Cecile Crisobal and Colin Mochrie from Who’s Line is it Anyways as the trite art gallery owner. Chan was adorable as usual, but his sidekick was a pain in the ass, not funny, just a pain in the ass. But I love action and comedy so I give The Tuxedo seven couches.

Last updated: Thursday, March 20, 2008 02:48:00 AM

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