Customer Reviews

The Tuxedo [VHS]

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(19)
2 star:		(16)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

THE TUXEDO is an entertaining, over the top, gimmicky and sometimes preposterous action movie. But it completely entertained me for its length and I think Jackie Chan and Jennifer Love Hewitt had a workable chemistry that buoyed the movie's flaws. The opening shot of the deer peeing in the water is great, knowing that this so called clear mountain water is going to make it to the grocery stores. The tuxedo itself is a great gimmick, letting us see a normally graceful Chan become an awkward slave to its many devices. Peter Stormare has a great cameo as the looney scientist who concocts the plot to poison the world's water supply, and Jason Isaacs, Debi Mazar and Richie Coster all do their parts well, although Isaacs and Mazar are criminally underused. But this is Jackie's movie---silly, some great fight sequences and most of all, an entertaining 90 minutes. What more could you ask for?

*SYNOPSIS* ~ Jackie Chan plays Jimmy Tong, your average ordinary type of cab driver; though a talented 'speedy' driver, he still has his own problems, including a puppy love crush on a woman he can't even talk to! But things change drastically when a mysterious woman (Debi Mazar) offers him a job he simply cannot refuse. The job: chaffeuring for a Clark Devlin (Jason Isaacs) with whom he isn't allowed to speak to! Fortunately, the two hit off and become good friends. But things of course aren't as they seem. Devlin is almost killed by an assassination attempt, Jimmy Tong is suddenly thrust into the espionage world with the beautiful but quick-tongued Del Blaine (Jennifer Love Hewitt) as a partner and the millionaire Diedrich Banning (Ritchie Coster) as the evil nemesis. And of course there's that tuxedo that Devlin tells Tong to wear...

*PLOT* ~ All right, you've heard it all before. Your-average-ordinary-fellow is strangely pulled into a plot to save the world from the clutches of a man-who-plans-to-take-over-the-world-by-some-diabolical-means. And there's the beautiful-yet-acid-tongued-co-agent. You've heard it before? I'd be surprised if you haven't! The hollywood world certainly has used this basic plot numerous times. But the movie isn't all negative. The whole plot surrounding the 'tuxedo' is pretty cool! I mean, think about it! A suit you put on that can practically have you do ANYTHING! Fight, do gymnastics, dance, light a cigarette... you name it, the suit does it for you (think Inspector Gadget)!

*ACTING* ~ Jackie Chan is as always sweet and charming to watch on the screen. The very first scene he appears in where he tries to talk to 'the girl of his dreams' is especially cute. And OF COURSE his fighting always pleases! It's my first time to see Jennifer Love Hewitt in any movie, and I thought she was pretty funny in "The Tuxedo". I especially loved her first 'fight' scene, she was simply hilarious! Plus she is equipped with one sassy attitude, she and Jackie Chan were quite a pair; he with his quiet and shy attitude, and she with her let's get the job done type of attitude.

*FIGHTING* ~ If I were to explain my three stars for this movie, here it goes: one star for the charming duo of Jackie Chan and Jennifer Love Hewitt, two stars for all the martial arts. Incredibly cool stuff, stuff you would expect from any Jackie Chan movies. I especially loved the fight with the very long rope while they were spying on Banning. Jackie Chan is quite a marvel since we all know that it's HIM, not the suit, that is actually doing all the fighting. Thumbs up Jackie Chan!

*PG-13 RATING* ~ I can certainly assure you that the film is properly rated PG-13. The language is not too bad though there are some words of profanity sprinkled here and there. A lot less than there were in other Jackie Chan movies (Shanghai Noon, Rush Hour). The violence is also not too bad either, mostly martial arts violence. There were also two scenes which were a bit gross, parents be advised showing younger kids. But most of all, the sexual content was pretty strong. There was especially this one scene which I thought was totally unnecessary I thought, did nothing for the plot. Parents I must urge to watch before seeing with younger children.

*OVERALL* ~ To wrap it up, "The Tuxedo" is something you can watch without paying too much attention to plot or detail. Just for pure enjoyment.

Martial arts action superstar Jackie Chan returns to the big screen in "The Tuxedo" alongside the super-hot, 18-36 male demographic attracting, Jennifer Love Hewitt in this "Alfred turned Batman/James Bond" type action flick.

THE STORY:

Chan plays Jimmy Tong, an NYC cab driver turned super-spy chauffeur/sidekick. When Tong's boss, super-spy Clark Devlin, goes down, Tong's "Alfred" assumes Devlin's "Batman" role and becomes the unlikely hero trying to stop the insidious plot of an eco-terrorist. Jennifer Love Hewitt co-stars as Chan's partner, new CSA field agent/scientist nerd chick, Del Blaine.

THE COOL STUFF:

Though Chan, self-admittedly, is getting up in age and can't quite pull-off the death-defying stunts he used to, the action in this movie is still enough to make this movie enjoyable though hardcore Chan action fans may be a little disappointed.

With the action not quite as big a focus this movie turns up the notches on the "story" element and the "humor" element. The storyline in this film is definitely more developed than a lot of Chan's older flicks imported from Asia (ie - Rumble in the Bronx, First Strike and Mr. Nice Guy).

The pairing of Chan and Love Hewitt (which sounds like as about as unlikely a couple as you could ever get) is really effective and I enjoyed how they managed to play off each other. They had good chemistry. You ain't seen nothing until you've seen Jennifer Love kicking some bad guy booty (and looking GOOD at the same time).

Tons of special effects (including the now standard "Matrix" FX) abound courtesy of Chan's "Tuxedo" which is the source of his power.

BEST SCENES:

1. "The Last Emperor" of Soul including James Brown cameo

2. The bedroom scene

3. Jennifer Love getting all "Kung Fu" on the bad guys. "Yeah!!!"

THINGS TO WATCH OUT FOR

The movie overall is fairly tame with very mild violence but there are a few "gross out" scenes courtesy of some bugs and a few particular gross "death scenes." Overall though, there's nothing that should give you nightmares or upset you.

THE VERDICT:

Overall, some long time Chan fans may feel deprived that the action levels not where you've come to expect it but the action levels still acceptable and nothing to sneeze at. This can safely be chalked up as more "comedy-action" than "action-comedy" which isn't really a bad thing.

Overall, it's still an enjoyable movie to unwind with the gang or your loved one.

Recommended

Action star Jackie Chan has recently expressed an interest in moving away from stunts and kung fu, and more towards dramatic roles. The thinking here is sensible and not unexpected. Chan is a bit past it to continue the jaw-dropping stunts and fights that he's famous for, and has accepted the enevitable fact that retirement must one day come.

Here, Chan gives us a few impressive fights and stunts, but mostly he plays a character part, in keeping with his new career direction.

Taking the place of his injured super-spy boss, Clark Devlin, Chan takes on the bad guys in Devlin's place. Along the way, he hooks up with another agency spy (Jennifer Love Hewitt), who falls in love with him. The bad guys are planning to corner the world's bottled water supply using a very unlikely method, and Chan must use Devlin's impressive super-spy tuxedo to stop them.

Oh, it was dumb, no question about it. But, regardless, I just plain liked it anyway. There was a lot of slapstick, and for some reason, a lot of non-PC humor. Frankly, it was just plain funny.

Probably the best thing here is the Clark Devlin character. Devlin is the perfect Bond-ish agent; suave, sophisticated, irresistable to women, and super-cool. In fact, it makes one long to see actor Jason Issacs play 007 for real in a new Bond film (sorry, Pierce).

While this would be just fine as a renter, I think you should try to catch it in the theater if possible. Dumb or not, it was a fun movie, and it may be interesting for Chan fans to see a sampling of the new direction the actor/stuntman/martial artist is trying to grow in.

The Tuxedo is a very enjoyable, funny movie. The writing, acting, effects, etc. are all top-notch. For some reason, the critics that I read came down on this one. The movie did what it was supposed to. It entertained me. It kept me thouroughly engrosssed in the story from beginning to end, and laughing a lot, too.

The basic plot is already well described, so I won't repeat it here.

For parents: There is little of what I would call gratuitous sex. Yes, Jennifer used her charms to distract a bad guy or two. And, the bad guy's girlfriend tried to seduce Jackie Chan. However, I saw little that was truely offensive. There was some violence, as it is an action-adventure. But, the violence was quite tame for such a movie, and they tamed it without reducing the action.

For the rest: If you are looking for a movie to be profoundly affected, pass it up. If you want to be entertained for a couple of hours, go for it. You won't be disappointed. There is a lot of action and humor, and the story is unique.

Jackie Chan plays Jimmy Tong, a New York cabbie turned chauffeur for secret agent Clark Devlin. When forces unknown incapacitate Devlin, his mission passes to the unwitting Tong, along with Devlin's tuxedo, a high-tech piece of equipment that turns Tong into a super-spy. Tong finds himself teamed up with water scientist and neophyte field agent Del Blaine (Jennifer Love Hewitt) as the two try to uncover a secret plot to ... well, if I said it here, it wouldn't be secret, would it?

Is it okay to say that I liked this movie a lot, even though it wasn't particularly good? Certainly fans looking for a Jackie Chan all-out action fest along the lines of a Project A or Police Story will be disappointed. Jackie gets the chance to show his stuff, but there are only a few fights, and no catch-your-breath spectacular stunts. This film is more along the lines of Gorgeous or Miracles--although with even less action, I suppose--with comedy and character coming to the forefront. Fortunately, unlike many American action heroes, Chan has the charm and personality to keep the viewer engaged even when he isn't fighting. He convincingly conveys the confusion and befuddlement of an everyman caught up in situations bigger than himself. Ironically, for a movie without a huge amount of action, I was particularly struck by his talent during the action scenes. His body was doing all the incredible things we're used to seeing Jackie Chan do, but his expressions and body language came across perfectly as a man who has lost control of his body.

This is the first time I've seen Jennifer Love Hewitt playing an adult, and while she seemed young, she didn't seem high-school young. She did come across as the sort of character she played: a young scientist, probably just out of school, trying to prove herself in a new situation. She managed to keep her character's snappy, bitchy lines funny, rather than coming across too much like a stereotypical hard-edged tough grrl. In short, she felt human. (It is a shame that she didn't get more action sequences herself.) Her character didn't receive too much depth or development, but that's a criticism I have for this movie across the board. However, for the most part the actors (Hewitt, Chan, Jason Isaacs as Devlin, and Peter Stormare as an evil scientist) make their characters engaging and likeable despite their two-dimensionality.

These sorts of films aren't particularly well-served by overly-complicated plots, and fortunately, this one was fairly straightforward. For the most part, the comic moments came out of the story, although one sequence--Jimmy is forced to fill in for Godfather of Soul James Brown--feels shoehorned in. Unfortunately, while the secret plot is appropriately over-the-top for a film about a super-powered tuxedo, it's played a little too straight. Ritchie Coster, as the villainous mastermind Dietrich Banning, is too dull and straight, and it's almost like he's in a different movie. Director Kevin Donovan might have been better off bringing a more surreal touch to the whole thing, like the Spy Kids movies, where the weirder or wackier elements feel more comfortable because they fit into the overall tone of the film. On the other hand, Peter Stormare, as Banning's scientist sidekick, does keep things from becoming too straight.

This is probably the weakest of Chan's American films. It isn't as mainstream as the Rush Hour movies, and it just plain isn't as good as Shanghai Noon. But I thought it was fun, and I wouldn't mind seeing these characters again, albeit in a better-written, better-directed movie.

I really enjoyed this movie. You have to view it for what it is--a charming, James Bond-type spoof. Jason Isaacs, who has a sadly minor part, plays the suave superspy. Jackie is his shy, self-effacing driver and Jennifer Love Hewitt is the brassy, neurotic field agent who teams up with Jackie to save America's water supply from evil mastermind, Dietrich Banning (Ritchie Coster). Hewitt's Del Blaine is a strong female role which she plays with equal parts sass and brains. Ritchie Coster has a lot of fun with his evil mastermind character. Jackie himself is very affable as Jimmy Tong, a cabbie with a thing for speed. The ending is a bit lame--there just aren't any romantic sparks between Jimmy and Del so it's not really believable that they would start dating--but otherwise it's a fun, watchable movie.

As a movie fan living in Japan, there are lots of chances to see his films in his Hong-Kong era on TV since the early 80s, and as a consequence; like many of Japanese fans, I became, and am, a Jackies Chan fan. Now, he is a super-star all over the world, and Spielberg's company Dreamworks approached to him to do a film. It turned out to be "The Tuxedo," which I must say doesn't deserve his name; rather, the film did a huge damage to it.

First of all, the film is not an action film. It is a comedy. That is OK as long as it is funny. Well, the fact is, it is not funny at all even though Chan is still engaging and likable. The film's comedy sense is revealed at the opening scene, in which you see a deer standing in a river. See what happens next: urine going down the river.

And there are a few action scenes which involve the titular super-techno "Tuxedo," which enables anyone who wears it to do any acrobatic deed. There are many options; you can dance, you can run (as fast as a car) and you can do James Brown impersonation (and JB appears as himself, which is pretty funny). But I wanna ask you; Does Jackie need one while we know that he can jump, kick, and even fly by himself? Do you need obvious CGIs when he can do his own stunts, and still willing to do it?

The supporting cast do not work well. Half of the reason I went to see the film is Jenniffer Love Hewitt, but her role as Jackie's partner (or the relation with Jackie's) is just confusing and inadequate. And I really hate myself to say this, but I was irritated by her bumbling character, who constantly shrieks and screams. She should be more lovely, and actually she was in other films or on TV. You also see the face of Debi Mazer (who is sorely wasted), and only Jason Issacs can go unscathed, showing his James Bond-like delightfully "British" character.

By the way, the whole story is about the secret agent and some cardboard villains who contemplate some secret plans, and I have no complaint against these elements. It is the way Jackie is used that really is atrocious. Jackie is not Inspector Gadget, and should never be. My tip to Hollywood; don't tinker him. If you want real Jackie, just watch his "Who Am I?" first for once, and see my point.

"The Tuxedo" is a comedy of almost unimaginable badness, easily the worst movie Jackie Chan has ever made. What can one expect from a film whose opening shot is a close-up of a deer urinating in a mountain stream? Unfortunately, things only go downhill from there.

Chan has made a career out of playing well-meaning schnooks who just happen to be extraordinarily skillful practitioners of martial arts acrobatics. Chan, thanks to his amazing physical dexterity, deadpan delivery and infectious likeability, has usually been able to rise above his material, which has not always been great but which has, in the past. I also will not attempt to recap the movie's plotline but will merely note that the story hits new levels of mind-numbing imbecility. In an attempt to overcome the witless incoherence of the film's screenplay, director Kevin Donovan has his characters running around in a madcap frenzy, yet the movie itself sits lifeless on the screen. It's appalling to see all that talent and energy expended and wasted on so humorless a trifle.

What can one say about a comedy thriller in which none of the jokes work, none of the plot details make any sense, and none of the secondary characters produce the slightest impression on the work as a whole? Even more to the point, what can one say about a Jackie Chan film in which even the martial arts scenes lack definition and creativity? The best one can do in such circumstances is to offer one's condolences to Mr. Chan and his gifted costar, Jennifer Love Hewitt, for having to appear in this travesty, and to wish them all the best in their next film project.

Off the top of my head I can't remember any other movie in which Jackie Chan's character actually doesn't know any martial arts. In the action comedy, THE TUXEDO, he plays Jimmy Tong, a New York cabbie who's crushing on the girl in the fashion store except that Jimmy's got zero skills in how to sweet talk a woman. Off the top of my head I also can't remember another movie in which Jackie rocks a soul patch (or a Hooters shirt).

Jimmy gets an opportunity to pick up some pointers when he becomes the chauffer to a suave, posh Englishman (Jason Isaacs). And there's even more to this Englishman, Clark Devlin, than a silky knack with the ladies. A bomb detonation renders Clark Devlin comatose. Jimmy soon finds out that his boss is also a dashing international spy. Earlier, when Jimmy wondered about Devlin's oh-so-smooth ways, Devlin offers him this nugget: "Trust me... 90% of it is clothes." Clark Devlin had meant that literally.

Jimmy stumbles onto a multi-million-dollar tuxedo wired with experimental micro-circuitry which enables its wearer to perform dazzling feats. Jimmy dons the tuxedo (labeled as a "Tactital Uniform Experiment") and he suddenly metamorphoses into the world's most accomplished secret agent. The unfolding circumstances have Jimmy assuming Clark Devlin's identity, just in time for him to get drawn into a mogul mastermind's twisted plan to monopolize the water bottle industry by poisoning the global water supply.

Meanwhile, Jimmy finds himself supervising a beautiful scientist-turned-rookie operative (Jennifer Love Hewitt), never mind that he doesn't know international espionage from jump. Both leads seem to enjoy each other's company. And, in fact, the immediate sense I got from watching Jackie interact with Hewitt is that he's half infatuated with her. Jennifer Love Hewitt, by the way, undertook three months of training to lend believability to her character. She pulls off her action scenes. As "Delilah Blaine," Hewitt's natural bubbliness is tamped down, this characteristic only surfacing in the outtakes. In the outtakes, she can't stop cracking up, most of this good-naturedly at Jackie's expense.

Going by what's revealed in the Making Of the THE TUXEDO documentary, Jackie was nervous about the dance sequences and, in a role reversal, Jennifer Love Hewitt - who received great encouragement from Jackie during her fight scenes - was the one who sort of took Jackie under her wing for his dance routines. One showcase moment features Jackie attempting to perform James Brown's act during a gala function (Jackie had inadvertently knocked out James Brown just as the Godfather of Soul was about to go onstage). Luckily, the tuxedo has a "Shake Booty" option. He's introduced as the Last Emperor of Soul.

I think, 3.5 out of 5 stars for this one. I'm giving THE TUXEDO higher marks than THE MEDALLION because his character here clearly doesn't have martial arts training, and it takes the hi-tech tuxedo to turn the simple cabbie into a formidable fighter. In THE MEDALLION the off-kilterness lies in Jackie's character already being this formidable kung-fu expert, so there's this redundancy in the magic medallion's elevating his martial arts skills to supernatural degrees because, even before the medallion, Jackie's character had already been acquitting himself very well. Tuxedo-fu beats out medallion-fu, in terms of story context. THE TUXEDO may not have the intensity and energy and eye-popping real fighting found in Jackie's earlier Hong Kong thrillers, but it's pretty entertaining in its own right because Jackie and Jennifer are both extremely likable and they seem to be having fun. But you may have to excuse the vapid plot line.

The DVD's bonus features ain't remarkable: a blooper reel (consisting predominantly of a giggling Love Hewitt); the HBO documentary "Tailor Made for Jackie Chan" which goes into the making of the film; deleted & extended scenes; cast & filmmaker bios; production notes; and the theatrical trailer.