Chan's putting on the Ritz
by Mary Barrera, south news editor

    Do the clothes make the man?

    They do if they are jam-packed with the latest technology.

    In The Tuxedo, cabbie Jimmy Tong (Jackie Chan), who is a failure with women and who would rather run than fight, lands a job as chauffeur to filthy-rich Clark Devlin (Jason Isaacs).

    Devlin gives Tong specific instructions never to touch his tuxedo.

    But when Devlin winds up in a hospital after an accident, Tong becomes curious about the tuxedo and tries it onÑonly to discover it has unique powers.

    Drawn in by lab scientist Del Blaine (Jennifer Love Hewitt), who has just been given her first field assignment, Tong finds himself right smack in the middle of his boss' latest case.

    Soon, the two inexperienced spies are fighting the bad guys and trying to save the world's fresh water supplies from an evil CEO's plan to contaminate them.

    This is a fairly typical Jackie Chan action comedy.

    The story was adequate, but not strong enough to make a person have to think.

    Most of the 99 minutes of film was action with little character development.

    The fight sequences are a blend of good choreography and slapstick humor, though the humor is adolescent at best.

    The choice fight scenes were the ones that incorporated Hewitt, who is quite funny throughout the film.

    Chan pulled off the illusion that the tuxedo was giving him the power to fight and move his body in ways no human can.

    His acting still needs work, but no one really goes to a Jackie Chan movie for the acting anyway.

    Hewitt does a good job playing the smart scientist; however, she is far too confident to pull off the inexperienced field agent role.

    The scenes in which she uses her charms are enough to leave male Hewitt fans anxiously awaiting the DVD.

    Chan and Hewitt as spy partners leave much to be desired. Though both actors do well on their own, the combination lacks the chemistry to make such a pairing work.

    Jason Isaacs plays the super-suave spy splendidly. It is unfortunate that his role was not expanded in this film.

    Kevin Donovan, director, makes his feature debut with this movie, and James Brown makes a cameo appearance in which the tux gives him a smack down.

    The ending of the movie was far too swiftly segued into the typical outtakes that follow ChanÕs films. Audience members who blink might miss the ending altogether.

    Overall, the film is superficially entertaining, and the action sequences, though silly, are top-notch.