The Tuxedo

from Film Forum, 01/31/02

And there are other high-flying—and deep-drilling—heroes on the way. Jackie Chan will be armed with tons of technological gadgets hidden inside The Tuxedo. Chan's movies are almost always a celebration of good choreography, stunts, and laughs, and there's nothing wrong with that.

from Film Forum, 10/03/02

The Tuxedo stars stunt-superstar Jackie Chan as a spy equipped with formal wear lined with high-tech circuitry that turns him into a martial arts master. The stage is set for slapstick comedy and thrilling action, but the show does not go on.

Director Kevin Donovan is probably not pleased with the mainstream reviews of his first feature film. Religious media reviews are not much better.

Michael Elliott (Movie Parables) calls it "a brilliant concept," but concludes that this particular Chan adventure "is rather bland. Even the stunts fail to impress. Donovan simply isn't able to overcome the inadequacies of the script."

Bob Smithouser (Focus on the Family) says it "isn't the worst film of the year, but it's not a very good one. The humor fails more often than not."

Gerri Pare (Catholic News) writes, "With a feeble story in the background … the silly proceedings soon play like a drawn-out fantasy — but they would have played better at half-hour sitcom length."

Preview's critic says, "With frequently crude dialogue, crude sexual content, and martial arts violence exploited to entertain, The Tuxedo needs to be cleaned up."

But Holly McClure (Crosswalk) argues that the violence is not graphic. She writes, "I'm a fan of Chan's and even though this is not his best work, it is still a fun and interesting movie for mature audiences to enjoy."

Steven D. Greydanus (Decent Films) bemoans the "gratuitous, even forced crude and sexual humor." Nevertheless, he sings Chan's praises: "Whether he's jerking convulsively around [the] room trying to master the secrets of the tuxedo, frantically fending off a squad of assassins while dealing with a rope around his neck that ends up wrapped around objects and attackers alike, or boogying onstage in a hilarious impression of James Brown … Jackie remains a joy to watch. I can't quite recommend The Tuxedo; but can't deny that I enjoyed it, either."