Rush Hour 2

The first Rush Hour got some mileage out of the mismatched-buddy-cop thing and was a pretty funny movie. Loudmouth, bug-eyed, hyperactive Chris Tucker smart-talked his way into dumb situations, and Jackie Chan, after "acting" frustrated, saved both their skinny butts with his moves. Key to the genre was the way Chan and Tucker's characters didn't get along until the triumphant end. Now comes the inevitable sequel, also directed by Brett Ratner, and the main problem is there's too much love. Whenever Tucker acts up, Chan shakes his head and says, "Oh, that silly Chris Tucker!" Another mistake is that much of the action takes place in Hong Kong where Tucker's cluelessness is boringly compounded, not effectively offset by his Los Angeles street smarts. Plus: many of the first film's best jokes are lamely reproduced here; the new gags get no more clever than the black Tucker's ordering the kosher meal on a plane; Chan barely gets a chance to show off his nimble kung fu; and the plot is too mindless to relate. Result: a Rush Hour you definitely don't want to get stuck in, even if the outtakes at the end are amusing. Zhang Ziyi (from Crouching Tiger and The Road Home), Alan King, and John Lone also star.
-- Peter Keough