I love Jackie Chan, and I can even forgive him for movies like this that really don't feature his extraordinary stunts. The Tuxedo instead gives us a bunch of computer-enhanced effects which instead of enhancing Chan's unique abilities seem to take something away.
As for the story, however, it is probably one of the best that Chan has been associated with. It tells of a down-and-out taxi cab driver, lacking in self-confidence and charisma, who stumbles upon a chance in a lifetime to be the private driver for playboy billionaire (and as we learn later, superhero) Clark Devlin (Jason Isaacs). His new employer is not unlike James Bond: suave, cool, and confident. This contrasts greatly with Chan's character, Jimmy Tong.
However, an unfortunate accident leaves Devlin hospitalized and before Devlin enters a coma he begs his new driver to "wear it." Tong soon discovers that his boss' tuxedo is no ordinary tuxedo. This tuxedo is able to tap into the wearer's nervous system to control his movements. Set the suit for combat mode and he can fight the greatest of warriors with never having been trained. Set the suit instead for ballroom dancing and he can impress the aristocracy even though he really has two left feet. The idea is a neat one, and of course the story makes use of it to wind up saving the world.
The story progresses to provide great character development for Tong (which is somewhat unique for Jackie Chan movies). But Tong doesn't do things alone. He is paired up with rookie agent Del Blaine (Jennifer Love Hewitt) who is as inexperienced as he is, but a lot hotter. The pairing works OK (but not as well as with Chris Tucker in Rush Hour or Rush Hour 2). What was fun to watch was Tong trying to pretend like he was Clark Devlin and Blaine being fooled at first but eventually figuring things out. Both of these characters somewhat blindly fight their way through mystery and adventure as they investigate the dealings of a crooked water bottler executive bent on ruling the world. And since the pairing is one of opposite sexes, the story naturally points to a romantic ending as a closer after a herioc save-the-world climax.
As a side note, the movie also pokes fun at the bottled water industry by placing a Chief Executive of a made-up water bottler as the main villain and by opening with a scene in which a deer urinates in a mountain stream which eventually makes its way to a bottle of water.
What I liked about this movie was the fact that it focused on Chan, the actor. With a great character and script, we get to see Chan act like a bumbling idiot lacking in all of Chan's unique talents. Then, with the help of a million-dollar suit, he becomes gifted in whatever he tells the suit to do (as long as he can do that part right, which he doesn't at first!). I also liked the humor that was thrown into this film such as when Tong fights a host of attackers as he tries to put on the pants to his special suit, and when he fills in for James Brown at a concert.
What I did NOT like about this movie, however, was the resorting to camera tricks and computer effects for most of Chan's stunts. This man is amazing! Why fake it?
Good enough to rent, but probably not to buy.
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