Why do I consider RUSH HOUR a comedy CLASSIC?

I recently realized that I haven't reviewed many comedy movies, so I thought what better way to rectify the situation than to do it about one of my favorite movies of all time, Rush Hour, so without further ado, why do I consider Rush Hour a comedy classic?

One of the big reasons why I love this movie is how it embraces the Buddy Cop genre all the tropes that come with the genre are very present here, you know what I'm talking about. The main character is arrogant, who doesn't work well with others, in this case, Chris Tucker's character and the opposite character in Jackie Chan who has a strong moral code in how he navigates police work. These combined elements result in the excellent back-and-forth dynamic between Carter and Lee's characters, while the film doesn't break any new ground in the genre, the formula isn't broken as shown in franchises like Lethal Weapon.

The writing team and director clearly understood what makes the Buddy Cop genre work and that's why audiences want to see two main characters colliding throughout the story and, in all honesty, all the humor in the film comes from the dynamics of disputes between the protagonists. The scene where Lee changes the radio station in Carter's car is one of my favorite scenes that shows this. The dynamic begins so innocently when Lee changes songs before Carter bombards with a myriad of words about why he shouldn't change someone else's station in America and so the film focuses a lot on the character and plot of the lesson, which brings me to the second reason I love Rush Hour.

The casting in a comedy film goes a long way in determining the success or failure of that film and in the case of Rush Hour the casting of the two leads is perfect, although Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan were well known for their comedy and Kung Fu works respectively, both actors were relatively unknown to the general public when it came out. but both actors committed to their individual roles, with Chris Tucker, who uses his comedic skills to provide most of the film's laughs, and with Jackie Chan, combining a stunt working skill with a surprising ability to deliver humor in an unintended way by clashing these distinctive personalities together, Which creates some of the funniest scenes I've ever seen in comedy, this includes the "Don't Talk About My Dad" scene which is a classic case between these characters. I love how Carter gets angry when Lee tells him about his father's accomplishments as a cop, only for Carter to essentially tell lies about his father's time on the cop.

While this classic trope of two main characters liking each other as the story unfolds is very evident here, it's done organically, the script does this by allowing each character to educate the other about their cultures, which is best shown in the street dance scene. It's a simple narrative device in a comedy, but effective, as it allows the audience to buy into the characters by hugging each other.

In today's world it's getting harder and harder for comedies to tell humor of any kind without offending someone in some way, the comedy movies I grew up with like Beverly Hills Cop, Lethal Weapon or The 40 Year-Old Virgin embraced comedy that was edgy and not afraid to take risks and Rush Hour What many people don't realize is that the humor in this movie is for the most part not malicious or intended to cause harm, rather, it's meant to provide jokes that when taken within the context of the movie are hilarious. For example, the N-word scene involving Lee's character out of context seems much worse than it is, Lee is the fish-out-of-water archetype and he uses the N-word for what he thinks is an endearing term when it clearly isn't, but like us as an audience, we know that Lee doesn't know the meaning of the word due to his lack of cultural understanding, which means that the scene unfolds in the funniest way.

Rush Hour even manages to add humor during its tense scenes. The best example is when Carter is interrogated by Sang and his thugs in the restaurant scene. In context the scene is a classic case of a character who uses humor to calm the situation in which he finds himself. The film proudly wears the comic, irreverent tone on its sleeve and adopts it as the script, never diluting the tone throughout its footage.

From the fight scene at Lee's bar to the battle at the restaurant and the finale, the action movie is surprisingly well-choreographed and executed for a comedy. Most of the action is recorded on camera, which is more than can be said for modern action movies. It's great to see films like Rus Hour again, where you can tell that a lot of effort has been put into the stunt work and choreography. The fact that Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan did most of their work simply makes the action believable, as it adds another layer of authenticity to the film. Rush Hour is one of those films that I can't criticize in the traditional sense because of the nostalgic value it brings to me. That said, the film remains in my opinion as one of the best entries not only in the cop genre but also in the comedy genre, as the film adopts all the tropes of the genre to its advantage. The impeccable casting of Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan, the hilarious comings and goings between these actors, the irreverent comedic tone and the scenes filmed with style.

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