Rush Hour 3 Is Funny Because It's True
On its surface, Rush Hour 3 might seem like a thrown together sequel-to-a-sequel built on a shoddy foundation of cheap race jokes, hacky French jokes, lame gay jokes, and, of course, can-can girls (because, you know, it's Paris!) and occasional knife-throwing. But as director Brett Ratner recently explained to The Advocate (via Defamer), the comedy of Rush Hour 3 isn't cheap or hacky or lame–it's a humorous reflection of the lives of everyday people. Or, at least, people like Brett Ratner:
Rush Hour 3 follows a trend in action films. Being gay has increasingly become a punch line. It happens several times in this film.
Which ones? Where? I don't remember.
What about when the girl takes off her wig and Chris Tucker becomes angry and accuses her of being a man?
No, no! That's from my personal experience. My first blow job was from a man, but I didn't know it was a man. That's where that comes from. It's based on personal experience. It happens to a lot of people.
Is that common knowledge? No! Well, among my friends, but I'm not homophobic or uptight about it. That happens to a lot of heterosexuals. You meet a girl in a bar, and it turns out she's not a girl. I think a girl should tell you if she's a girl or a man--that way it's your preference. It's comedy.
Oh, so it's funny because it's true! That's comedy! Well, then according to the Rush Hour 3 trailer, here's a list of other things that have happened to Brett Ratner:
--He's had a "Who's On First?" kind of conversation with a Chinese man named Yu and a Chinese man named Mee.
--He has inhabited the body of Jackie Chan, and had a LOT of difficulty understanding the words that were coming out of Chris Tucker's mouth.
--He has been unable to comprehend the fact that an Asian person could speak French.
--He has had an enthusiastic body cavity search at the airport courtesy of Roman Polanski.
Of course, if these things haven't happened to you, then you might not see the humor.
