Roll-M

By Susan Sackett

Rush Hour (New Line Cinema), starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker.

I remember when my daughter was small, she wanted to hear the same songs and stories over and over. We all do it -- take comfort in the familiar and known.

Which is why I enjoyed Rush Hour. This "take one from column A, one from column B" formulaic movie was familiar, comfortable, and fun, kind of like your favorite pair of houseshoes. Let’s see … how about a cop who’s a loner, a kidnapped child who’s a delightful charmer, lots of explosions, another cop who’s not wanted on the case, a sinister bad guy who seems indominable, the "surprise" baddie who’s behind everything while playing the concerned friend …

Any of this sound familiar? Then you’ll like Rush Hour. It’s a park-your-brain movie, one to see when you just want to be entertained and not grossed out. Not too much profanity, not a lot of exploding body parts, not too many gaping plot holes, some really neat fight scenes (Jackie Chan is good), light buddy-type humor, and the bad guy gets it in the end. What more could you ask for?

Both Chan and Tucker have a good sense of comic timing, and the director didn’t try to make any kind of universal truth-type statement out of what is just an entertaining film.

So go park your brain, sit back for the ride, and eat your popcorn.

I’d rate this at three Owls, but only if you like action movies.