Movies Should Be Offensive Again.

By Christian Sta. Maria

I recently rewatched Rush Hour when it was added to Netflix and found myself cackling at
almost every scene in the thoroughly entertaining yet wildly racially insensitive comedy. It was a rollercoaster of a comedy and with every giggle came a little guilt and a lot of overthinking. Am I racist for laughing at its edgy humor? Is it insensitive to enjoy watching Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker poke fun at each other’s races? I would vacillate between guilt and enjoyment as I watched the movie and the only thought I had by the end was how Rush Hour would not be permissible in today’s social climate.

Rush Hour is a comedy action film that centers a Black and Asian duo–two rabidly oppressed minorities, especially during the 2000s–wherein Chan and Tucker make insensitive jokes to each other’s respective communities. The movie feeds off of racial stereotypes: Chan portrays the silent, skilled Asian that mastered martial arts and struggles with the English language while Tucker exemplifies the exaggeratedly loud and funny Black sidekick. The movie’s dialogue heavily revolves around exaggerating stereotypes associated with their races, such as Carter (Chris Tucker) assuming every Chinese person knows Kung Fu and Lee (Jackie Chan) saying then-word in copying Carter, reinforcing the naive foreigner trope.

Yet, despite every edgy joke made throughout Rush Hour, the movie received audience acclaim and love from both communities because of its sheer humor. Every joke lands–it’s not overwhelmingly insensitive that it leaves a bitter taste in the audiences’ tongues, but not too lukewarm that the jokes lack comedic value. Rush Hour has just the perfect amount of offensive humor that keeps us laughing. However, a bigger impact from the Rush Hour movies is its ability to bond two marginalized communities together, rather than causing a steeper divide between them. Because Chan and Tucker were equally racist to one another, their jokes felt justified. This strategic solidarity makes Rush Hour more than just a comedy movie but rather a hallmark of Black and Asian camaraderie.

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