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.