Undeniably, the state of comedy in film has changed over the past three decades, and many movies have been retroactively criticized for jokes that would come under fire today. This has led to the 90s buddy cop movie Rush Hour getting a new trigger warning upon its recent airing on the USA Network.
“We all love our 90’s buddy comedies… but this movie was created in a different time,” the trigger warning stated. “FYI: Certain depictions, language and humor may seem outdated and at times offensive.”
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The situation has managed to go viral on social media, as fans were quick to lambast the network’s decision to include such a warning for Rush Hour. One post on X, liked more than 110K times, suggested that the USA Network “put a warning in front of Rush Hour because of Gen Z.” Many others agreed, including one X post from someone stating, “This is how soft we’ve become as a society. It’s so over.”
This is how soft we’ve become as a society.
“Hell no,” said someone else. “Rush Hour is a great timeless movie. And such warning will just confuse young people into believing that movies from that time are ‘offensive’ and ‘problematic’ when it’s not true at all.”
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Released in 1998, Rush Hour was directed by Brett Ratner with a screenplay by Jim Kouf and Ross LaManna. It starred Jackie Chan as Lee, a Hong Kong cop who comes to Los Angeles to help a friend find his kidnapped daughter, partnering up with fast-talking LAPD detective James Carter, played by Chris Tucker. Retroactively, some have criticized the film for reinforcing Black and Asian stereotypes along with the use of racial slurs.
An action comedy, the film made over $245 million at the box office and was well-received by filmgoers, sparking a new franchise. Chan and Tucker reunited for the first sequel, Rush Hour 2, released in 2001. After that film made over $347 million, another movie was made, with Rush Hour 3’s release in 2007 turning the movie series into a trilogy. Though it saw a decline compared to its predecessor, it made over $258 million. A TV series adaptation aired for one season in 2016 with different actors in the roles.
Will There Be a Rush Hour 4?
In recent years, there have been some rumors and rumblings about Rush Hour 4, but the tentative sequel can’t seem to make its way out of development hell. Tucker has said in interviews as far back as 2019 that he and Chan were interested in making a fourth film. In 2022. Chan reaffirmed that he’d been in talks with the studio to return. More recently, it was hinted that the project could still happen despite its very slow progress.
“The script is still going on. I want to do a Rush Hour 4,” Chan told Screen Rant earlier this year.
Source: X
- Release Date
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September 18, 1998
- Runtime
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98 minutes
- Director
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Brett Ratner