Jimmy Fallon has thrown away what could have been an impressive leading man debut. If only Fallon had waited to find a good script and not just jumped at the first one that came into his hands, he might be on his way to being the next Will Farrell, Chris Farley or Adam Sandler.
He has, however made it clear he is much funnier on television, when received in small doses.
Fallon's debut is with "Taxi," directed by Tim Story, and co-starring Academy Award nominee Queen Latifah ("Chicago"). In the film Fallon falls short of the expectations of his fans. "Taxi" is originally based on the international smash of the same name, written and directed by Luc Besson. The original version is the largest grossing film in French cinema, and has spawned two sequels. Besson is also behind the production of this "Taxi."
In the film Belle Williams (Queen Latifah) has a need for speed and loves getting to destinations in record time. She has a reputation on the streets of New York as the fastest cab driver, with dreams of competing with Jeff Gordon and becoming a NASCAR race champion.
Her dreams are put on hold when she runs into idiotic, unqualified police officer named Andy Washburn (Fallon). Washburn has problems of his own when his driving abilities are questioned and his own police department suspends his license. Now on foot patrol in an attempt to chase down a group of four beautiful Brazilian bank robbers, Washburn hails down Williams's cab and their journey begins.
One of the bank robbers is supermodel Giselle Bundchen, who added the most suspense to the movie in making the audience wonder whether or not she was going to wind up in a bikini. Aside from that, this film was a complete disaster.
The funniest thing said in the film was Williams's comment on Washburn's backing out ability.
"What are you trying to do, make a 78-point turn?" quips Williams.
There have been plenty of films in which a comedian has portrayed a cop and succeeded. Eddie Murphy ("Beverly Hills Cop"), Chris Tucker ("Rush Hour") and even Mike Myers ("Austin Powers" trilogy) are all good examples. Fallon just seemed overwhelmed throughout the movie. When he actually said or did something funny, which was rare, he only received sympathy chuckles.
Queen Latifah's performance was awful too. Don't expect her to grace the red carpet at the Academy Awards this year, at least not as a nominee. She doesn't even match her work in "Bringing Down the House" in which she and Steve Martin displayed great onscreen chemistry. Latifah and Fallon just do not have a strong relationship onscreen.
The scenes the two share, which comprise 90 percent of the film, are completely uninteresting. In "Rush Hour," when Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan were not fighting back-to-back, at least they were screaming at each other.
Director Tim Story does not explore the characters of Williams and Washburn and basically leaves them hanging out to dry with this poorly written script.
In comedies, unrealistic things take place to make the plot work. This film was far-fetched to the point of absurdity. A cop that doesn't know how to drive? Come on.
Audience members sat in their seats waiting to laugh, expecting to laugh, only to be bored out of their minds when pointless activities took place on screen.
" I am a big Jimmy Fallon fan and his skits on SNL always made me laugh, but this movie was not funny. It upsets me that Fallon took on a role with a script as poorly written as this was," said Mike Prisco, a junior political science major.
Don't waste time or money on this one. This film should not be called a comedy because it's an embarrassment to the genre.
