Around the World in 80 Days is a dumb, but fun movie that you could enjoy if you are in the right mood, which I apparently was, and know nothing about the original Jules Verne novel, which I didn’t. It stars international sensation Jackie Chan as a valet with a noble hidden agenda and Philomena’s Steve Coogan as a British inventor, Phileas Fogg, whose face undercuts his arrogant pronouncements and confidence and reveals that he is not as obnoxious or experienced as he appears.
Half the fun of Around the World in 80 Days is discovering how many absurd and ridiculous cameos you can spot in the movie. My favorite one was Maggie Q of CW Nikita fame. No, I’m not cosigning the Dragon Lady trope (although I do like watching chicks kicking ass) or a certain famous Austrian playing a Turkish prince, but once Chan is mistakenly considered to be French, you are more than willing to drop any pretense of sensibility and go along for the ride.
Around the World in 80 Days never takes itself seriously and boasts a lot of visual gags, subtle and obvious. There is a great moment when Jim Broadbent barks, “What pathetic man takes orders from a woman” then the camera reveals a shot of Queen Victoria. Soon after Jackie Chan does his first stunt, his name appears in the credits. It is a clever movie that is secure in its abilities so it feels no need to hit the audience over the head with its insecurities to convince the audience of its intelligence. If you get it, you get it, and if you don’t, shrug and move on to the next joke. I like a movie that is not needy.
Around the World in 80 Days wisely never loses its light, humorous tone. I hate when I’m watching a comedy then someone dies or gets injured in a gruesome way that is not funny because when serious, irrevocable consequences occur, it can suck all the fun out of the room, but the movie still thinks that laughs are possible and can go on way too long. No, honey, no. The fight scenes are actually good, and people do get accidentally tossed off of trains, but the movie is like Looney Tunes. The character may be a little worse for the wear, but is still trucking. It is like a live action cartoon.
If you like Jackie Chan, and honestly, who doesn’t like him, you’re used to his ability to make the martial arts into comedy, a gift that we probably take for granted. I usually like people with British accents, but Coogan never got the accent pass. I’ve gone from saying to myself, “Why?!? Who the hell is Steve Coogan,” because my initial impression is that he is overrated, and he should not have the equivalent place on the marquee next to Chan or Dame Judi Dench, to asking myself, “Maybe I like Steve Coogan and should check out more of his movies.” I realized that his type is to be likeable despite initially presenting as a jerk and full of himself, but by the end of the film, we’ll like him. I guess that I can be easily emotionally manipulated because it seems to work. Touché! Fine, I’ll check out The Trip franchise.
Around the World in 80 Days was nominated for two Razzies and was widely panned so maybe I’m wrong, but I liked it. If you are looking for something silly to take your mind off the impending collapse of civilization, this movie should help.