Chris Tucker answered the question “What happened to Chris Tucker?” that kept resurfacing after he starred in David O. Russell’s 2012 film Silver Linings Playbook, by going back to comedy basics with his Netflix special Chris Tucker Live and carefully choosing his next film roles.
Expect to see him on the big screen later this year alongside Kristen Stewart, Steve Martin and Vin Diesel in director Ang Lee’s Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, but Tucker’s getting out there to deliver laughs on his own in a way that he hasn’t since he was the fresh prince of Def Comedy Jam in the mid-’90s.
Maybe it was the passing of Michael Jackson that contributed to a lower profile after he and Jackie Chan reprised their roles in Rush Hour 3. Tucker knocked people out of their chairs with his formative-years King of Pop material, eventually befriending Jackson and garnering more material from that (Tucker’s visit to a Vegas Prince concert being a highlight).
Chris Tucker Live demonstrated he’s comfortable with MJ stories again, and fans that have to stop channel surfing every time Friday is on will be glad to hear Tucker and Chan are reuniting for Rush Hour 4.
The Pearl at Palms, 8 p.m. May 28, starting at $50 plus tax and fee. 702.944.3200
