Jackie Chan dressed up as an Indian Guru, Owen Wilson playing games with stiff British palace guards. Was Shanghai Knights funny? Hilarious is an infinitely more appropriate description. While bemoaning the lack of a great plot, the lack of anything too unique, one can still collapse in helpless laughter at the antics of two effortlessly humorous stars.

Owen Wilson and Jackie Chan (playing Royal O’Bannon and Chon Wayne, respectively), however, are not extremely talented actors. They are incredibly charismatic people whose off-screen chemistry permeates the entire film with a good-natured feel and realistic camaraderie. And Shanghai Knights director David Dobkin uses that positive relationship to his utmost advantage, interlacing Roy-Chon goofing off scenes with Roy-Chon fighting scenes, making sure that the dynamic duo never separates into two rather mediocre counterparts.

If only the plot were perhaps a bit more creative; if it were a bit more than mere backdrop for the two title names, then this film could have risen above its typecast. But the scenario of Roy and Chon racing to New England to capture Chon’s father’s murderer is a bit stale, especially with requisite cute kung-fu fighting Chinese girl thrown in. Again, an actor’s personal magnetism pulls the film along, with rising star Lin (Fann Wong), throwing in an exceptional, stand-out performance alongside two American film comic greats.

Lin is Chon’s sister who witnessed their father’s murder and chased the killer back to England in hopes of vengeance. But this is the real world (uh, right) and Lin is imprisoned for her valiant efforts. Luckily, she sent for her respectable western sheriff brother Chon beforehand, so he arrives with his skirt-chasing, soul-searching rogue of a friend, Roy, in tow.

The two manage to help Lin escape through Royal’s post-zombie-fighting literary celebrity status through the aid of Officer Arthur Conan Doyle (anyone sense a possible “sir" addition to the name?), simultaneously handling an irritating undertow of a boy named, oh, Charlie Chaplin.

Innovative fighting scenes are interspersed throughout, with Chan choreographing several extremely funny sequences referencing the Singing in the Rain umbrella dance. But back to the main plot (oh, but these sideliners are so much more interesting!) in which Chon and Roy discover that the murderer is in fact 10th-in-line to the throne Lord Rathbone (Aiden Gillen), working for would-be Chinese emperor Woo Chow. These two villains are not only far, far away from their respective thrones, but are also unforgivable bad guy clichés.

While fighting these evil prospective rulers, Roy falls head-over-heels for silk-covered-steel Lin, engaging in smooth-talking techniques that constantly irritate protective big brother Chon. The light banter among these three is easily the most entertaining aspect of the film, excepting the uproarious outtakes which solidly smashed the film’s score humor-wise.

Certainly Shanghai Knights is nothing spectacular; the entire film is predictable and the premise is hardly original. But the creative snippets of history (character Doyle discovering his niche as a mystery-writer, little Chaplin stowing away for the ride to America, and the kick-butt scene of Lin versus Jack the Ripper) are absolutely perfect. Added to Chan and Wilson’s on-screen allure, Shanghai Knights rides pretty high.