“21 Jump Street” is similar to “The Hangover” in that it’s full of phrases that people will incessantly quote for the next couple of months. While it may or may not be the next “Dumb and Dumber,” Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum give other comedic duos a run for their money. Schmidt (Hill) and Jenko (Tatum) play cops who go undercover in high school to bust the dealer and supplier of a harsh yet popular drug.
While the two are supposed to redeem themselves as undercover cops, all they seem to do at first is correct everything that they screwed up as teenagers in high school. Jenko, who was the dumb but gorgeous jock in high school, befriends the chemistry nerds while Schmidt, the unpopular “Slim Shady” in his high school days, befriends the popular crowd.
The film is based off of the former popular television program with Johnny Depp. However, writers Michael Bacall and Hill made their own interpretation of the late cop drama and added a more vulgar comedic twist to it. While remakes are risky, the full cast and crew did a superb job at revamping the television drama into an entertaining take on the 1980s’ “undercover cops go to high school” theme.
Not to mention the dynamic duo of Tatum and Hill was probably the most hilarious element of the movie. Each brought different factors of hilarity to the film with tongue in cheek humor and numerous “bromantic” scenes. While Schmidt’s character is nothing out of the ordinary for Hill, Tatum, who usually plays muscled tough guys or the charming, “ideal” guy in many Nicholas Sparks’ flicks, demonstrates a surprising comedic performance. The two could not have been a more unlikely pair up but there were moments when my stomach hurt because I was laughing so hard.
Surprisingly, the comedic elements of the movie do not take away from the overarching plot. That is to say, however, if you’re looking for an intriguing undercover cop story, you should look more toward a drama because the eye-watering hilarity in “21 Jump Street” is anything but serious.
Even the role of supporting actor Ice Cube was the perfect addition to the jaw-dropping humor with his “no excuses” type demeanor as Captain Dickson. Ellie Kemper and Rob Riggle also add to the crudely hilarious experience with their roles as wildly inappropriate faculty members. I can’t forget the roles of Dave Franco or Brie Larson, as they did a fantastic job for being fairly new to the big screen, with their roles as eco-friendly, popular high school students.
Many might assume that “21 Jump Street” is just going to be another stupid comedy but it will exceed many expectations and is definitely worth the high prices at the movie theater. And while the film may just be another representation of illegal and outrageous high school drama and partying, the comedic team of Hill and Tatum will blow your minds.
Grade: A