Rated
R (Crude and Sexual Content, Pervasive Language, Drug Material, Teen Drinking
and some Violence)
Running
Time: 1 Hour & 49 Minutes
Cast-
Jonah
Hill-Morton Schmidt
Channing
Tatum-Greg Jenko
Brie
Larson-Molly Tracey
Dave
Franco-Eric Molson
O'Shea
Jackson-Captain
Dickson
Ellie
Kemper-Ms. Griggs
Rob
Riggle-Mr. Walters
Chris
Parnell-Mr. Gordon
Nick
Offerman-Deputy Chief Hardy
DeRay
Davis-Domingo
Jake
M. Johnson-Principal Dadier
Directed
by Phil Lord and Chris Miller
 |
| Don't expect these guys to know their Miranda Rights! |
As
a film remake of a popular late 1980’s television series, “21 Jump Street”
shouldn’t have worked but yet it surprises by being one of the funniest
comedies this year. Nick Offerman’s Deputy Chief Hardy even dryly remarks at
one point that ‘the guys in charge are out of original ideas and find
themselves forced to recycle old programs’—an apt way of describing the current
state of Hollywood. Similar attempts in reviving once popular television shows such
as 2004’s “Starsky & Hutch” and 2006’s “Miami Vice” have been met with a
mixed reception at best but when Columbia Pictures/Sony announced in May 2008 that
a film remake for “21 Jump Street” was under development, the response was
overwhelmingly negative due to Hollywood’s often-poor track record with remakes
in general. Created by Patrick Hasburgh and Stephen J. Cannell, the original
“21 Jump Street” ran for five seasons from 1987 to 1991 on the Fox Network and
focused on a group of youthful-looking undercover police officers investigating
crimes and other illegal activities in high schools, colleges, and other
teenage venues. Unlike the film, the show was a crime drama that focused on
teenage-related issues of its time (drug abuse, hate crimes, homophobia, etc.)
with some episodes ending with a public service announcement from its cast members.
However, it is best remembered for boosting Johnny Depp’s fledgling acting
career. Depp become something of a teen idol on the show, a status which he
found irritating when looking back. While the film version follows the same
continuity as the television series, it does away with all the dramatic
elements in favor of a genre parody. As much as it satirizes and pokes fun at
action, cop, and high school films, “21 Jump Street” ends up embracing those
very same clichés but while the story is thin and predictable, the pairing of
Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum elevates the material thanks to their
often-hilarious antics.
Morton Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Greg Jenko (Channing
Tatum) are former high school classmates who reunite at the local police
academy after graduating in 2005. A smart but socially awkward misfit, Schmidt was
often made fun of by the more popular but dim-witted Jenko. At the police
academy, the two decide to become friends and help with each other’s
weaknesses—Schmidt with the physical challenges and Jenko with the exams. They
successfully graduate as full-fledged police officers with Jenko remarking with
confidence to ‘get ready for a lifetime of being badass mother f*ckers!’
Unfortunately, the two are assigned to park patrol and spend their time
retrieving Frisbees and telling children not to feed the ducks. One day, they
spot a motorcycle gang called the ‘One-Percenters’ smoking weed and excitedly
shake them down. The gang members attempt to escape when Jenko finds cocaine in
one of their saddlebags but One-Percenter leader Domingo (DeRay Davis) is
arrested. However, Deputy Chief Hardy (Nick Offerman) is forced to release him
because Jenko forgot to read him his Miranda rights. Due to their ineptitude,
Hardy transfers them to an undercover program that the police department is
resurrecting. Schmidt and Jenko arrive at an abandoned Korean church on ’21
Jump Street’ where they meet Captain Dickson (O'Shea Jackson), who informs them
and the other recruits that they will be going undercover in various high
schools. Dickson assigns Schmidt and Jenko to Sagan High School where a synthetic
drug dubbed HFS has recently taken hold of the student populace. Schmidt and
Jenko pose as brothers but the undercover operation does not go as planned when
they mix up their identities and begin engaging in ridiculous behavior with
disastrous results.
Written by Jonah Hill and Michael Bacall, “21 Jump Street”
jettisons all the police procedural and dramatic elements of the late-1980’s
television series in favor of satirizing genre clichés in a knowingly
tongue-in-cheek manner. The writers are aware that their film is essentially a
studio-cash grab (as most remakes are) and some of the dialogue actually pokes
fun at this while the story follows the mismatched buddy cop formula. As such,
what happens in the film won’t come as a total surprise to audiences nor will
it make much logical sense when observed under close scrutiny (Jenko recruits a
group of honor students to help plant a bug on a suspect’s cell-phone) but it
is peppered with enough hilarious moments to make these flaws forgivable. Early
on, Schmidt and Jenko are forced to take the drugs that are at the center of
their investigation, causing them to start hallucinating or engage in crude
behavior. Channing Tatum shows a penchant for physical comedy when he starts running
around screaming and knocking objects over in band class while under the
influence of the drugs with each stage labeled with bizarre graphics. Many of
the characters are depicted as caricatures of popular stereotypes (eco-friendly
drug dealer and angry black police captain) but while the overall tone is
certainly juvenile, the film cleverly explores the curious dichotomy of past
and present, that the high school experience will always remain the same even
if the students and culture change with the times—a fact that allows Schmidt
and Jenko to overcome their lingering issues with each other. I also
appreciated the little touches that directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller (whose
previous film was 2009’s “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs”) afforded to their
supporting cast such as Ellie Kemper’s chemistry teacher who is sexually
attracted to Jenko or Rob Riggle’s loud-mouthed coach. There’s even a big cameo included which I won’t spoil
but you can probably find out who it is if you search online. As funny as “21
Jump Street” is, there are a number of flaws and derivative story
notwithstanding, the film runs a tad overlong and begins to drag as the
narrative spins its wheels until the next laugh or set-piece. The car chases
are also perfunctory but Lord and Miller gleefully play with the audience’s
expectations of big explosions.
Jonah Hill (who lost 40 pounds for the role)
delivers as expected as the socially inept Schmidt since this type of role
isn’t unfamiliar to him but it is surprisingly Channing Tatum who shines as the
dimwitted and gung-ho Jenko. Tatum is not viewed favorably as an actor due to
his limited range and his previous work have mainly consisted of muscle-bound
tough guys or charming lover boys so his casting was met with skepticism but he
seems to be right at home in a comedic role. Hill and Tatum complement each
other so well that you truly believe that Schmidt and Jenko can be best friends in real life. The
adorable Brie Larson plays the requisite love interest to Hill but don’t worry,
her character is eighteen! The rest
of the supporting cast has only one or two scenes but they make the most out of
their irreverent roles in bringing on the laughter.
“21 Jump Street” was
released on March 16, 2012 to largely positive reviews with 85% on Rotten
Tomatoes. Critics hailed it as ‘a smart, affectionate satire of '80s nostalgia
and teen movie tropes [and] offers rowdy mainstream comedy with a surprisingly
satisfying bite.’ Comedies are often cheap to make and the film has already
earned back its $42 million production budget with a worldwide box office gross
of $87 million. The audience I saw the film with clearly enjoyed it but
curiously, I heard someone loudly snoring in the back. People have always
fallen asleep at the movies but why
they do it is a mystery since you’re paying $6.00 to $13.50 to sleep when you
can do that at home. “21 Jump Street”
knows that it isn’t offering anything new and that it is essentially repackaged
goods but the film offers up so many laughs with a wink and a nod that it’s
hard to get hung up on its paper-thin story and predictable plot elements. I’m
a hard man to please when it comes to comedies but “21 Jump Street” passes with
flying colors!
Final
Rating: 4 out of 5
“You
have the right to... suck
my dick, motherf*cker!”
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