Since this is coming out on Blu-Ray on Tuesday, I got to talk about this movie. I mean, I lament the fact that Hollywood continuously scarps the bottom of the barrel and will pretty much remake every fucking television show in existence into a movie, but once in a blue moon, they do yield a nugget of gold amongst all the shit that gets made. 21 Jump Street was by far and away, one of the funnier comedies to come out in 2012. It took the ridiculous premise of the show in which it is based on and made it even more ridiculous by reveling in the absurdity of grown men infiltrating a high school to bust up a sophisticated drug ring. Even typing that sentence was absurd, but damned if this movie isn’t side splitting hilarious and well acted by C-Tates (Channing Tatum) and Jonah Hill.
Wow, I honestly expected this movie to pretty much be terrible, as I expected something along the lines of a 80s TV Show remake would be. To my surprise, Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill delivered on all the laughs as they riff and chide one another, while the comedic writing is carried even through all the secondary characters like Rob Riggle (Overland Park, KS Native!), Dave Franco and Brie Larson (United State of Tera). Everyone looks like they had a blast on this film as the jokes are quick and raunchy, but timely and spot-on in delivery. The biggest surprise is Tatum playing the jock/popular kid having his role reversed in the undercover operation. He can do comedy very well, almost seeming a bit too comfortable in the role of the popular dick jock.
21 Jump Street just enjoys the lampooning and winking that is gives the audience, knowing that the premise of remaking a gritty high school drama into a gritty comedy is just part of the game. There are even exchanges early on about the nature of reviving old programs and trying to make them new, a nice parallel to the state of Hollywood and their love of remaking the old into new properties. As a comedy, this is a solid movie and about as raunchy and hilarious as it’s other R-rated counterparts. Tatum and Hill just click together and it makes their partnership even better in the film. The supporting cast elevates this movie as well, giving way to a lot more situational comedy and better dynamic. The movie is all about cliches, retreaded character archetypes and raunchy humor that is the hallmark of r-rated comedies. 21 Jump Street is one of the better comedies out there and frankly will surprise a lot of people who thinks it is just another R comedy in the sea of other comedies.
Below is an excerpt of my previous review and link to read more. Check it out on Tuesday when it is released.
What seemed like a terrible idea, 21 Jump Street is surprisingly self referential and downright hilarious with the cast and crew taking the tropes of the trashy televsion show, the buddy cop genre and raunchy, YouTube afflicted generation of movie goers all basically having a prom night grope-fest with one another and having a fucking great time. 21 Jump Street falls into that coveted R-rated comedy genre that Hollywood has finally found to be profitable again and turned what could have been a bad idea (still is in my opinion) and decided to just run with it. What you get from this film is a flatout, raunch fest that is filled with the ridiculousness of 80s style action scenes, sprinkled with the bromance of the two leads and then goes for the gut with the humor. Read more here