(Best. Poster. Tagline. Ever.)
CAST: Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, Dave Franco, Ice Cube, Brie Larson, Rob Riggle, Ellie Kemper.
DIRECTOR: Phil Lord, Chris Miller
WARNING: Some SPOILERS and a couple of really baby-faced high school seniors with guns - straight ahead (it's okay - they're cops)....
IT'S LIKE THIS: You know how some things are inevitable? Like if you like to dance on tables drunk, sooner or later you're going to fall off and break your ass? Or if you eat enough Beef Gyros, sooner or later you're going to walk by a shop window and be all like "When did I get pregnant? Oh, wait, that's just my fat belly from all the Beef Gyros..."? Well, another one of those inevitable things is this: if you have an 80's TV show that survives enough seasons, sooner or later, some creatively bankrupt screenwriter or studio exec in 2011 is going to be all like: "Hey, dude, remember that TV show about those baby-faced cops who would go undercover at local high schools to bust pot smokers and shit? Why don't we make - wait for it - a movie based on it!"
And so it goes. Which is why in 2012 we end up with 21 JUMP STREET starring Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill as Police Academy fuck-ups Jenko and Schmidt. Let's just say that these two make the Keystone Cops look like hard-ass professionals. When a cop can't recite the Miranda Rights without using a lifeline to ask his buddy for clarification (Jenko), the populace (and the precinct) is in deep shit. And if a cop can't chase down a fat fuck of a suspect who looks one Beef Gyro (ahem) away for a massive coronary and ends up losing him (Schmidt), then... damn, dude. It isn't too farfetched to posit that Jenko and Schmidt are pretty strong arguments for vigilantism. My cats Casper and Guido would make more formidable bad-ass cops than these two. Then again, the bastards have claws from hell and attitudes that would make Damien The Devil's Spawn from THE OMEN look like Mickey Mouse.
But I digress. Anyhow, after Jenko and Schmidt's latest blunder, they are re-assigned to, ahem, 21 Jump Street - a mysterious division of the police department. Our dumbass heroes quickly find out three things about their new office: (1) everyone is as baby-faced as they are; (2) the boss (Ice Cube) is kind of a dick; and (3) their primary job is to pose as undercover cops in high schools to bust young folk doing bad shit - hence the reason everyone is required to be baby-faced. You'd think that two developmentally-arrested dipshits should ace this job, right? If you agree, then clearly you have put too much faith in our dear Jenko and Schmidt, because there isn't a mission that these two couldn't cluster-fuck-torpedo into oblivion without really trying. But, hey, at least it'll be hilarious.
Before you know it, Jenko and Schmidt have gone undercover at a local high school to sniff out the source of a new drug that looks like a Japanese rice cracker - but has the neurological effect of a thousand red bulls blended with speed, crack, absinthe, and some Mexican peyote. In other words, you'll have fun - but you'll look like a jack-ass and end up a YouTube superstar. To further complicate things, our boys discover that the Rule Of High School have now changed. Meaning, the dorks and nerds like Schmidt are now cool - and the jock meatheads like Jenko are now pariahs. Schmidt, not used to being one of the "In-Crowd", kind of lets it go to his head. Jenko, not used to being Hallway Fodder, kind of goes a little ballistic. Especially when School King Brandon (Dave Franco) pretty much declares him Persona Non Grata.
Will Schmidt and Jenko ferret out the source of the drug? Or will they fall victim to it? What happens when they throw an awesome house party with drugs and booze - despite Dickhead Boss' specific instructions not to? Will this mission test Schmidt and Jenko's friendship? Or will it somehow strengthen it? Will they rise to the occasion and defend each other? Who is behind the drugs anyway? Brandon? One of the "cool" kids? Or is it... someone else? Is it... Johnny Depp? Is that why he play Captain Jack Sparrow so well? Because he's all hopped up on that shit?
That's the only explanation I can think of.
BUT, SERIOUSLY: Sometimes the best way to rate a film's value is by how much you enjoyed it when you first watched it. Repeat viewings may not provide the same exhilarating reactions as that first viewing, but does that mean the movie isn't as good as you thought? Not necessarily. A strong positive reaction has to come from somewhere. Familiarity may lessen this reaction, but it doesn't change the fact that it occurred. So - do you give more value to the first reaction - or the subsequent ones? Do you rate a film based on how you felt the first time you saw it - or the following times when the dazzle has faded somewhat?
Such was the case when I first saw DIE ANOTHER DAY (review # 320), the James Bond film that many fans abhor for its "PlayStation" approach to the venerable spy series. I have to agree that, upon repeat viewings, these elements became more apparent. However, when I first saw DIE ANOTHER DAY, I enjoyed it immensely. It didn't have the inventiveness and complexity of its predecessor, THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH, but it was still a dynamic rollercoaster ride that was breathtaking in the moment. And when it came time to write a review of it, I chose to rely on my initial feelings for it.
Fortunately, 21 JUMP STREET holds up a lot better than DIE ANOTHER DAY. While I didn't laugh quite as hard and as loud as I did the first time I saw it, 21 JUMP STREET remains a very funny movie even after a second (and third) viewing. This is especially remarkable since most comedies are lucky to retain their ability to amuse and make the audience laugh after the first time you watch them. 21 JUMP STREET keeps you laughing over and over again, and it's due largely to that wonderful yet elusive thing we've discussed over and over again in countless past reviews: chemistry.
Put simply, Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum have a dynamic comic chemistry here. They have a genuine brotherly/friendly connection that not only sells the gags and pratfalls, but also gives the film a surprisingly solid emotional center - making 21 JUMP STREET one of the most unexpected and unexpectedly moving "Bromances" since KISS ME GUIDO and THE KING'S SPEECH. Tatum is especially effective in a scene where Jenko overhears Schmidt saying unkind things about him to the other students. Tatum vividly plays Jenko's initial unspoken hurt over this, and later when he confronts Schmidt about it, he nails his character's core of fierce loyalty with a single powerful line: "I would've taken a bullet for you."
I have to say that after his surprising "saving grace" performance in the overrated THE VOW (review # 432 ), then his hilarious appearance on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE where he repeatedly lampooned his male-stripper past, and now his touching, funny performance here in 21 JUMP STREET, Channing Tatum is proving his talent quite nicely. His niche seems to be light drama and comedy - and I hope he runs with it. While he is not as dazzling as Chris Evans, Tatum still has some of Evans' combo of sly smarts, mischievous humor, and self-deprecating dorkiness.
But Hill himself is no slouch, either. With his work in THE SITTER and MONEYBALL, Hill is quickly proving himself to be a comic and dramatic actor to be reckoned with. He turns Schmidt into a winningly quirky blend of brains, sincerity, and stubborness. Hill has always struck me as a performer with a rapid-fire wit and restless intelligence, and this quality meshes well with Tatum's innate sweetness and good-natured smarts. Hill is also good at playing Schmidt's weaknesses - such as falling prey to the allure of the "cool kids" that eluded him back in high school, at the expense of this friendship with Jenko. Their ultimate reconciliation scene is played terrifically by both Hill and Tatum and may, believe it or not, bring a tear to your eye.
Bottom line: 21 JUMP STREET is as funny and effective as it is primarily because we can buy, 100%, the friendship between Jenko and Schmidt. Without this emotional hook, the movie wouldn't have the staying power that it does.
Dave Franco (James Franco's little brother) is a strong presence as the King Of The School, and proves to be just as compelling an actor as his more established big brother. Rob Riggle and Ellie Kemper are hilarious as, respectively, the school's kooky gym teacher and a chemistry teacher who develops a crush on Jenko. Brie Larson is suitably sweet as a student that Schmidt falls for. Last, but definitely not the least, Ice Cube is an acidly amusing presence as the head of 21 Jump Street. All in all, a stellar supporting cast that matches the charisma and energy of its two leads.
In the end, 21 JUMP STREET is a wonderfully raunchy and hilarious cinematic adaptation that wisely remembers the key to classic comedy is getting the audience to make an emotional investment in your characters. Once they do, they'll follow them anywhere.
