So, this weekend I had finally gone to see a movie in theatres; it felt like forever since I had seen a new movie. I decided on 21 Jump Street, hearing some positive things about it (an 87% on Rotten Tomatoes) and just wanting to see a really funny movie that would make me laugh! So many movies are marketed as being “R-rated funny” but end up being just really stupid an dumb. But I decided to take my chances with this one.
I’m a big fan of Jonah Hill, especially after seeing him take on such a serious role in Moneyball last year, but I’ve never really enjoyed Channing Tatum’s acting. After this movie, however, I decided to give him a second chance. Channing Tatum was actually funny! He was entertaining! I was so surprised wit his performance. Towards the middle of the movie, you felt more sympathy for him than you did Jonah Hill, when I was expecting for it to go the other way around.
Anyway, the plot follows as such: two 20-something guys (Tatum as Jenko and Hill as Schmidt) in the police academy get transferred to an undercover project in which they pretend to be teenagers at a nearby high school to find the supplier of a new illegal drug. Of course, chaos ensues; there are fights, love interests, and car chases. I never saw the original series, but the friend I went to see the movie with did, arguing that the reboot was definitely on par with the original.
I would say definitely see this movie. If you want an enjoyable and hilarious hour and fifty minutes in your day, then pick this. It’s got a lot of that raunchy, physical humor that was seen in The Hangover but feels a little more original and not so formulated. Supporting cast members such as Ice Cube as head of the undercover operation and Ellie Kemper as a chem teacher add interesting dynamics to the film; Kemper flirting with Tatum’s Jenko is a real treat. A surprise is James Franco’s little brother Dave as the “popular” kid in school who is the drug dealer Schmidt and Jenko are investigating. As Eric, he has just the right amount of smarmy pomp that makes you dislike his character (as you should). Brie Larson as Schimdt’s love interest was the only weak actor I could spy in the movie. She just didn’t seem to have as much energy or the right comedic touch that all the other actors did, making her seem a little bit out of place.
If you see this movie, look forward to a lot of memorable scenes and jokes that you will be talking about after it is over. I want to explain more about it, but I don’t want to ruin its surprises (two surprise cameos included!) that make the movie more interesting.
That’s all for now!
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