Thursday, March 22, 2012

21 Jump Street - 3 1/2 stars

Finally. After a couple of months of disappointing crap (The Vow, Joyful Noise), here is a really funny movie. Morton (Jonah Hill) and Greg (Channing Tatum) didn't get along in high school. Morton was a nerd with braces who couldn't talk to girls. Greg was a popular jock. They run into each other a few years after high school when both guys are in the police academy.

Morton is struggling with the physical tests and Greg is struggling with the academic tests, so they decide to help each other out. After they graduate, they are assigned to patrol a park. This isn't what either of them were expecting. One day they come across a gang of bikers smoking pot. They decide to arrest them, and let's just say that it doesn't go well. When they finally get one handcuffed on the ground, what they do to celebrate is just wonderful, dumb, and hilarious.

They get assigned to a special division. They are assigned to go back to high school undercover as students in order to break up a drug ring. Because Greg can't remember which fake identity is his and which is Morton's, they end up getting their schedules switched. This means Morton is in drama and track, and Greg is in AP Chemistry. This bit could have been eliminated as it was the least funny thing about the movie.

But there are still plenty of laughs. They are trying to find out who is supplying some new synthetic drug, and one of the funniest bits is where they find out what the drug does to you. There are several stages you go through, and they are all acted out brilliantly by Johnny Simmons in a very minor role. It's no surprise that Morton and Greg will eventually try the drug and go through the exact same stages.

Jonah Hill is funny as he usually is, and Channing Tatum has never been better (except maybe in The Dilemma). Ellie Kemper from The Office is given nothing much to do as one of the teachers, but Ice Cube is hilarious as the stereotypical police captain who is always pissed off and can't say anything without yelling.

This movie was a lot of fun.

No comments: