Title: 21 Jump Street
Directed by: Phil Lord and Chris Miller
Screenplay by: Michael Bacall
Story by: Jonah Hill
Based on: 21 Jump Street by Patrick Hasburgh & Stephen J. Cannell
Starring: Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Dave Franco, Rob Riggle, Ice Cube
Running time: 109 minutes
Tagline: The only thing getting blown tonight is their cover
Out: NOW
Two young-looking, blundering cops Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) get re-assigned to a special unit that is used specifically to infiltrate youth gangs and sort out problems such as drugs rings in schools – the one skill needed for joining being that they look like high school kids.
Okay so Hill and Tatum look like they were both held back a few years but in US teen comedies they are positively young – most of the actors in teen films are in the 30s!
At school Schmidt and Jenko were not friends. Schmidt was a nerd and Jenko was a jock but once they became cops together they became friends helping each other to graduate. They are now partners and best friends. When they are on assignment in high school they find that it’s very difference second time around. Now the cool kids are those that care about the environment and excel in class. Schimdt is no longer the nerd and Jenko doesn’t know how to be the cool kid.
The screenplay for 21 Jump Street was written by Michael Bacall. Anyone keeping an eye on films at the moment will know that Bacall wrote the recently released Project X. I watched and reviewed Project X recently and said this: “Project X is crude beyond belief. It includes racism, sexism and homophobia, and it’s crude, puerile and offensive in just about every other conceivable way… this sort of film should quite honestly not see the light of day on cinema screens and certainly not as home entertainment.” So with that said I was very surprised to find that 21 Jump Street was written by the same person. 21 Jump Street is funny, likeable and only slightly offensive (in my opinion). It is nothing like Project X.
Jonah Hill lost 40llbs in weight for this film – and he looks great, fitter and healthier and he’s as funny as ever. Channing Tatum is funny too, which might surprise you as up until now in his career he has rarely shown a humorous side to his acting. Ice Cube also stars as their tough-cop Captain – see Lethal Weapon for his inspiration but with added laughs. And even Johnny Depp makes a surprise appearance in a cameo role.
The direction is perfect for the film – nothing overly flashy, but solid and appropriate. A running gag throughout the film is the avoidance of action movie cliché – cars refuse to explode on cue and other action movie clichés are avoided. That said Ice Cube is still the clichéd angry Captain.
21 Jump Street is basically a teen movie version of The Other Guys. It kept me laughing all the way through and it’s in the top three best comedies that I’ve seen this year. The laughs keep coming and I liked the sense of humour that the film had. It’s clear that there were more than a few lines improvised by the leads which gives it a fresh, organic feel. The storyline hangs together well enough as it is pretty simple.
A sequel is already in the works which will see the pair go to college. This is one sequel that could easily match the laughs of the first film. I’ll be watching out for the release of 21 Jump Street 2!
Blu-ray™ Bonus Material
• Director and Cast Commentary
• Gag Reel
• Cube-O-Rama, featuring hilarious outtakes with Ice Cube (Captain Dickson)
• Deleted Scenes
• Behind-the-Scenes Featurettes, including:
o Back to School, a look into how the hilarious movie came together
o Brothers In Arms, taking an in-depth look into how Jonah and Channing worked together on the stunts and laughs for this buddy action comedy
o Johnny Depp On Set, going behind the scenes to bring Tom Hansen back to 21 Jump Street
o The Rob Riggle Show, discussing the comedy genius of Rob Riggle
o Peter Pan on The Freeway, a behind-the-scenes look at shooting the action-packed freeway scene
o Not So Slim Shady
DVD Bonus Material
• Director and Cast Commentary
• “Back to School” Featurette, a look into how the hilarious movie came together
• Deleted Scenes
