“21 Jump Street” Is A Reboot That Delivers
“21 Jump Street” is the latest offering by directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller, who brought us “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.” The film stars Jonah Hill of such bad decisions like “The Sitter” and some pretty good ones like “Money Ball.” His co-star is Channing Tatum. You might remember him from “G.I. Joe: the Rise of Cobra” and its sequel, but you might want to forget him from “Step Up.”
The story deals with a couple of green police rookies infiltrating a local high school drug ring. They seem so incapable that it is almost a complete wonder as to how they are able to keep their badges. Ice Cube stars as their hard-as-nails commanding officer that has to deal with the duo’s ineptitude. This is a reboot of the original series on Fox that propelled Johnny Depp’s career, while at the same time showing Richard Grieco that the ceiling was the limit as far as talent was concerned.
What works: Hill and Tatum have a natural charisma on screen that borders on a bromance only rivaled by Vin Diesel and Paul Walker from the “Fast and the Furious” film series. They are fish out of water who swear they know their way around the pond. There are some laughs, and some moments that do not deliver, but overall, the gags hit their intended target.
This is perhaps the funniest movie I have seen all year, which is pretty sad considering that we are already halfway done with March. The writing is clever and this promises to be the beginning of a franchise. “21 Jump Street” thrives when it lampoons itself. The cameos by Johnny Depp, Holly Robinson Peete, and Peter DeLuise are a sight for these sad nerd eyes.
What did not work: First of all, you can call me a prude, but I think when there is a twenty-something year-old trying to infiltrate a high school, I do not think there is room for a romance angle. This movie tried to do it in the most apologetic way; even detailing that the character was of age, but somehow police officers dating high school girls is something that should be frowned upon. Even though there was a 22 year-old playing the high school senior, I still felt that Christ Hanson should have been lurking around the corner with his steely resolve trying to fish an explanation of Hill’s character.
I must recommend this movie because it actually does not re-thread a story we have heard a thousand times before. It is far from original, but it does not leave you walking out of the movie theatre feeling cheated much like past treatments of beloved television series from the past. Although it is apparent that Hollywood has resorted to cannibalizing anything with a heartbeat, it is good to see that this movie had some bite. This movie leaves some room for a sequel. I just hope that Jonah Hill maintains the same level of creativity.
