By Scott Peterson,
How often do you prejudge a movie based on it’s trailer? I admit I have a nasty habit of always basing my movie going desire upon a 2 minute and 34 second clip. Well it seems I’m going to have to turn over a new leaf. I had ZERO interest in seeing a movie based upon an 80’s television series I didn’t particularly enjoy. Five minutes in to 21 Jump Street, I knew I was way off. I don’t recall laughing as hard in a movie since the first Hangover film.
Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum star as Schmidt and Jenko, two inept police officers that are ordered to use their young looks to pose as high school students in order to infiltrate a violent drug ring. Times have changed since Schmidt and Jenko had last been in High School. Now everyone texts. Who actually calls a girl at home anymore? Nowadays it’s actually quite popular to be a nerd and being a dumb jock isn’t so impressive. The hilarity ensues when the once popular Jenko and the embarrassing nerd Schmidt switch roles.
Hill and Tatum are fabulous. They work extremely well off one another. We haven’t seen a funnier tandem since Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker in Rush Hour. 21 Jump Street is vulgar, over the top, vile nonsense that had my cheeks numb from laughter. Now why didn’t they show that in the movie trailer?
Final Word – 3 1/2 stars
CineSportsTalk 
CMrok93
March 22, 2012 at 10:50 am
Great review Scott. Hill and Tatum are great together here and add a lot to this film’s comedy but it’s just the way it is all written that makes it even richer. It’s making fun of those high school comedy conventions but at the same time, is inventing it’s own as it goes on.
David
March 27, 2012 at 4:07 pm
It’s the exact same thing I said. I haven’t laughed as much in a movie since the first Hangover. Hopefully they could do what Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker were able to do and be able to create more than one film and it be as successful and funny as the first.