Let me just start off by saying that this is an incredibly funny
film. In fact, for the first golden 30 minutes or so there's roughly a gag
every ten seconds. Much like many comedies, some work, and some don't, but if
one fails to hit the mark then it'll soon be replaced by one which splits your
sides laughing.
So what is 21 Jump Street? Well, it's an adaptation of the late
80s television series (which kick-started Johnny Depp's career) about a duo of
police officers sent to work undercover in a high school because of their
youthful appearance. Yet while that was played somewhat straight, this film
delights in doing it for the sake of comedy.
It also is very good at taking the ever-loving piss out of
the tired buddy-cop movie clichés, so prominent in the eighties, and then
fusing it with the modern-day culture. The framing device is that the two titular
cops of the film – Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum – were, in high school, a nerd
and a jock respectively. But when they return to high school to infiltrate a
drug ring, their roles have switched due to the changing of the times.
It makes for an interesting experience for teenagers and
adults alike. Adults will no doubt enjoy the sending up of the eighties,
whereas teens will get the pop culture references and enjoy the occasional bit
of gross-out humour. And it should also be said that the film has a respectable
moral centre.
Jonah Hill does what he does best here, which is play the
fat nerd with charm. Even if you're not his biggest fan – like me – you'll still
find him funny. Yet the big surprise here is Channing Tatum. Famous for being one
of the dullest actors on the planet, who's only made it this far because of his
looks, he's finally found a role which works for him – and is genuinely very
funny.
So for the most part, 21 Jump Street is very dumb but utterly
hilarious. I don't want to spoil the film by giving away some of the jokes, so
I'll just throw out some key words that I thought were highlights. The park. Miranda
warning. A cameo from a Very Famous Actor. Anything Ice Cube says. That is all.
★★★½
