21 Jump Street

More like 21 Snooze Street…

RELEASED  16 March 2012       CERTIFICATE  15        

DIRECTORS  Phil Lord, Chris Miller        

CAST  Jonah Hill, Brie Larson, Ice Cube, Channing Tatum, Dave Franco          

RUNNING TIME  109mins

PLOT  Jenko (Tatum) and Schmidt (Hill) are chalk and cheese in high school, being your stereotypical arrogant jock and super geek. However, post- high school, the pair end up as partners in the police squad. Mucking up on their first day of duty they are demoted and subsequently, the dumb witted newbie cops are given an undercover mission to intercept a drug ring.

American Pie come Starsky and Hutch crossed with Police Academy is what springs to mind when watching 21 Jump Street. Taken from the TV series that those under the age of 30 will struggle to recognise, the film gives an insight into the lives of newbie cops, Jenko (Tatum) and Schmidt (Hill) and how they cope when given an undercover mission that involves them going back to high school. Opposites from the start, a badass jock Jenko and super nerd Schmidt are enemies, never to become friends. But wait, within a couple of scenes of the film Schmidt and Jenko are working together as the perfect team in a police academy and have become best of bud cop partners. That’s believable narrative there at its finest. Just to add to the confusion, Ice Cube has been casted as crazy angry fool police captain teeming with black jokes. Cliché upon cliché. What has the world come to?

Of course, there can’t be a resuscitated TV series turned movie without a surprise cameo from an original cast member, who probably got paid over the odds for the averagely acted five minutes he’s actually in. With the wrong audience targeted from the word go, the film is aimed at hormonal fuelled teenagers instead of the over 30’s who are probably the only ones who can actually recollect the TV series.

Fake noses, drugs, speeding car chases minus the pyrotechnics, drugs, Channing Tatum attempting comedy, more drugs, Dave Franco (a poor man’s Zac Efron) and Jonah Hill in a Peter Pan costume. What more could you ask for? Maybe the hour and a half wasted of your life back. On the up side the movie does have one gem of an asset. A severed penis. Great if you’re into your sadomasochism or generally find penises funny. Who doesn’t?

Attempting to be a cop action come comedic teen pic, 21 Jump Street fails to be laugh out loud. With great expectations from Jonah Hill (Superbad), to fulfil the funny guy role and no expectations when it comes to Tatum (Dear John, G.I. Joe) due to his lack of comedic experience, the odd combo surprisingly deliver when it comes to their onscreen bromance. Who would’ve thought comedy clown Hill would befriend action man Tatum. However, with a story that goes down nowhere street and a general lack of funny, 21 Jump Street ends up in the bargain bin of Woolworths.

VERDICT

21 Jump Street tries too hard to be yet another high school teen movie, but instead falls flat on its face with its lame attempts at laugh out loud comedy. Sorry, no refunds.