21 Jump Street

I can barely remember the classic 21 Jump Street TV series. Being born in 1986 meant that I was in diapers when the series was at its peak, and although I caught a few reruns over the years, all I can honestly remember about the show was Johnny Depp and Peter DeLuise both sporting atrocious haircuts, and that theme song.

So it was that, like many of my generation and after, I came to this film adaptation with a fairly-low in-knowledge. I was admittedly apprehensive at the fact that the film was a comedy, and a low-brow Superbad-meets-Starsky and Hutch-style one at that, but the trailers were fairly funny, and I quite enjoy the work of scriptwriter Michael Bacall (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Project X), and so, hopes were reasonable.

Imagine my surprise, then, that, in what's now becoming a trend amongst many reviewers, the film exceeded my expectations quite comfortably. Whilst I won't go so far as to say that it's one of the best comedies ever made in recent years, it's certainly highly-entertaining, and points have to be given for directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller (the duo behind the also-surprisingly-awesome Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs) knowing exactly what they're going for, and hitting their target with admirable precision.

Like the original series, the basic plotline involves cops going undercover at a local high school to investigate youth-related crime - in this case, the release of a new synthetic drug amongst the students. Unlike the series, however, the cops chosen are Schmidt (Jonah Hill), and Jenko (Channing Tatum), two fairly idiotic and more-than-a-little-useless new recruits from the police academy. The pair went to school together, Schmidt an Eminem-loving math nerd, and Jenko your typical blockheaded jock. When they meet up at the academy, they forge a friendship of necessity to pass, Schmidt as the brains, Jenko the brawn. Upon graduation, however, the pair are given the unenviable job of bicycle cops, and wind up screwing up their first proper bust. An embarrasment to their precinct, the two are promptly sent to the newly-revived Jump Street program, where they're sent undercover to investigate the new drug.

Much of the film's comedy comes from their attempts to comfortably fit in at the school, despite Jenko being obviously bigger and older-looking than his classmates, and the two discovering school is a very different world from the one they first survived as teens. The trailer does a good job of setting this side up, but thankfully omits most of the truly good stuff, such as Jenko discovering his inner nerd and becoming fast friends with the geek crowd, or Schmidt unexpectedly becoming a BFF to the very student they're supposed to be investigating, rich kid Eric (Dave Franco).

Bacall's script, based on a story by him and Hill, does an interesting dance between the slightly-more-serious crime elements and the goofy high school ones, resulting in two somewhat different films that manage, against all odds, to coexist in near-perfect harmony. Many of the best gags seem improvised on the spot, giving the film a nice, natural flow when it works. When it doesn't, which occurs semi-often, it jags a little, but not enough to ruin the momentum of the good stuff.

The supporting performances are likewise hit-and-miss, from Rob Riggle's OTT phys ed teacher (total hit) to Ellie Kemper's Jenko-lusting science teacher (contrived miss, despite Kemper being quite good in the role). Franco creates a surprisingly intriguing character in Eric, a kid we know is a bad guy, but who also happens to be oddly-likeable, giving weight to Schmidt's hapless man-crush.

Although the film barrels on to a fairly-predictable third act (with the exception of one scene which fans of the show will lose their shit over, guaranteed), involving the inevitable face-offs and (surprisingly violent) gunfights, the means of getting there is a fun, funny ride of the highest order. The chemistry between the leads is vintage buddy formula, and Tatum - as has been noted by others - slips into the dopey comedic element like a second skin. It's telling that, although the style of comedy is more synonymous with that peddled by Hill's best mate Seth Rogan, this is easily more consistently funny and interesting than any of Rogan's work since, well, Superbad. Although it probably won't be heralded as a comedic classic, considering the odds initially stacked against it, 21 Jump Street manages to elevate itself from the box of "stupid, pointless remake" to something that's actually worth watching - in this day and age, that's one hell of an achievement.

Rating: 4/5