22 Jump Street

                Back in the 80’s, one of the most popular tv shows at the time was “21 Jump Street,” about a couple of cops who go undercover as high school kids, breaking in all sorts of crimes. The film may have been a bit corny, but it had a charm to it that still makes it worth watching as a product of its time. It was also the tv show that really got up-and-coming young actor, Johnny Depp, more into the public, after “A Nightmare on Elm Street.” Funny, an actor starting on the streets.

                It was then in 2012, a film adaptation of the show was brought to the big screen, starring Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum…and if you remember my “Best & Worst of 2012,” you would know that I hated this movie. I was originally going to review that film back when I finally saw it, but I just couldn’t find the right words for it, so here’s my chance to explain my feelings. So, why didn’t I like the movie? Simple: it wasn’t funny and I thought these characters were stereotypical and bland. I thought what they were doing in the film was just some of the same juvenile crap that was being done in other R rated action comedies, with hardly anything going for it. I’m not particularly a fan of Jonah Hill, which is why I didn’t see much appeal coming from him, like everyone else does. It also got me mad, because this was directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller, the guys who made “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs,” “The Lego Movie,” and “Clone High,” so I know these guys can be really funny.

                So much to my disliking, you can figure that I wasn’t looking forward to the sequel, “22 Jump Street.” However, after viewing films like “This is the End” and “The Wolf of Wall Street,” which showed my Hill could really act and be funny when needed, I decided to give the guy a second chance, much like I did Seth Rogen this year. And much to my surprise…I could not have found myself laughing harder than when I was in the theater. In “22 Jump Street,” Schmidt and Jenko get set into another drug case at MC State, after a student is overdosed on WHYPHY. While there, they soon get themselves into more shenanigans, like conflicts with frat boys, girls, and football.

Throughout the film, I had to check my pulse every time I was laughing, to check that I was alive, because this is not the kind of comedy I like. Somehow, I don’t know what they did, but they made a very funny movie. The film ranges from fourth wall jokes, surprise jokes, slapstick, and even sophomoric humor, and it all worked! Not only does the returning cast do a great job with their deliveries, but we also get some great cameos from Patton Oswalt, Queen Latifah, Bill Hader, Seth Rogen, Jon Benjamin, and even Richard Grieco, who played Dennis Booker on the show.

                   The only thing that I wasn’t too big on, was the film making fun at some of the clichés that most buddy films do, yet are guilty of doing them later on. The splitting up, the moping, the fights, we’ve seen it all. It really bugs me when a film that pokes fun at clichés, do those clichés later on, making it pretty hypocritical.

                Other than that, “22 Jump Street” was a big surprise for me. It managed to keep my attention going, have some hilarious humor, and allow itself to be fresher than what I thought of previously. Hell, I might consider re-watching the first film, to see if it really was all that bad to begin with.

Rating: 9/10