21 Jump Street Movie Review (2012)
A buddy comedy that sends two undercover cops back to high school to break up a drug ring, 21 Jump Street is a very funny film with a great cast.
When the television show 21 Jump Street first hit the airwaves in 1987, it was all the rage. I am old enough to remember watching it, and also young enough to have had Johnny Depp and Dustin Nguyen photos from Teen Bop hanging on my bedroom wall. It was a new concept and one that really worked for a few years on tv, but, released over 20 years later, I couldn’t imagine what the movie was going to look like.
21 Jump Street is a film about Schmidt and Jenko, two guys who didn’t get along in high school, but decide to be best buddies once they run into each other at the police academy. After a wonky arrest situation, the men are sent off to be part of a newly revived undercover program where they will be sent back to high school as students to help infiltrate and break up a drug ring. Posing as brothers, they quickly find out that high school isn’t what it used to be.
This light-hearted comedy ranges from belly laughs to cheap humor in content. The first half hour had me laughing out loud at least half a dozen times. There are some extremely ‘on the nose’ jokes (“We’re reviving a canceled undercover police program from the ’80s and revamping it for modern times. You see the guys in charge of this stuff lack creativity and are completely out of ideas, so all they do now is recycle s**t from the past and expect us all not to notice”) that are relatable and hilarious. The rest of the movie lives in the same funny space, but the story begins to become more relevant, and with that, the funny banter fades some.
I love the choices made in regards to growth in this movie. When they were kids in high school, Schmidt was a nerd who tried to dress “cool” and got rejected by a popular girl he asked to prom. Jenko was one of the “cool” kids, so everything came easily just because of who he was. When they go back to school in 2012, it’s no longer cool to show your dominance and pick on smaller people. No one calls each other on the phone except for old people (younger people text) and both men learn that and it’s not cool not to care. The world has changed, and in many ways, for the better.
Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum have great chemistry as Schmidt and Jenko. There is also a fantastic supporting cast that continually popped up throughout the film, including Dave Franco, Brie Larson, Rob Riggle, Ice Cube, Ellie Kemper, and Dakota Johnson. Additionally, there is an incredibly dynamic fight scene at the prom with a few cameos to boot.
Overall, 21 Jump Street surprised me with its wit and situational comedy that works all the way through, even if the funny dialogue is strongest in the first half hour. It’s perfect for a light evening when you need a good laugh, as nothing is too serious and it holds your attention well.
Runtime: 109 minutes
Motion Picture Rating: R
Languages Spoken In The Film: English
Should You Watch It? Yes
Did I Cry? Nope
My Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Available: Free on Peacock, to rent on Prime Video, or may be available for free on other streaming platforms
