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21 Jump Street (2012)

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What could’ve been yet another mindless remake of a B-list property becomes riotous send-up  with filmmakers like these. Unexpectedly good.

21 Jump Street

What’s more:

Is it faithful to the show? Well, I never watched the show, so I have nothing to judge that by. I do know that the show was a drama that took itself seriously – based on that info alone I’d have to say this has nothing in common with the series.

21 Jump Street
“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 shit from the past and expect us all not to notice.”

21 Jump Street really embraces all the stupid stuff that comes with this kind of movie. And that is a really good decision. They have fun with teen movies, buddy cop movies, and many other action movie conventions. It really is brilliantly irreverent.

I gotta say I laughed a lot harder and a lot more often than I ever expected I would. And not just because I assumed I wouldn’t laugh at all. Even once.

21 Jump Street
“They teenagers, man. They really stupid.”

After you see the credits, though, the success of the movie makes a bit more sense and is less surprising.

  • Jonah Hill worked on the story with Michael Bacall, who developed the screenplay. He previously wrote Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.
  • The movie is directed by Phil Lord & Christopher Miller, the directing duo behind Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs & The Lego Movie.
21 Jump Street
“One particle of unobtainium has a nuclear reaction with the flux capacitor – carry the ‘2’ – changing its atomic isotoner into a radioactive spider.”

The casting is pretty good. Hill always brings something interesting and Tatum is particularly good, playing through several different John Hughes roles in the same movie.

As with every comedy made in the past ten years, it’s needlessly gross. The physical humor is mostly not a distraction but it certainly isn’t an addition. The movie is also revels in being un-pc, but as with the rest of the script, has a bit of fun on that score. No complaint.

21 Jump Street

Poster:

Trailer:

Bechdel Test:
The Representation Test Score: D (2 pts)

(http://therepresentationproject.org/grading-hollywood-the-representation-test/)

Representation Test

Main Cast Jonah Hill Schmidt, Channing Tatum Jenko, Ice Cube Captain Dickson, Brie Larson Molly Tracey
Rating R
Release Date Fri 16 Mar 2012 UTC
Director Phil Lord, Christopher Miller
Genres Action, Comedy, Crime
Plot A pair of underachieving cops are sent back to a local high school to blend in and bring down a synthetic drug ring.
Poster 21 Jump Street
Runtime 109
Tagline The only thing getting blown tonight is their cover.
Writers Michael Bacall (screenplay), Michael Bacall (story) …
Year 2012
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