Back in the 80s there was a TV series that helped kick off
the new network known as FOX. It starred a bunch of new actors just getting
noticed and featured them as policemen who went undercover in high school to
fight crime among the younger generation. Among these actors was a guy named
Johnny Depp who you may have heard of. Depp eventually left and the show
finally finished but has developed a cult following. Enough of one that they
apparently decided a remake in feature length format was warranted. But don't
go in thinking this is the same old 21 JUMP STREET.
Jonah Hill plays Schmidt, the smart, nerdy kid who wants to
be liked so much so that he dies his hair blonde and cuts it to look like
Eminem. Jenko (Channing Tatum) is his high school nemesis, the jock that
doesn't think much and picks on the nerd. For one reason or another both find
themselves unable to go to prom.
Fast forward to find both of them applying to become
policemen at the academy. They become friends and each uses their strengths to
help the other one graduate. Thinking they'll be hitting the streets and
stopping crime they're stunned to find themselves on bicycle duty. When they
see a biker gang involved in a drug deal they think that will all change. It
does but not the way they hoped. Having failed to read the criminals their
Miranda rights, the only way to avoid being kicked out is to work in a special
outfit.
The Jump Street program is headed by tough as nails Capt.
Dickson (Ice Cube). It takes youthful looking police officers and places them
in high schools to fight crime. In this particular incident they're trying to
find the supplier of a new drug in schools that's already resulted in one teen
death. Now the two cops who didn't fare well in high school are going back.
But things aren't like they were. The things that made Jenko
popular are now frowned upon by the cool kids. And the nerdy things that
Schmidt did are now making him popular. It gets even more twisted up when the
duo get their undercover identities mixed up and Jenko is supposed to be the
smart one while Schmidt is the jock! Couple that with the fact that the kids
think Jenko looks much older than his "age" and you can see where
this is going.
What you end up with is a bit of a twist on the Odd Couple
tossed in with an attempt by two twenty somethings trying to fit in. They must
also find the dealers of the drugs and then follow up to see who their supplier
is. Along the way they each have the chance to walk in the other's shoes from
the past and with any luck will appreciate each other more after doing so.
The movie is filled with the gross out or inappropriate
humor Hill is becoming known for but not to the extent that it distracts from
the story or hinders it (like happened with THE SITTER). The bonding between
these two characters and the chance that it will unwind makes for an
interesting film as does the chance for Schmidt to finally get the chance to
have a decent high school experience. Except that he isn't a student and almost
falls into the trap of getting too involved in his undercover identity.
There are plenty of laughs and a few decent action
sequences. My favorite laugh involved a chase scene where things that would
normally explode in any other movie don't. In addition to the story laced with
humor we get some decent cameos by members of the original series including
Holly Peete Robinson, Peter DeLuise and Depp himself (though you'll never
recognize him until he wants you to). It's not a bad movie and one I can actually
see myself watching again down the line. Entertaining and light fare, this is a
movie that will give you just what you expect.
Click here to order.
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