REVIEW: 21 JUMP STREET
A common problem with modern comedies, especially the funnier ones, is the purported need for a satisfying, well rounded story. Some, such as 2007’s Superbad, are able to weave an organic narrative that compliments and enhances the comedy, whilst others only manage to muster a skeletal, formulaic plot that often more resembles a feature-length joke delivery system than that of an actual film, and in such cases a tight three act structure can work against the jokes rather than for them. Phil Lord & Chris Miller’s 21 Jump Street doesn’t succeed completely in this regard, but it doesn’t fail either, and though the overarching plot beats are often predictable the story veers off in enough interesting directions to appear fresh and new. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that the film is consistently funny, offering up more laughs per minute than any mainstream comedy in the last year or so.
A reboot of the eighties TV show of the same name, 21 Jump Street sees Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum cast as a pair of underachieving cops, tasked with disguising themselves as teenagers in order to infiltrate a high-school drug ring. The film takes an outright comedic approach to the earnest and somewhat hammy source material, and the result is a surprisingly absurdist action-comedy that belies its big budget studio status.
As with most comedies, many of the jokes live or die by the main performances. Comedy stalwart Hill is, as always, dependably funny, but Tatum comes as a big surprise, displaying true comic chops and bouncing of Hill perfectly. Particularly impressive is some genuinely inspired physical work, especially during an extended sequence wherein the two leads experience the side-effects of the very drug they are trying to stop. The supporting cast, including Brie Larson, Ice Cube and former Youtube cringe phenomenon Dax Flame, all turn in some funny work and help carry the film to success. Quick cameos from stars of the original show don’t hurt either, though one of them is such a big name that the appearance will be baffling to anyone unaware of their context. Basically, Jonny Depp is in the movie for a bit.
In all, 21 Jump Street is a film that, in the wrong hands, could have easily been a hackneyed and forgettable affair. It’s fortunate, then, that what we are left with is a sharp buddy comedy that, alongside David Wain’s similarly absurd Wanderlust, is one of the first successful comedies of the year. 2011 wasn’t a particularly good year for comedy in film, but if 21 Jump Street is anything to go by, 2012 should be a far sight better.
Words: Josh Hicks
