21 Jump Street

Starring: Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, & Dave Franco

Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars

I used to watch the TV show 21 Jump Street, and while it was clever, I didn't think it was anything special. When I heard they were making a movie, it peeked my interest, but the previews made it look like it would be God awful, in one of the worst marketing campaigns for a film I've ever seen. After hearing some good things from friends and being that it had a good cast, I decided to give the film a shot and it far exceeded my expectations. Two of the dumbest and most immature cops on the force are sent on an undercover mission to infiltrate a local High School and find out where a new designer drug is coming from. Right from the start you could tell the film would lean more to the comedic side as opposed to the show, which was more dramatic. Going the comedic way, especially with the cast they had, was the right way to go, but much of the film was still unbelievable. Anyone who believes that either Jonah Hill or Channing Tatum could even come close to passing for High School student are completely out of their minds. Also, the speed in which these two idiots went from being the worst cops on the force to celebrated heroes was ridiculous. It would have been far more enjoyable if these guys just sorta stumbled into solving the crime, rather than all of a sudden becoming great cops. As for the cast, Jonah Hill continues to be the most underrated comedic actor in Hollywood. I have yet to see this guy do a bad movie. Channing Tatum was pretty good too, he's known more for his looks than his talent, but he fit his role extremely well. It was probably written specifically for his persona, similar to his role in Magic Mike, but he still is very good. Finally, the cast is rounded out by Dave Franco, the younger and better looking brother of James Franco, who for the very first time shows that he is more than just a kid, getting work because of his brother. He was very solid and perhaps the most believable and likeable character in this film. 21 Jump Street is nothing new, it's another cop movie that blends comedy and action, like almost every other Lethal Weapon wannabe. The story isn't better than the rest, but it is funnier than most of the other films and it has some terrific cameos.