Rating: ***1/2
It's long been on the list of properties from TV's past to weave into box office gold, but 21 Jump Street, until recently, just hasn't been able to make the leap. Perhaps that's owed to its ludicrous premise, a squad of police detectives who go undercover at a high school to bust crimes. For a savvy audience in the 21st century, could such an idea really work? Well this movie version of the classic(?) Fox series makes it work by addressing said conundrum and doing it in a way that's humorous and pointed. Along the way, there's a shot or two at all these re-imaginings/rebootings/reworkings of product from Hollywood's past, and most importantly, one of the most entertaining action/buddy-cop comedies to be produced in some time.
Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill play Jenko and Schmidt, a pair of rookie cops with delusions of grandeur. Unable to make a simple drug bust without screwing it up, they're reassigned to a resuscitated Jump Street bureau and ordered to the local high school to investigate the distribution of a new synthetic drug. Both Jenko and Schmidt welcome the opportunity - Jenko to relive his glory days, and Schmidt to correct his high school geekiness - but reintegrating into high school is easier said than done. Instead, Schmidt ends up with the cool kids and Jenko makes friends with the geeks, but the pair still have to work together to end the evil spread of H.F.S. and bring its suppliers to justice.
The key to Jump Steet's success is its embrace of the obsurd. As explained to Jenko and Schmidt when they're assigned to their new unit, the force is just re-starting an old program because they've run out of ideas and hope no one will notice, a little wink-wink, nudge-nudge to the movie's less than original inspirations. There are also recurrent jokes about how Jenko in particular doesn't fit your standard mould for a high school student, of course I'd be very surprised if any of the young actors cast as high school students, even the background extras, were under the age of 20, but it was nice for the directors to acknowledge the situation.
But really, what makes the film's concept work best is the team of Hill and Tatum who make believable friends, partners and fake brothers. Hill, given is background, is unsurprisingly funny for his part, which makes Tatum the real breakout star of the film. Although undoubtedly handsome, and a capable leading man when physicality is required - whether in action like G.I. Joe, or dancing like in Step Up - Tatum proves he's got comedic chops to spare in the thankless role of the lughead jock, to which he adds some surprising dimension. Hill and Tatum get good support too from veterans like Ice Cube as the police captain who just happens to be angry and black, and newcomers like Dave Franco, brother of James, who plays the main high school dealer.
The action and comedy elements are adequately balanced, with the former being particularly over the top while sometimes undermining the expectations for such sequences. For instance, the question of what one might do in a car chase situation when constantly confronted by traffic jams is answered. Then, a later car chase involves limos tearing through the street, which is about the only debauchery on prom night that limos rarely see. Hill actually acquits himself as well with the action as Tatum does with the comedy. He also clearly went the Simon Pegg and Seth Rogen route of taking his role in an action movie seriously by slimming down somewhat, although not too much, because that probably wouldn't have been as funny.
And the cherry on top is a pair of cameos from some original 21 Jump Streeters, including a really surprising actor who you never thought would ever get involved in something called 21 Jump Street again. But its to the credit of filmmakers Phil Lord and Chris Miller that such a high-profile appearance feels more like an after thought rather than being a central gag that much of the film is built around. It seems that the formula's been bent once again for these classic(?) TV to big screen transfers: exploit the logical inconsistency and play it for laughs. Arrogance and self-awareness rarely go together, but 21 Jump Street is the exception that proves the rule.
