A comedy sequel that is better than the original is rare to find, if not impossible. I’ve had this conversation with some of my friends before. The example that we agreed upon was National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. It’s debatable if this is even really a sequel, though. We couldn’t find another sequel that was even really comparable to the first in terms of hilarity. The Hangover Part II was funny but offered nothing new, and the first The Hangover was hilarious. After watching The Hangover Part III (which I found absolutely terrible), I liked the first two even less. Many great comedies (Old School, Wedding Crashers, Groundhog Day, There’s Something About Mary) certainly made plenty of money to warrant a sequel but went the smart route (at least to me) in not making a movie to make a movie. A couple of franchises did the original proud by being *almost* as funny (the American Pie franchise comes to mind). Then there were other franchises that waited so long to make their sequel and had such high expectations that they were bound to fail (Meet the Fockers wasn’t anywhere close to as funny as Meet the Parents, while Little Fockers was more of an embarrassment than was The Hangover Part III). Likewise, The Naked Gun is an all-time classic, but The Naked Gun 2 1/2 and The Naked Gun 33 1/3 are worth watching but are not nearly as funny). So there wasn’t a massive precedent for 22 Jump Street being as funny or funnier than 21 Jump Street. But, if it wasn’t more humorous than the original, it was darn close and worth the admission price.
Fresh off their successful stint as undercover cops posing as high school students where they exposed and brought down a violent and dangerous drug ring, partners Schmidt (Jonah Hill – Moneyball, The Wolf of Wall Street) and Jenko (Channing Tatum – Magic Mike, Stop-Loss) find that they aren’t getting the same results as regular undercover cops. When one sting blows up in their face, they find themselves back in a place they would prefer not to be. Captain Dickson (Ice Cube – Barbershop, Boyz n the Hood) is grilling them for another botched operation and, while hoping to catch lightning twice and also wondering what he can do with these two men who hardly stand to look at) decides to assign them again as narcs. This time the case is at a local college (MC State), and the mission is to identify the supplier of a new drug called Why Phy (which stands for “Work hard? Yes. Play hard? Yes”). The drug was found in the system of a young co-ed who fell out of her dormitory window while high on the pill. Simple enough plot? Of course. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what a narc does. But, does the simple plot deter from the laughs? Absolutely not. This movie is hilarious. I loved the first one and would need to watch it again before I can fully endorse the statement I’m about to make, but I *think* it was funnier than the first. I also enjoyed it more.
Hill and Tatum are proving they will be on the big screen for a long time. They can both do comedy exceptionally well. Hill is also finding his niche in some dramas where he has already garnered two Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor. At the same time, Tatum has also been very successful in action/adventure movies and Nicholas Sparks romances. And if the upcoming Foxcatcher is half as good as people are predicting, he will add drama to that list. The two actors have wonderful chemistry. The movie already hinted at 23 Jump Street, and I say why not if they both can commit fully to it and if you can get directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller (who both teamed up to direct 21 Jump Street as well) to return. I find it ironic that the first real drama that the unknown, at the time network FOX developed, was remade as a big screen comedy some 25 years later.
The movie is a must-see for any comedy fans. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing it on the big screen, but it’s certainly not a movie that needs to be watched in the theater to enjoy. Hill, Tatum, and Ice Cube are hilarious. The laughs don’t stop the entire time. The movie is 1 hour and 50 minutes, but it feels like it might be 30 minutes long. I think it’s perfect for those who graduated from college. I think the closer you are to the actual life ages of Tatum (34) and Hill (31), the more enjoyment you’ll get out of it. I say this because they try to do so many of the college things that were popular when they were in college a decade earlier, some of which are still relevant and some are not. I’d like you to please see this movie.
Plot 8/10
Character Development 8.5/10
Character Chemistry 10/10
Acting 9/10
Screenplay 8/10
Directing 8/10
Cinematography 8/10
Sound 8/10
Hook and Reel 9.5/10 (you will laugh a lot)
Universal Relevance 8.5/10 (illegal drugs at college? Sure, why not)
85.5%
Movies You Might Like If You Liked This Movie
- 21 Jump Street
- Ride Along
- Bay Watch
- The Other Guys
- Beverly Hills Cop