Laugh-Out-Loud Family Fun

Rating: 8/10 (8 April 2020)

Pros:
1. The comedy is of entirely laugh-out-loud quality and it never fails to produce a laugh.
2. The film knows when and how to appropriately insert tender moments which add to the dynamic between the two protagonists.
3. There is fantastic chemistry between Jonah Hill (Schmidt) and Channing Tatum (Jenko).
4. Both Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill give brilliant comedic performances, with Ice Cube (Captain Dickson) offering up a very good side performance.
5. The movie does a good job at presenting the changes between high school generations, especially with Schmidt and Jenko finding themselves in inverse social statuses to the ones they had assumed in their high school days.
6. The score, though nothing special, performs well to add to the atmosphere it's played in - whether it be during an action scene, or an emotional one.
7. Both Schmidt and Jenko have nice little character arcs with Jenko becoming more knowledgeable and responsible, and and Schmidt becoming more confident and freer.
8. The pacing is great despite it's paper-thin plot.
Cons:
1. Somehow Schmidt and Jenko pass for high-schoolers even though they look way older.
2. The film sets up a bizarre romantic relationship between Schmidt and Molly Tracey (Brie Larson) even though it's wholly inappropriate considering the age-gap.
3. Some of the editing is a little obnoxious.