A surprisingly competent comedy

Rating: 8/10 (28 November 2012)

This really has no right to be any good. It's a wacky buddy cop movie loosely based off a 1980's American TV show that helped propel Johnny Depp into world-wide recognition. This really should have crashed and burned like all the other "tongue in cheek" takes on a really tired formula. But somehow they make it work, mostly through a pretty hilarious screenplay by Michael Bacall and through pretty solid performances by the two leads, Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum.
To sum up the movies plot briefly for those who haven't seen the show and who can't read plot synopsis on wikipedia, Schmidt (Hill)was the socially illiterate high school nerd who is of course incapable of getting a date for the prom and Jenko (Tatum)was the dumb but handsome jock who can't pass such and such class to go to the prom or whatever. Fast forward 8 years and they're both in police academy where Schmidt cannot run and Jenko cannot learn. They realise that they can cover the other's deficiencies and naturally bond, becoming good friends. However after a drug bust at the park goes south they're transferred to an undercover unit designed to disguise officers as high school students where they can infiltrate the local gang or, in this case, investigate the new drug on the market. So Schmidt and Jenko have to go back to school again! (cue the wacky hijinks)
If that plot sounds stereotypical it's because it is and the film's script revels in it's stupid premise. Numerous references are made to the fact the actors look to be in their late 20s/early 30s which is something that is immediately apparent in way to many high school movies. Their police captain is played by Ice Cube as a very funny take on the angry black superior trope that infested shows in the 80s. Later in the movie there's a heated car chase and genuine surprise when several easily flammable objects don't explode. However I would say it goes to far in terms of parody and homage in lieu of creating original content, something that the movie even acknowledges when describing the 21 Jump Street program.
Of the two leads they both give good performances, in particular Channing Tatum who has surprisingly good comedic timing. He should stop doing all those god-awful romantic movies and take up more comedic roles. I also like how the focus is on their friendship not their rivalry, I'm sure the temptation to make this movie the nerd vs the jock must have been overwhelming for the writer. Thankfully it was not to be. The rest of the cast plays their role adequately with no standout performances with a brilliant cameo at the end that I simply couldn't spoil.
So this is a funnier and deeper movie than it has any right to be. High School was a tough time for many of us and I sure know I'd like to redo it with all the "wisdom" and "experience" I've gained over the years. Though maybe I'd find I'm just a different kind of idiot now.