Retro Remake Delivers Laughs Galore

Rating: 8/10 (21 March 2012)

I was there. I remember the moment when this project got announced and I felt the familiar tearing of a piece of my childhood ripped violently from my past and stomped on the ground in front of me. We've been trained by a culture of recycled and rehashed content, making what was once hilarious into something kitschy and embarrassing, turning us into shell-shocked survivors of our own cherished memories. So to say the bar was set low for this would be an understatement of epic proportions, but that's where the creators get their edge, because there is nowhere to go but up. And they did.
21 Jump Street follows two former high school enemies who become best friends while training together in the police academy. They find themselves busted down into an undercover program specializing in investigating high schools. Assigned to root out the supply chain of a dangerous new synthetic drug, the two partners try to balance doing their job against the opportunity to re-live high school, for better or for worse.
One of the best things about moving something from the TV to the big screen (which may be one of the only things) is it can open up the latitudes of what those characters can say, do and get away with. How many times did you wish one of our 80s sitcom heroes would just drop that bad guy off the roof, saying "Seriously, that guy deserved it." 21 Jump Street recognizes that freedom and relishes it from beginning to end without making the classic mistake of overdoing it. They remembered the simple fact that there was a story still needing to be told in order to bring it all together. It's a delicate balancing act; expanding on the original TV concept, catering to the die-hard fans and making it enjoyable for the newcomers. The people at the helm were able to achieve it with apparent ease, but what may surprise some people is just who those people are: Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum.
Beyond starring in the film, and reportedly becoming best friends off- screen in the process, Hill and Tatum are listed as Executive Producers on the film. While that title holds many different meanings in Hollywood, from complete controlling interest in a project to just some guy with a checkbook who never even steps on the set, the fact that Hill and Tatum are listed I believe showed a surprising dedication to the project not common to the actors of their generation. Hill is also credited as co-writer of the story, which as I mentioned before, is an integral part of what made this remake a success. The balance between buddy comedy, coming-of-age, action and tempered sex comedy brought so many flavors to the table it was nearly impossible to walk out and say nothing on-screen actually made you laugh.
The cast choices were also spot on with current comedic favorites like Rob Riggle, Ellie Kemper and Nick Offerman. This trio shaped and smoothed out the comedic arcs when the main characters had to focus on actually moving the story along. Then comes two of the best cameos of all time: Johnny Depp and Peter DeLuise, original cast members from the TV show. They bridged the gap between history and present day in an incredibly hilarious scene, which can only be seen to be fully appreciated. Not to be left out, fellow original cast members Holly Robinson Peete had a walk on in an early motor pool scene and Dustin Nguyen is actually on a TV in the background later in the film.