Worth Your Time

Rating: 8/10 (19 March 2012)

'21 Jump Street' is a largely forgotten late 80s/early 90s television show, which today is widely acknowledged for helping launch the career of actor Johnny Depp, who you made of heard of. Having not seen a single episode of the program (which was before my time), could I make it through this film with a complete understanding without any backstory?
Let me get one thing straight: unlike the show (which deals with such heavy issues as child abuse, homophobia, AIDS, and hat crimes), this is a raunchy comedy. And the movie's not afraid to admit it, as the first ten minutes alone provide us with a galore of genitalia and gross out gags. Normally, these would scare me away and become a liability when considering how one movie would score. Maybe it's the fact that the funniest moments stem from witty banter or creative sequences rather than gross out themselves, but it the raunchiness didn't seem to bother me (for the most part.)
Then there's Channing Tatum. If you were to bring his name up anytime before this year, I would shutter.I mean, we all know he might not have the greatest resume ('Fighting' anyone?), but he's honestly one of the best things about this movie. So much so that he even manages to be better than Jonah Hill, one of the best comedic actors working today. Rob Riggle and Ice Cube each provide inspired supporting roles that are nearly laugh out loud funny each time they're on screen, never feeling forced or overused.
Does the film have problems? Well...yeah. I won't deny that. Some of the jokes fall flat, while some jokes that initially worked are stretched a little too far. There's the (inevitably) love story between one of the main characters and a high school girl feels too forced and only is there to serve as a 'love story.' But, for the most part, I completely enjoyed it, though I can't ever see myself taking time to watch it again.
So if turning a serious-themed show like '21 Jump Street' into a very good raunchy comedy does make me wonder if other old 80s TV shows would make a similar transition. Wouldn't Alf as a pot-smoking, potty-mouthed slacker who still lives with his mom in modern day Los Angeles be an instant classic?