An enjoyable and self-aware comedy that only occasionally crosses the line...

Rating: 7/10 (3 June 2014)

Only a few days ago I wrote in this blog that I've said the words "Channing Tatum? I'm not watching that..." far too many times. As an actor he's limited himself to mindless action films (note "G.I. Joe") or vomit-inducing chick flicks (don't see "The Vow"), which are the types of movies which I usually try to distance myself from. When I sat down with the family to watch "21 Jump Street", my hopes weren't that high, but I must confess now that I found him bearable and actually quite funny here. This is an enjoyable and self-aware comedy, with some good performances, that only occasionally crosses the line in terms of crudity.
In the film, Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum play cop partners, who went to high-school together and did not get on. Hill was the nerdy kid while Tatum was the handsome jock who bullied him. They meet many years later when both sign up for the police force, and decide that their partnership would allow each to motivate the other. Due to some difficult and hilarious circumstances, the two are punished by being moved to the "21 Jump Street" division and sent undercover into a high-school to investigate a drug problem there. Much of the comedy comes from the two integrating themselves back into school life, accidentally taking each others' fake personalities, and being generally awkward.
The cast of the film is very strong, with Jonah Hill's comedic performance being one of the best I've seen him in yet. In the supporting cast, Brie Larson plays a great love interest for Hill's character, and Ice Cube brings some fantastic self-referential humour into the film, about how ridiculous the concept of the '21 Jump Street' operation actually is. The fact that the film knows how implausible most of it is makes it all the more funny throughout. Dave Franco makes for a fairly believable bad guy, but the standout performance in the film goes to Nick Offerman, despite his small screen time, for his deadpan Police Chief, which is utterly hilarious.
The film is directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller, who also helmed the first 'Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs' film and 'The LEGO Movie'. As shows in all of these films, their talent as comedic directors is extremely good, and they create a believable world for the characters. The film's greatest problem is that sometimes the jokes don't work, and some go too far. The crude nature of a lot of the film turned me off it slightly, particularly the final gross-out gag at the climax of the film. It doesn't feel particularly necessary, and is just a bit disgusting. It is this brand of comedy that is prominent in the not-so-funny "Hangover" movies, but thankfully not all of the jokes in this film are based on it. All in all, "21 Jump Street" is a funny and interesting comedy, and despite a few flaws, is incredibly watchable.