A funny, touching film

Rating: 7/10 (2 April 2012)

Through intense and extensive research, I discovered that the film 21 Jump Street is based on a television show of the same name that ran from 1987 for four years and starred a young and quote 'disarmingly handsome' Johnny Depp.
The tone of the original show was dramatic. A series about cops posing as high school students has the potential for comedy but the show ran the premise straight and (in some cases) hard hitting about social issues of the day involving children and schools.
The film has an identical premise, undercover po-leece in high school but unlike the TV show, the film is an out and out comedy. This works heavily in the film's favour, firstly the film retreads the ground of the show from a completely new direction, so it never feels old fashioned or out of touch. Secondly, whilst the film is a touching homage to the television show, the comedy element is drawn from the changes between schools (and kids) now and then. Where the bullying jock character was king of hill when he was in school, he now finds himself out of place among the eco-friendly, alternative kids of today. By reversal, the bullied nerd finds himself a new place at the head of the table in schools today.
Surprisingly enough, the two leads Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum create a touching relationship between themselves. Between the comedy is actually a real friendship and a strong emotional core which anchors the narrative. The film would not be half as successful if either of the two leads were not as good as they are. Even though it is obvious that Hill is the better of the two actors in a comedic sense of the word, Tatum is still human enough to support his side to an equally high standard.
Ice Cube has the best lines in the film and every scene he is in ranks amongst the film's best. His Capt. Dickson is both hilarious, gets great lines and turns an entire trope (the angry, black captain) on its head.
The film has action scenes and these are as well done, as absurd and as over the top as they were in Pineapple Express. A car chase seems bizarrely placed in the film but it highlights and parodies several action clichés and doesn't detract from the film at all. The gunfights are well done (surprisingly so) and are funny due to inherent misplacement within the film. They don't belong in the film and are played dead straight and they work.
Overall though, the film is consistently funny and very entertaining to watch, I was surprised at the rating they were aiming for (15 in the UK) and they managed to fit an awful lot of language, drinks, drugs and violence into that rating. It's never nasty or malicious but always good fun. Add on top of this a well-documented cameo from two original actors (Depp and Peter DeLuise) and you realise that the film is a fine and loving remodeling of the original show in a similar vein to Starsky and Hutch but unlike that film, 21 Jump Street actually attempts to go in a different direction and therefore break new ground.