Redundant slapstick comedy, unearned laughs, and vacuously written dialogue.

Rating: Null/10 (20 June 2014)

As published by the Morrisons Cove Herald on June 19, 2014.
BY RYAN C. SHOWERS
"21 Jump Street," the satirical reboot of the '80s detective show by the same name, hit theaters in 2012 and gathered a vast profit of $138 million at the Domestic Box Office. Columbia Film Studios have since called upon the original film's key ingredients, Channing Tatum's swooning looks and Jonah Hill's inherently comedic presence, to replicate the success with a sequel. Unfortunately, the newly released film does little beyond the borders of plain stupidity. "22" Jump Street" is the product of redundant slapstick comedy, unearned laughs, and vacuously written dialogue.
Morton Schmidt (Hill) and Greg Jenko (Tatum) return as undercover cops, but instead of chasing culprits around the halls of high school, the partners are transferred to college. Their assignment is to locate the student supplying the drug "WHYPHY" to other enrolled scholars. WHYPHY (pronounced like Wifi) is responsible for the death of a student, so Schmidt and Jenko rise to the task of unmasking the drug-selling miscreant. But Jenko becomes the star football player on campus and Schmidt begins a relationship with an attractive art student, so their investigation wilts due to lacking focus. Will their friendship and detective mission surmount Jenko and Schmidt's halted bromance?
As part of their introduction to college, Jenko and Schmidt attend a stand-up, impromptu poetry reading. During one student's performance, the main characters stare, unimpressed with the entertainment before them. I could not help but identify with the characters, for this is how I felt while watching "22 Jump Street." The fans that this sequel was made for will roar laughing, but film analysts may levitate out of their seats while watching this from feelings of superiority.
For a movie that documents the experience of going to college so extensively, "22 Jump Street" is not smart enough of a movie to attend any higher education. People investing ten dollars to be entertained will just laugh along with all vapid race humor, homosexual jokes, and feminist mockery, but for those using their brains during the 112 minutes of "22 Jump Street" will find the overabundance of offensive dialogue to be insipid.
"22 Jump Street" has no reservations in embracing its self-aware tone and meta jokes. The film is informed of its status in the motion picture hierarchy and quite literally discusses the deigning risks and filmmaking process of constructing a sequel to a comedy reboot. Conversations the studio heads probably had with the creative team behind "22" Jump Street" exist in the screenplay and are acted out on screen – for example: tightening the budget, reinstating the repetitious plot, etc.
For all the low-bar tricks they try to pull, the writers generously illustrate the characters in a semi-realistic way. Since "Moneyball" and "The Wolf of Wall Street," Jonah Hill can now label himself as a "Two-Time Academy Award Nominee" and his performance reflects that newfound confidence. Hill is one of the finest, most mature assets of "22 Jump Street." On the contrary, Tatum, who has received rave reviews out of the Cannes Film Festival for his serious turn in the unreleased "Foxcatcher," humiliates himself here. He has a blast in his role, but unfortunately does not convince in moments of gushing farce.
"22 Jump Street" makes indelible, evident mistakes, yet most will find it to be imbecilic fun and slimy entertainment. A two-minute sequence of brilliance occurs directly before the credits roll, a scene that cleverly answers the question of possible future sequels. The nifty, comical conclusion earns a few slivers of true respect for the overall product.
Rating: 4/10
* 1/2 / ****