Channing Tatum is usually a strong enough reason for me to dislike a film. Even if he’s in a strong movie, his dead eyed, chisel jawed jock persona in usually enough to drag it down a few notches. But in 21 Jump Street , a comedic adaptation of the 80’s undercover cop show, producer and co-star Jonah Hill wisely cast Tatum as a dead eyed, chisel jawed jock….and, by Jupiter’s nostrils, he’s perfect! Not only that but this comedy action film is not only very funny but is also a very clever, self aware exploration of both the high school drama but the cop thriller, playing with conventions like exploding vehicles in car chases and prom night mishaps.
The tone of the film is more playful in tone and far more crass in content than it’s parent TV series ever dared which is provided by a strong, humorous cast including Rob Riggle, the quirky girl next door appeal of Brie Larson and the magnificent badassery of Ice Cube, riffing on the cliché of the angry, black police chief. As is the mandate for a long awaited reboot Johnny Depp and Richard Grieco make brief cameos to supply some self referential gags and further the story along.
One of the funniest (and clever) films of 2012
1 comment:
Yup, bloody funny movie. Enjoyed this a lot more than I was expecting, especially considering the Tatum factor. But, to be fair, he's actually pretty good. "F**K YOU, SCIENCE!" Heh.
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