"22 Jump Street" Review

Title: 22 Jump Street

Directed by: Phil Lord and Christopher Miller

Screenplay by: Michael Bacall, Oren Uziel, and Rodney Rothman

Year: 2014


So I saw this film in theaters with eight friends and I have to say that the experience was enjoyable. Lord and Miller return to direct 22 Jump Street, which is VERY similar to its predecessor...and the movie makes it a point. To show you how similar it is, compare the following plot summary to mine from my review of 21 Jump Street.

22 Jump Street is the story of Morton Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Greg Jenko (Channing Tatum), two cops who have been given an undercover mission to pose as college students and find the source of the spread of the drug known as WHYPHY.

Sound familiar?

Yes. The directors simply changed the setting, the drug, and the name of the film. Other than that, the plot is pretty much the same as the previous film's. This can be seen as laziness. I couldn't argue with that claim. BUT...the film thankfully acknowledges this and surprisingly employs this similarity into the film itself, providing for some very good laughs. So, in short, similarity works in this case...rather well.

Once again, Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum have amazing chemistry with one another. Their pairing is honestly worth some merit. These actors share some incredible connection. It never sounds like they are reading off the script, and I wouldn't be surprised if you were to tell me that they did more than their fair share of improvisation. Ice Cube also reprises his role and thankfully gets more to do this time around. He is actually involved in one of the funniest moments of the film. His acting in that scene is comedy gold and you can just tell that he is having a great time playing his character. Once again, we have a love interest and a villain (of sorts) played by Amber Stevens and Wyatt Russell respectively. Their performances are nothing special, nor are they meant to be, but they work well enough for the film.

Now, as mentioned, the plot strikes remarkable similarities to 21 Jump Street. And by similarities, I mean it's pretty much exactly the same. The film makes this a point, by outright saying "It's the exact same case!" The context in which the characters say it makes it humorous. However, I do feel that more was added to this film's plot. Conflicts felt more genuine, the threat felt a bit more real, things like that. The pacing is just as good if not better than its prequel. I felt that this story was a bit more engaging, a bit more developed. It all felt just a little more fleshed out than 21 Jump Street's plot...but only a little bit. The biggest credit I can give to this film is that it is aware of what it wants to be. By embracing this, the movie justifies its plot simplicity and stupid humor.

The comedy of this film however, took a large step in the right direction in my opinion. The film maintains its roots in stupid jokes and gags, but added into the mix is some legitimately clever humor. One that immediately springs to mind is the Benny Hill joke. When watching it in theaters, I noticed it, and immediately looked to my friend next to me because I knew we would be the only ones of our group to understand the joke (which we were). That one joke really had me laughing for a while, even well after the film had ended, and it wasn't the only one of its kind. There were some equally humorous if not even funnier sequences riddled throughout the film. Some examples are the ice-cube joke, the carte-blanche gag, and the lunch scene. The directors just seemed to step up the comedy on all fronts. I am not lying when I say that the very first shot already had me laughing and that the last shots had me in tears (seriously, stay through the credits). The film had me laughing in stitches countless times and I cannot give it enough credit in that respect.

22 Jump Street is a very good comedy. It has its fair share of stupid jokes and witty humor but they blend so marvelously well together. Hill and Tatum once again prove to be fantastic young actors and do a good job of carrying this film. This also had a surprising few scenes of serious emotion that actually came across seriously (with one or two one liners here and there of course). The plot, though a rehash of the story from 21 Jump Street, works in favor of the film and moves at a quick yet comfortable pace. Once again, this film is not particularly special or one of the greatest comedies, but I had a good time with it. If you want a good laugh or enjoyed the first film, give this one a watch. Personally, I feel that it surpasses its prequel, something that sequels should do. This is not a great movie, but it is a great comedy.

Grade: B+