22 Jump Street
3/4
Starring: Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Ice Cube, Wyatt Russell, Amber Stevens, Jimmy Tatro, Jillian Bell, Peter Stormare
Rated R for Language Throughout, Sexual Content, Drug Material, Brief Nudity and Some Violence
"22 Jump Street" is a comedown from the first installment, which made my Top 10 list two years ago. The first one made me laugh so hard that my sides hurt. Despite having a sharp satirical edge, this one produced more smiles and knowing grins rather than full-bellied laughs, although there are more than a few of those.
After the events of the first film, Jenko (Tatum) and Schmidt (Hill) are normal cops again. They've just gone after a drug lord named The Ghost (Stormare), although he slipped away. Captain Dickson (Ice Cube) has once again pulled them back into the old unit (now called 22 Jump Street after the Koreans bought back their church). With a bigger budget, he's sending them to college in to find who is making and supplying a new drug that cost the life of a student. Jenko infiltrates a frat house and a football team after he suspects that his new friend Zook (Russell) is the dealer, while Schmidt finds himself attracted to Maya (Stevens), an art major who knew the deceased. But their paths are taking them into two different directions, and as a result, they're growing apart.
In a way, "22 Jump Street" is like "Scream 2," in the sense that it knows its a sequel and has a lot of fun poking fun at the conventions. Romantic comedies also get their just desserts too. But I think that directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, who were behind the original film and this year's sleeper hit, "The Lego Movie," want us to form an emotional attachment with the characters. It's a difficult thing to accomplish, and this film doesn't quite reach that level. No-holds barred satires are not meant to be places where the characters grow on us; they're there to lead us through the jokes.
That's not to say that this movie is devoid of humor. It isn't. There's plenty of it to be found, but it displays a softer edge than the first one, and as a result, most of the laughs aren't as big. When it holds nothing back, such as the scenes with Dickson, the film is hilarious. When it's going for drama (such as it is), the laughs are smaller.
Speaking of Dickson, he's the reason I'm still recommending the film. He's front and center for the film's funniest bits, which I won't reveal, since shock is what turns them into such hearty guffaws. Ice Cube has long proved that he understands how to get a laugh, and that hasn't changed. Like the first film, he's loud, angry and profane, and the film is all the better for it.
Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum slide easily back into their roles. They work well together, which carries the film through its dead spots. The film acknowledges the homoerotic undertones in their relationship (and highlights them between Jenko and Zook, who might as well be wearing a sign that says "closet case"), but it does so in a mature manner (as far as mature goes for this sort of thing). It's not "highlighted" any more than the other material. It makes the joke and moves on, and in a refreshing way, it doesn't come from an area of fear or discomfort. In fact it's the opposite (Jonah Hill is a staunch supporter of gay rights, his slip of the tongue to a paparazzi excepting). Ice Cube is a certified scene stealer, but the other actors are adequate only for the film's purposes. I don't see them becoming stars any time soon.
I'm recommending the film for two reasons: Ice Cube and the end credits, which skewer Hollywood's obsession with sequels and franchises. It's pretty clever and very funny. If you liked the first one, see it. If not, well, it's not a classic. But see it anyway. Considering what passes for comedy this year, it's a good pick.
Starring: Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Ice Cube, Wyatt Russell, Amber Stevens, Jimmy Tatro, Jillian Bell, Peter Stormare
Rated R for Language Throughout, Sexual Content, Drug Material, Brief Nudity and Some Violence
"22 Jump Street" is a comedown from the first installment, which made my Top 10 list two years ago. The first one made me laugh so hard that my sides hurt. Despite having a sharp satirical edge, this one produced more smiles and knowing grins rather than full-bellied laughs, although there are more than a few of those.
After the events of the first film, Jenko (Tatum) and Schmidt (Hill) are normal cops again. They've just gone after a drug lord named The Ghost (Stormare), although he slipped away. Captain Dickson (Ice Cube) has once again pulled them back into the old unit (now called 22 Jump Street after the Koreans bought back their church). With a bigger budget, he's sending them to college in to find who is making and supplying a new drug that cost the life of a student. Jenko infiltrates a frat house and a football team after he suspects that his new friend Zook (Russell) is the dealer, while Schmidt finds himself attracted to Maya (Stevens), an art major who knew the deceased. But their paths are taking them into two different directions, and as a result, they're growing apart.
In a way, "22 Jump Street" is like "Scream 2," in the sense that it knows its a sequel and has a lot of fun poking fun at the conventions. Romantic comedies also get their just desserts too. But I think that directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, who were behind the original film and this year's sleeper hit, "The Lego Movie," want us to form an emotional attachment with the characters. It's a difficult thing to accomplish, and this film doesn't quite reach that level. No-holds barred satires are not meant to be places where the characters grow on us; they're there to lead us through the jokes.
That's not to say that this movie is devoid of humor. It isn't. There's plenty of it to be found, but it displays a softer edge than the first one, and as a result, most of the laughs aren't as big. When it holds nothing back, such as the scenes with Dickson, the film is hilarious. When it's going for drama (such as it is), the laughs are smaller.
Speaking of Dickson, he's the reason I'm still recommending the film. He's front and center for the film's funniest bits, which I won't reveal, since shock is what turns them into such hearty guffaws. Ice Cube has long proved that he understands how to get a laugh, and that hasn't changed. Like the first film, he's loud, angry and profane, and the film is all the better for it.
Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum slide easily back into their roles. They work well together, which carries the film through its dead spots. The film acknowledges the homoerotic undertones in their relationship (and highlights them between Jenko and Zook, who might as well be wearing a sign that says "closet case"), but it does so in a mature manner (as far as mature goes for this sort of thing). It's not "highlighted" any more than the other material. It makes the joke and moves on, and in a refreshing way, it doesn't come from an area of fear or discomfort. In fact it's the opposite (Jonah Hill is a staunch supporter of gay rights, his slip of the tongue to a paparazzi excepting). Ice Cube is a certified scene stealer, but the other actors are adequate only for the film's purposes. I don't see them becoming stars any time soon.
I'm recommending the film for two reasons: Ice Cube and the end credits, which skewer Hollywood's obsession with sequels and franchises. It's pretty clever and very funny. If you liked the first one, see it. If not, well, it's not a classic. But see it anyway. Considering what passes for comedy this year, it's a good pick.
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