Film adapts Johnny Depp show without stereotypes
At the start of the movie, the police chief says to our two leads, “The guys in charge are running out of original ideas and are forced to recycle old programs.”
This is the perfect metaphor toward how producers are relying on film adaptations of classic television shows to keep the money coming. It may be a money-making idea, but that doesn’t make it a great idea.
Case in point: Most movies based on television shows end up being unenjoyable. Some examples include: “Scooby-Doo” (2002), “The Flintstones” (1994), “Leave It to Beaver” (1997), “Bewitched” (2005), “The Dukes of Hazzard” (2005), “Lost in Space” (1998) and the list goes on. Thankfully, the latest TV-to-film adaptation doesn’t fall in with the rest of the crowd.
“21 Jump Street” can best be described as what would happen if John Hughes were to direct his own version of “Bad Boys” (1995).
Based on the buddy cop drama that launched Johnny Depp’s career, the movie offers a sweet sense of nostalgia toward ’80s television while shifting its material to a form that appeals to modern audiences. While the original program was more of a drama, this movie adaptation takes a more, shall we say, self-deprecating approach.
Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill play Greg Jenko and Morton Schmidt, two former classmates who befriend each other at the police academy.
After graduation and a failed attempt at their “first bust,” they get reassigned to a special undercover program that sends them back to high school in order to investigate activity surrounding a new synthetic drug called HFS.
As they try to blend in, they find that high school isn’t the same as it was in their days. It is here we see the very first aspect “21 Jump Street” does correctly: avoiding typical high school social stereotypes.
The popular kids, who are the drug dealers, aren’t your stereotypical jocks or slackers. In this school, it’s cool to support gay rights, help the environment and even participate in drama.
While undercover, Jenko is completely thrown by all of the changes since his days as the high school prom king, with horrible grades and an even worse attitude. Schmidt, however, eventually sees this as a chance to have a better high school experience than his days as the intellectual, pudgy outcast.
Despite raunchy references to the male anatomy and the increasing insanity of events, screenwriter Michael Bacall wisely keeps Jenko and Schmidt’s relationship at the center of the story, maintaining their likeability and keeping the movie grounded.
As the hysterical leads, Tatum and Hill display great comedic chemistry in plenty of back-and-forth situations. Tatum, usually the dull, melodramatic stud muffin in tedious dramas, turns out to have a sense of humor as he makes cracks about his hunk persona and, surprisingly, displays great comedic timing. And Hill, after demonstrating his dramatic side in “Moneyball” (2011), is right at home with his typecast role as the social outsider with the Judd Apatow–style humor.
The rest of the excellent supporting cast includes Brie Larson as the popular girl Schmidt crushes on, Rob Riggle as the blustery coach, Chris Parnell as the self-important drama teacher and Ellie Kemper (Erin on NBC’s “The Office”) as the chemistry teacher with the hots for Jenko. But the funniest character is Ice Cube, playing the stereotypical angry black police captain, who is completely aware of his role.
In fact, the movie’s overall self-awareness is where it finds success and is what separates it from similar films. “21 Jump Street” is more of a spoof on the original than it is an adaptation, relying on an ironic tone that previous TV-to-film adaptations lack.
There are multiple jokes that skew the conventions of the action film genre, as well as the motif of older men posing as high school students.
The only thing that really holds this movie back is its long runtime, as “21 Jump Street” could have benefitted from a good 20 minutes of footage cut. But, not enough that we would lose all of the wonderful cameo appearances.
“21 Jump Street” is hilarious, well-written and very well may make me want take back everything I’ve been saying about Channing Tatum.