Cinema has long had a tradition of recycling ideas, fashioning new works out of time?honored masterpieces and cultural phenomena. Often, remakes and re?imaginings are doomed to fail as critics and fans alike place such pieces under a microscope alongside their successful originators. "21 Jump Street," however, manages to effectively take the skeletal structure of its inspiration and infuse the story with freshness and hysterics.
Based on the eponymous Fox show (1987?1991) that followed youthful police officers posing as undercover high school students, "21 Jump Street" eschews the '80s pop soundtrack, wacky hairdos and public service announcements that characterized its predecessor in favor of raunchy, physical comedy and intense action sequences.
Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum star as Officers Schmidt and Jenko, two newly initiated policemen with starkly different skill sets. Hill somewhat reprises his Oscar?nominated role from "Moneyball" (2011), playing a heady, anxious foil to his stronger, more active counterpart - in this case, Tatum. Yet here, audiences see a shockingly slim Hill returning to his humorous roots. The leading tandem meshes seamlessly as partners who stop crime through the use of unconventional methods.
After flubbing their first arrest attempt, Schmidt and Jenko are reassigned to the 21 Jump Street division so they may infiltrate a local high school and uncover a mounting drug ring. The investigation hits a snag when the duo accidentally confuses its adopted identities: The gawky, chicken?headed Schmidt must impersonate a well?liked track star and the dimwitted Jenko must masquerade as a science geek.
The bonds they create in their respective cliques form the basis of the film, as both agents pool information and resources to penetrate the drug trade and unearth the main supplier. Along the way, Schmidt revels a little too much in his newfound glory as a "cool kid," and Jenko frequently clashes with Eric (Dave Franco), the school's chief dealer and the alpha dog of the popular crew.
At times, "21 Jump Street" is too hyperbolically silly, but the film is self?aware, juxtaposing ridiculous scenes with candid acknowledgement of its own absurdity. One such scene shows a high?speed chase in which - as motorcycles violently careen into oncoming trucks carrying highly flammable cargo - the audience is trained to expect the explosion, harvesting Pavlovian instincts engendered by the consumption of countless other Hollywood flicks. Yet the trucks remain perfectly intact, and Schmidt and Jenko also express their sincere amazement at the lack of fiery wreckage.
The film never strives too hard to develop a captivating romance or a poignant character study, but instead embraces and celebrates its crassness. The overarching, comedic tone that permeates the film is fostered not only by Tatum and Hill, but by a bevy of comedy heavy hitters such as Rob Riggle, Nick Offerman, DeRay Davis, Chris Parnell and Ellie Kemper. Additionally, Ice Cube makes a notable appearance as Captain Dickson - the vulgar overseer of the Jump Street division who has a propensity for cussing and snarling - and Dave Franco, the younger brother of A?list celebrity James Franco, emerges as a viable acting talent. Audiences are also treated to a few surprise cameos, a la Bill Murray's sidesplitting appearance in "Zombieland" (2009).
The star?studded cast gels to form a gut?busting action comedy that, along with "The Hunger Games," is a must?see. To be sure, the crude wit is not for more reserved, scholarly folk, and there seems to be a never?ending onslaught of bathroom humor. Yet today's world has become increasingly accepting of droll flicks that rebel against the culturally refined silver?screen of yore - "Bridesmaids" (2011) received two Oscar nominations despite an extensive scene explicitly showing episodes of explosive diarrhea - and the physical comedy evoked by Tatum and Hill as they sprint rambunctiously through school activities under the influence of an unidentified, heavy substance is simply undeniable.
All in all, "21 Jump Street" is the funniest film of 2012 so far, raising the bar to stratospheric heights for upcoming, hotly anticipated comedies such as "That's My Boy" and "Men in Black 3."
