21 Jump Street

I wasn't dying to see this - I'd seen the previews a few times and figured there would be a bunch of funny moments, but the movie as a whole didn't particularly appeal to me, especially since I've never seen the TV show.  But alas!  I went along with an open mind.

Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum star as Schmidt and Jenko, rookie cops who get assigned to go undercover at a local high school to bust a drug ring.  Schmidt was a brainy, sensitive type in high school, and Jenko was a beefy jock who teased him.  Upon re-entering the world of high school, things have changed - smart, eco-minded kids are now cool.  In the process of infiltrating the drug ring, Schmidt fits right in and Jenko struggles socially, in a reversal from their own high school years. And along the way, they sample the drug they're supposed to be busting (in what I thought was probably the funniest scene in the movie), throw parties, embark on extended car chases, go to prom, and maybe, just maybe, learn something about themselves.

I feel like I see a lot of movies where the first 1/3 or 1/2 is hilarious, and then they drop off rapidly from there.  But 21 Jump Street remained consistently funny throughout; I was laughing until the very end.  I had no idea who Channing Tatum was before seeing this, but both Hill and Tatum were great in their roles.   21 Jump Street is part bromance, part teen comedy, and part action movie - kind of I Love You, Man meets Superbad meets Hot Fuzz.  I enjoyed the bromance/teen comedy aspects the most.  But even the more "action-y" aspects were done in a tongue-in-cheek way that I appreciated. 8 out of 10.