'21 Jump Street' juvenile, raunchy and kind of fun - The Salinas Californian

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'21 Jump Street' juvenile, raunchy and kind of fun - The Salinas Californian Mar 15th 2012, 12:10 Full disclosure here: I went into the screening of "21 Jump Street," the big-screen adaptation of the 1980s TV show, expecting a terrible movie. The film's trailer was one of the worst I've recently seen, without a laugh or a hint of an original notion to be found. And then there's the fact that cineplexes have been littered with awful films inspired by television series for the last two decades. (For every "The Fugitive," there are six "Bewitched" or "Mod Squad" adaptations. And we won't even mention "Starsky & Hutch." Shudder.) So I'm surprised to report "21 Jump Street" isn't terrible. To be sure, it's frequently juvenile, raunchy and the plot feels like a random series of events cobbled together without much planning. But at the same time, the movie displays a subversive sense of humor, poking fun at everything from the 21st century trend of parents coddling their children to Hollywood's lack of creativity. The movie, of course, is based on the television series that made Johnny Depp a star. Besides that bit of trivia, I don't have any clear memories of the show or its quality (or lack of). A strategy when seeing the movie: Give "21 Jump Street" some time to develop. The first 10 minutes or so are terrible, with writer-director Phil Lord and Chris Miller struggling with pacing as they set up the plot, which revolves around two incompetent rookie cops (Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum) who are assigned to go undercover as teenagers at a Southern California high school to infiltrate a drug ring. Once the cops actually get in the high school, the movie finds its comic footing, poking fun of politically correct teenagers, burnt-out teenagers and the absurdity of two actors obviously well into their 20s trying to impersonate teenagers. Plus, there's something inherently funny about seeing Hill, despite his recent weight loss, being stuffed into a Peter Pan outfit to star in the school's production of the musical. And a running gag about a randy chemistry teacher lusting over the hunky Tatum is undeniably funny, if inappropriate. As the movie reaches its violent conclusion, movie buffs may be reminded a bit of "Hot Fuzz," the brilliant British comedy that morphed off-kilter humor with shocking bits of violence. "21 Jump Street" certainly doesn't reach the same crazed success of that film, but it does have some minor pleasures. Oh, and if you're wondering if "21 Jump Street" has any surprise cameos, we won't include any spoilers here. We will say, though, the way Lord and Miller handle those cameos are both sly and very funny. So if you are up for some juvenile hijinks, inappropriate teenage behavior and a couple of funny action scenes, put your brain on hold and catch "21 Jump Street" on a bargain matinee this weekend. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters recommends: Donate to Wikileaks.

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