Viewed in
2014
Formats
Movie theater.
Premise
In the sequel to 21 Jump Street, Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill go undercover as college kids to foil a drug dealer.
Loved
Ice Cube/Jillian Bell subplots, tripping out scene, silly credits.
Liked
Tatum, Hill, funny dialog.
Disliked
Flat first thirty minutes, too many meta-jokes.
Thoughts
Pretty good sequel, especially the last two-thirds.
As expected, the two leads were charming and fully committed to the smartly-stupid comedy. Tatum's cluelessness was on full tilt, with a fun bromance with the college quarterback. Meanwhile, Hill's character didn't get interesting until a gut-busting subplot involving captain Ice Cube (a subplot I should've seen coming a mile away).
Aside from Cube, the other actor who stole the show was Jillian Bell, as a hilariously bizarre schoolmate who ninja's Hill's character. Then she got even more bonkers in the Spring Break climax of the story. Amber Stevens, as Hill's romantic subplot, was sweet and likable. Some familiar faces from the first movie to bring in some laughs, mainly Nick Offerman. Patton Oswalt and Seth Rogen also pitch in funny cameos.
While the middle and endings had some laugh-out-loud moments, the first third was oddly slow. I can't put on my finger why. For some the reason, the jokes fell flat until Tatum and Hill were in college and accidentally trip on the very drugs they were chasing. After that, the comedy kicked into high gear for the rest of the movie. Shout out to the Benny Hill joke.
Compared to the first movie, this was about 87% as good. While the predecessor also had meta-jokes about reboots, this one had one too many self-conscious digs about itself. Much like Muppets Most Wanted, the winking jabs about sequel inferiority simply didn't make me laugh. Having said that, the ending credits of all the future titles in the franchise cracked me up more than I admit. Like most sequels, it lacked the novelty factor and story/character arcs.
Even since Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller have been on a comedic roll, and 22 Jump Street continued the streak. It might not take you by surprise and flip things on its head, but thanks to charming leads, hilarious subplots, and energetic laughs (after the first third), it nimbly avoided a sophomore slump.
