Movie - 21 Jump Street (2012)

One would think that the remake of a popular old TV show like 21 Jump Street into a movie would just not work.  Surprisingly, it does work!  It was an enjoyable time – don’t look for deep meaning but there were definitely laugh out loud moments through the movie with standout performances by Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum (For some reason, I cannot write that name without thinking of Stockard Channing and Tatum O’Neal).

The movie is about two rookie policemen, Morton Schmidt (Hill) and Greg Jenko (Tatum).  Though they knew each other in high school, they belonged to separate cliques and were not friends.  Both joined the police academy and realized that they needed each other to get through – Jenko needed Schmidt’s brains for the academics and   Schmidt needed Jenko’s help in passing the physical portion of the curriculum, starting a symbiotic relationship and friendship.  Basic plot summary is as follows:

1. After successfully graduating from the Academy, both friends patrol together.  Unfortunately for them, it is the decidedly not glamorous bike patrol at the local park, not exactly their dream job.
2. They find a gang of drug dealers and make a big arrest, doing everything wrong in the process.  Unfortunately, the arrest doesn’t stick and the drug dealer is released. 
3. Schmidt and Jenko are reassigned to 21 Jump Street, an initiative that leverages new officers’ youthful looks to get into high schools, apparently to battle gang and drug related issues that run rampant there.
4. Captain Dickson (played brilliantly by Ice Cube) assigns them to infiltrate their old high school and find the source of a new designer drug that originated there.  Schmidt will play a nerd, playing to his strengths while Jenko naturally plays the jock.  At least that’s the plan…until the identities are accidentally reversed and each has to play the other.
5. Against all odds, Jonah Hill successfully plays the cool kid with Channing Tatum as the loser brother.  Naturally, this leads to all sorts of fun!

This is was an excellent movie!  Hill and Tatum have a natural chemistry and it worked on the screen to create a lot of funny moments.  The movie does everything it can to keep the element of surprise going and always doing the unexpected.  There are a lot of cameos by the stars of the original TV series, the most famous of whom is Johnny Depp.  Just wait for Depp’s appearance – it is well worth it!

Life lesson learned from the movie: No one looks cool on bike patrol.  They should pay cops extra for that duty.

I give the movie four stars out of five.

More movie information can be found on IMDB and you can always buy the movie on Amazon!!!