Review: 22 Jump Street

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**ORIGINAL ARTICLE FOLLOWS**

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Is sequeliest a word? I’m not sure. Let me use it in a sentence. “22 Jump Street is the most sequeliest sequel there has ever been.” What does that mean, you might ask? Well, not only is 22 Jump Street a worthy sequel to the surprise hit, 21 Jump Street. 22 is also a commentary/deconstruction of what the movie sequel is. In a day and age where Hollywood cranks out sequel after sequel that just simply retreads the plot of the first movie, directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller boldly challenge the status quo by making fun of the sequel itself while also creating one of the most memorable one in recent memory.

21 Jump Street was a major surprise when it was released in 2012. At the time, Jonah Hill was still in the process of breaking out of his fat-guy-comedian stereotype (Superbad, Knocked Up) while co-star Channing Tatum was stuck in an even worse stereotype, the dance-movie leading man (Step-Up). Lord and Miller had only directed one feature before 21, 2009’s family film Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. Was it any wonder why people were surprised that these directors, with these stars, were going to make an R-Rated reboot of a 1980’s TV Show. Thanks to a great script by Michael Becall (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) 21 Jump Street was an smart action-comedy film that was both thrilling and hilarious. 21 Jump Street, it should be noted, also had some commentary on the fact that Hollywood has no more original ideas and they will reboot anything.

Two years later: Hill, Tatum, Lord, Miller and Becall are all back, and they have delivered something that is truly special. I mentioned earlier that Hollywood has no problem retreading the plot of a first film when producing a sequel and that would lead you to believe that 22 Jump Street breaks the mold of that pattern. Not exactly. For the first two acts of the film, it actually follows the exact same plot of the first film. Jenko and Schmidt go undercover at a school, they need to find a drug dealer so they can find the supplier and stop them. So why is 22 such a reinvention of the sequel if it follows the pattern. Lord and Miller get a pass because it 100% recognizes it is a repetitive sequel. Nick Offerman’s Deputy Hardy all but looks at the camera and says “we are going to do the exact same thing as the first one.” The film tells the audience they are going to the same thing, they then proceed to do the same thing, and it totally works.

The film is extremely meta in its humor. There are countless jokes that make fun of the actor’s real life personas while also constantly making fun of Hollywood itself. With all this discussion of commentary and meta, you might be asking yourself if the film was any good at all. The answer is unequivocally yes.

The previous discussion can all be chalked up to a great script by screenwriters Michael Becall, Rodney Rothman and Oren Uziel. Enough credit cannot be given to directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller for the film they have beautifully crafted. There is a contagious amount of energy and fun crammed into this 112-minute film. Lord and Miller know how to shoot a movie, and specifically shoot a comedy. There are many scenes that will feature two people talking and the jokes are funny, Lord and Miller add another layer of comedy by placing the conversation in a funny situation or having other variables in the background (this was also used to comedic effect in their other 2014 film, The Lego Movie). Lord and Miller are some of the best directors working today and as far as I’m concerned they’ve yet to make a bad film (they have four films to their name: Cloudy, 21, Lego, 22).

A great script and energetic direction could still be a bad film if the wrong talent is in front of the camera. Fortunately for us, there is tremendous talent in front of the camera. It has been said that Hill and Tatum have become good friends since the filming of 21 Jump Street, and it shows on this film. You believe that Schmidt and Jenko are real life friends. Their chemistry is electric and it is so much fun getting to experience their friendship through the film.

It also needs to be noted the film is absolutely hilarious. While the film does rely on a lot of profanity for its humor, there are many jokes/situations that unfold organically in the film and it is funny. My wife and I watch comedies in our home and when something is really funny (like, “I can’t breathe” funny), we find ourselves pausing the movie so we don’t miss the next scene. There were a handful of those moments in this movie, and we were in a theater, there was no option of pausing the movie. Huge laugh is followed by huge laugh, there is always something happening and it is so much fun watching the movie.

There are a handful of things that hold the movie back from being truly great, such as some plot dealing with the various relationships in the film. But there’s nothing too big to hold the movie back from being an absolute blast at the theater and cementing itself as one of the best sequels of all time.

Grade: A-

P.S. Best. Credits. Of. All. Time.

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Thank you for visiting Mr. and Mrs. at the Movies! We have discontinued this blog and have migrated over to our brand new site, Tarpley Movie Talk. If you would like more discussion of movie news, think pieces on hollywood trends and straight-forward film reviews. Please click on over to the new site and check it out.

You can also follow the blog on Facebook and follow Josh Tarpley on Twitter.