Big, dumb fun

Movie trailers have the power to make even the most stupid films look entertaining. So, I really wasn’t expecting much from this remake of the 1980s TV crime show 21 Jump Street. The trailer had an underwhelming line-up of slapstick action clips, stupid punch lines and loud theatrical music. But, as it turned out, in the complete movie all that fluff translated to funny.

This drama-remade-as-a-comedy stars Channing Tatum (Jenko) and Jonah Hill (Schmidt) as mediocre newbie cop partners reassigned to the 21 Jump Street undercover division. Captain Dickson (Ice Cube, playing the “tough black cop” stereotype with hilarious reflexivity) has the boys go undercover as high schoolers to buddy up to the young drug dealers distributing a super hip but highly dangerous new synthetic drug called H.F.S. (holy effin’ shit).

There have been plenty of movies with a typical high-school backdrop, where popular pretty jocks rule while the nerds are on the sidelines. But Jump Street switches up the stereotypes to show how easily high-school “coolness” fluctuates from year to year. These days, it’s the eco-liberal kids who stand at the top of the food chain, with a handsome socially conscious drug dealer (Dave Franco) leading this new granola pack. Now Schmidt’s and Jenko’s traditional roles are switched: The once-nerdy Schmidt is now the sensitive popular kid, and former jock Jenko doesn’t know how to fit in with the new generation of cool. The tension drives a wedge in their friendship and undercover work, but the ridiculous high-school drama and subsequent shenanigans provide much comic relief. Plus, the chemistry between Tatum and Hill is surprisingly strong, so you root for this bromance through thick and thin.

All that stupid stuff from the trailer, and then some, is still in the movie—ridiculously over-the-top car chases, shoot-’em-ups, and dumb raunchy humor (lots of dick jokes and lines with “motherfucker")—but for an R-rated action-comedy based on an ‘80s TV show, it all serves its big, dumb and pretty damn funny purpose. And in the end, it’s a lot less painful than high school can be.