21 Jump Street
The only thing getting blown tonight is their cover.
Overview
When cops Schmidt and Jenko join the secret Jump Street unit, they use their youthful appearances to go undercover as high school students. They trade in their guns and badges for backpacks, and set out to shut down a dangerous drug ring. But, as time goes on, Schmidt and Jenko discover that high school is nothing like it was just a few years earlier -- and, what's more, they must again confront the teenage terror and anxiety they thought they had left behind.
Backdrop
What makes this movie Worth Watching
21 Jump Street is a reboot of a serious 1980s police procedural TV show. The film cleverly uses nostalgia for the original series while simultaneously lampooning it, acknowledging the shift in audience expectations and the changing landscape of Hollywood reboots.
- The comedic chemistry between Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum is outstanding, driving the film's humor.
- It successfully satirizes and subverts the typical buddy cop and high school movie tropes.
- The self-aware humor and meta-commentary acknowledge the absurdity of the premise and the film's reboot status.
- The action sequences are well-executed and comedically timed.
Fun Facts
- Several actors from the original 21 Jump Street series, including Johnny Depp, Peter DeLuise, and Holly Robinson Peete, make cameo appearances.
- The film's plot plays on the changing social dynamics of high school, flipping the popular/unpopular stereotypes of the original show and the actors' own high school experiences.