22 Jump Street

The best thing about 22 Jump Street is it has a sense of humor about itself. Right from the start, it endlessly mocks tired sequels and the funniest parts of the film are actually courtesy of Nick Offerman and Ice Cube, who both repeatedly let the audience know that, yes, this is a sequel, and yes, they are aware it has to be bigger and more outlandish, and yes, they know the audience wants to see the same thing over and over again. This is a self-aware movie, unafraid to make fun of itself, and right from the start, we know that this is going to be a fun movie, not something that is overly serious.

After breaking up a drug ring in high school in 21 Jump Street, Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) head to college this time around to find the supplier of a brand new drug called Whyphy (pronounced WiFi, which stands for Work Hard, yes? Play Hard, yes?). While part of the fun of 21 Jump Street was the fact that the roles were reversed - Hill's nerd became the popular kid, and Tatum's jock became the unpopular one - this time, it's more straightforward. Jenko finds a brand new soul mate in the form of Zook (Wyatt Russell, son of Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn, new crush du jour of mine, thankyouverymuch), a hot Big Man on Campus quarterback. This leaves Schmidt feeling completely alone and left out. He's more than jealous of their new found bromance, and finds solace in a group of art students, including pretty girl Maya (Amber Stevens). From there, the movie is more or a less a retread of the original - one of the guys struggles to fit in, while the other gets an experience he completely missed out on the first time around. They bicker and fight and try to solve the crime, and eventually end up at Spring Break with a bunch of half naked co-eds. But, honestly, if you liked the first film, the second will not disappoint.

Hill and Tatum have a great chemistry and they are still as fun to watch as ever. Hill is well known for his comedic talents and one would go into this movie expecting him to be super funny, and he is, but Tatum is just as funny, if not, at times, funnier. They play off of each other so well, and they are truly a great on-screen comedic duo. The movie is funny and action-packed. Not to mention, this movie has one of the greatest closing credit sequences that I can think of! Of course, the movie isn't flawless. It is redundant, at times, and sometimes it feels like it's a lot longer than it has to be. But, again, if you liked the first film, you can't really complain. The sequel is just as funny and just as fun.

And while Hill and Tatum are superb as the leads, there are a few actors with smaller parts who steal the show. First and foremost is Ice Cube. He's absolutely killer in this movie, but revealing why would give away a pretty big plot twist, which I won't do. Needless to say, he kills it though. Then there is Jillian Bell, as Maya's roommate, who absolutely hates Schmidt from the get-go and makes endless jokes about him secretly being an old man trying to pass himself off as a college student. I already mentioned Wyatt Russell, who is a good actor and not just dangerously attractive. But the real stand outs of the film, for me, have to be The Lucas Brothers as the identical twins who live across the hall from Schmidt and Jenko. They are a pair of finish-each-others-sentences, chill as f**k, stoner bros who steal every damn scene they are in.

Overall, 22 Jump Street is the rare sequel that is just as good, or maybe even slightly better, than the original. It's funny and self-aware, and you should definitely check it out.

Grade: B