Saturday, July 5, 2014

22 Jump Street

Starring: Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Ice Cube, Wyatt Russell
Director: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller
Running Time: 1 hour, 52 minutes 
Rating: R

If you saw "21 Jump Street" and loved it like I did, the sequel makes for a very fun 112 minutes. "22 Jump Street" is exactly what you expect it to be: over the top, full of crude, laugh out loud humor, and it's basically the same premise as "21." Like, literally, scene by scene the same. But it works. Surprise cameos and Hill's improvised comedy keep you guessing what stunts these guys will pull next.

Jenko (Tatum) and Schmidt (Hill) are back as undercover cops, posing as college students. While Jenko makes it in with the popular kids, with Zook (Wyatt Russell) at the top of the totem pole, Schmidt gets lucky in love with Maya (Amber Stevens from "Greek".) It's worth noting that Wyatt Russell is the lovechild of the gorgeous Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell, and he's as talented and easy on the eyes as his half-sister Kate Hudson. This time around, the drug "WhyPhy," short for "Work Hard Yes, Play Hard Yes," is circulating campus and it's up to Beauty and the Geek to find the perps.

The film's surprise standout star is Jillian Bell, a former SNL writer who plays Maya's roommate. Her cracks about Schmidt's questionable age are quick-witted, and she steals every scene she's in, as does the hilarious Rob Riggle in his too-short 3 minutes of screen time. Jonah Hill may supposedly be an unpleasant person in real life, but he is one of the best comedic improv actors of our time. It's hard not to love him in this. Channing on the other hand, proves that he is just a pretty face.

Be sure and stay through the credits for hilarious spoofs of "23 Jump Street: Medical School," Culinary School, Military Academy and my favorite - Magic School. I really think they're onto something there, because when Tatum and Hill are onscreen together, it's definitely magic.


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