The “buddy cop” movies have been a staple in cinema for about as long as cinema has been around. What you get is two seemingly unrelated characters forced to work together, despite their differences, for the greater good. While these characters usually never get along at first, by the end they will inevitably form a bond for each other they never would have expected. We have seen this formula work beautifully in films such as 1969’s “True Grit,” between John Wayne and Glenn Campbell and the 1987 cop drama “Lethal Weapon,” between Mel Gibson’s psychotic cop character and Danny Glover’s reserved family man. Although, more recently we have seen this formula for success fail miserably in films like 2010’s “Cop Out.” Well, now we have a new buddy cop film that not only is a success but also delivers a funny fresh approach to the genre.
“21 Jump Street,” the film adaptation of the 80’s Johnny Depp television series, tells the story of a popular high school student (Channing Tatum) and the overweight loser (Jonah Hill) who find themselves in the police academy at the same time. As fate would have it, the two are partnered together and sent undercover into a high school in order to investigate the spread of a new drug circulating the campus.
The first thing this film does is specifically and obviously point out every stereotype being utilized in the film. While I don’t think this approach to filmmaking would be able to survive more than a few films, “21 Jump Street” took advantage of this gimmick while they could, and it paid off in the end. This film is not afraid to make fun of itself as much as it can. From the lack of new ideas in Hollywood to the trademark car chase scenes, “Jump Street” presents all of these in a way that says “yeah we are doing this … isn’t it funny!?”
They even use the evolution of what it meant to be cool in high school in the 80s as compared to what it means to be cool now. This evolution of coolness creates a great obstacle for our main characters who now have to relearn how to survive in high school.
At first glance this film seems like another cheap remake comedy with a couple of A-listers thrown in at the last minute, however, “21 Jump Street” definitely delivers what it promises. It is hard to put a finger on one aspect of this film that made it good, but that really goes to show that it takes a great group effort to be a success. All of the elements fit together perfectly and never overpower each other. What made the writing so good was how self-aware it was. As an audience member it was very apparent that these writers knew that in order to win their audience over they needed to be funny but also connect with them on a more personal and societal understanding. By pointing out the change in what it means to be cool or making fun of recirculation of ideas in Hollywood, it tells the audience, “we are on the same level as you,” thus the viewers are more likely to buy into the film.
The acting in the film wasn’t spectacular, but it didn’t need to be. All the characters delivered exactly what the film asked of them. While Jonah Hill was definitely one of the main comedy contributors, his reserved character never stole the scene or made it into the “Jonah Show.” As much as I personally can’t stand Tatum, I will have to say some of the biggest laughs of the film are attributed to Tatum’s crazy and unexpected physical comedy. While it was obvious Tatum was somewhat new to the whole comedy thing, his reliance on the writing and his co-star made his performance perfect for this film. It is hard to deny, even just looking at them, that these two actors are perfectly cast in these roles with each other.
The directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller were able to take this potentially flimsy plot and create an interesting and somewhat intricate story that never loses its audience or creates ambiguous moments. As a cop story, “Jump Street” also keeps all of the action you would hope to see in these kinds of films while not becoming too cheesy to withstand. “21 Jump Street,” gets a thumbs up.