Channing Tatum is a talented mother fucker. Yeah, I said it. The former stripper (stage name Chan Crawford) has some chops. He was easily convincing as a military/intelligence contractor/thug in Haywire, he’s apparently proven he can dance other than exotically (Step Up?), played a role I thought was waaay too somber for him to pull off (The Eagle), and now he shows up with some comedy skill. (The only gripe I have with him was his facial hair in The Eagle, but that’s really on the production side for not making him cut it off and it didn’t really matter because the film ended up sucking for the most part) It’s a toss up between him and Jonah Hill on who’s funnier in 21 Jumpstreet.
I suppose a tie goes to Jonah because he wrote the thing, but it’s a closer call than you’d think.
I’m not going to get too much into the plot of the movie, bumbling cops get assigned to an undercover outfit because they look youngish, and they need to place people in local high schools. The film is delightfully aware that its an 80’s retread and takes full opportunity to make fun of itself and of all of you.
There are various cameos and small roles(I could have done without the Johnny Depp one, it went about 5 minutes too long) of varying degrees of success. The best goes to Ellie Kemper as her portrayal of an Ap (you’ll get it if you see it) Chemistry teacher who wants to ride Channing.
And Jonah Hill is still funny as hell.
Also, the designer drug in the movie is just about the most hilarious drug ever imagined. There are several documented stages of the drug that increase in hilarity exponentially.
See this, you’ll laugh your ass off.