Review - 22 Jump Street

Back to Jump Street…College Edition!

Ahhh, Jump Street – you know the home of the office that housed the incredible crime fighters that are youthful and can infiltrate high school. You know the home inside a church that housed not only

the youthful cops but also Korean Jesus. It’s seen Richard Grieco, Johnny Depp, Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill all come through the doors. But that was 21 Jump Street….it’s time to move across the street to 22 Jump Street.

22 Jump Street is right across the street from the old building and the film is much like it’s predecessor. Back are the talents of Schmidt (Hill) and Jenko (Tatum)along with their boss Captain Dickson (Ice Cube). But this time they are going to college, and have a bigger budget, but they are going to college (that’s more important). They are searching for the dealers, to find the suppliers. Wait…haven’t we seen this plot before?

Ah, so we have….that was the story about high school that resided in the first film. But this is the second film and we have a bigger budget to do things AND we’re in college now…so those scenes in the credits…well they can happen in the movie now.

Sure the running gag is the increased budget and the fact that they are doing the same thing throughout the film, but the funny thing is, instead of feeling tired and worn out, it works. The laughs are there including one sequence that I laughed at harder than in recent memory (it’s in the chief’s office about half way through the film, that’s all I’ll say!).

The chemistry that Tatum and Hill have finds a way to permeate every scene in the film. And Ice Cube truly shines here as the Captain (in fact I can see him being the centerpiece of any sequel beyond this).

There’s a fun montage within the end credits of possible sequel ideas AND a brief 10-15 second scene after the credits with some characters you’ll remember from the first film.

Despite a couple slow spots, this is a raunchy good time at the movies and uses its R rating to the fullest. Now on to the condos at 23 Jump Street...

B+

22 Jump Street

Columbia Pictures

Director: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller

Cast: Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Ice Cube

Rating: R for language throughout, sexual content, drug material, brief nudity and some violence.

Runtime: 1 hour 52 minutes