Friday, June 29, 2012

21 Jump Street

Hollywood has a bad habit of trolling through old TV Guides looking for once popular shows that they can turn into a movie, hoping that whatever wave of nostalgia they catch will sweep away the fact the movie, usually, is crap. 21 Jump Street, based (loosely) on the Fox TV show from the late 80s, is a delightful exception. It’s self aware enough to know that just the idea of two twenty-something guys going undercover in a high school is ridiculous to begin with, but it’s also sharp enough – and funny enough – to suck you in to the story in a surprisingly effective way. The real comic discovery is Channing Tatum, a good actor saddled with the kind of good looks that Hollywood tries to keep stuck in slick rom/coms like The Vow and Dear John. His work here is comedically bold, and hilarious. He’s hunky enough to sell the action scenes, yet shows no fear when it comes to making a total fool of himself on screen. You have to admire that.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I keep hearing that this movie is a must see from all my co-workers at Dish. I even watched the trailers and found Channing with long hair hilarious. I sure am glad I ordered this movie off Blockbuster @Home because it looks like they work well together. I am even going to see Magic Mike tonight.

John Black, Movie Critic said...

Another sales pitch disguised as a comment.