It’s the charge lobbed at almost all second efforts, the label of an unnecessary sequel that treads familiar ground. That’s 22 Jump Street from the outset; making all the difference in this follow-up to the 2012 big screen remake of the 1980s TV series of the same name is the fact that the film not only knows but also relishes this. It may get too much mileage out of riffing about its redundancy, repetitiveness and cash-grab status; however it does so with fun in mind and fervour in spirit, both of which prove modestly contagious.
That bungling odd couple of enemies-turned-friends Schmidt (Jonah Hill, The Wolf of Wall Street) and Jenko (Channing Tatum, White House Down) return to traverse the most typical of scenarios possible: where they previously went undercover as high school students to infiltrate a drug racket, here they attempt the same feat at college. This time, the former has trouble fitting in, finding solace in the company of art major Maya (Amber Stevens, The Amazing Spider-Man), while the latter takes the football and fraternity route with his new best pal Zook (Wyatt Russell, Cold in July), as their personal difficulties threaten to derail their investigation.
Writers Michael Bacall (21 Jump Street), Oren Uziel (direct-to-video effort Mortal Kombat: Rebirth) and Rodney Rothman (Grudge Match), expanding a story by Bacall and Hill, shoehorn in every satirical spin on the film’s entire existence it can, their playfulness far from limited to finding amusement in the overt continuation. The very coupling of the central characters becomes fodder for recurrent skewering, using rom-com conventions to probe the male bonding tropes of so-called bromances. An intricate knowledge of the prescribed workings of most sequels, comedies, cop films, buddy movies, romances and college clichés seethes through the many slapstick situations, pop culture references, crude jokes and bantering dialogue – as well as the humorous asides, winking one-liners and an ever-present willingness to poke fun at everything and everyone.
An expert sense of timing is also evident in 22 Jump Street, courtesy of key contributors in two camps. Returning directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller have already had one hit on their hands this year with The Lego Movie’s mania, mocking and mirth, and here their non-stop pace and never-subtle tomfoolery again rears its happy head. What their helming lacks in nuance it boasts in commitment to its anarchic energy, both visually and comically, in action sequences and sight gags. That stars Hill and Tatum share the same approach lifts the content and concept considerably; they always seem to be enjoying themselves, and as a result, so are the audience.
Perhaps its the relaxed nature of their characters, each a means to an end barely furthered from the first film yet already established enough to avoid the constant use of over-the-top contrasts, that makes the central performances more engaging than in their first outing. Hill and Tatum aren’t charged with selling anything other than more of the same, but without the need to wallow in backstory, and it is within these comfortable confines that they prosper. Expect a sweet, sensitive and smart outsider to struggle but find his way, and a dumb but strong alpha male to find the benefit of adding the assistance of brains to his brawn, as well as the charming friction of the two clashing against each other. Their assured turns are topped by the scene-stealing Ice Cube (Ride Along) as their superior, Captain Dickson; however each aptly handles the requisite comedy and hijinks.
Of course, a film itself revelling in its own by-design shortcomings isn’t enough to mask them nor to hide the extended running time that results, but 22 Jump Street demonstrates ample enthusiasm rather than the laziness of its predecessor. Come for the formula, because that’s exactly what is delivered from start to finish, thankfully with the confidence of comfort and the zeal of exuberance.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
22 Jump Street
Directors: Phil Lord and Christopher Miller
USA, 2014, 112 mins
Release date: June 19
Distributor: Sony
Rated: MA
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