22 JUMP STREET
Starring Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum
Directed by Phil Lord, Christopher Miller
Two years and $200 million in box office receipts later, it’s difficult to remember just how low expectations were 21 Jump Street. Instead, you may want to think back to early February, when The Lego Movie seemed like an absolutely preposterous understanding. Indeed, co-directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller have demonstrated a remarkable ability to transform potentially inane material into inspired entertainment and turn doubters into devotees.
Given this track record (and the fact they’re now tackling their first sequel), Lord and Miller no longer benefit from the element of surprise. Recognizing this fact, they make it part of the fabric of this somewhat patchy follow-up. Young(ish) guns Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) are once again undercover – albeit in college this time around – and once again ordered to “infiltrate the dealers, find the suppliers.”
Indeed, as their supervisors (Nick Offerman and a particularly apoplectic Ice Cube) go to comically protracted lengths to point out, the powers that be – both onscreen and off – want the status quo maintained at all costs.
Consequently, fans are treated to some sly toying with both familiar cop and college flick tropes and an array of running jokes that somehow never exhaust their staying power.
Whenever the action lags, the easy chemistry between the mismatched leads tends to pick up the slack. Despite constant displays of athletic prowess, Tatum has rarely looked so relaxed.
And even when humiliating himself with an impromptu slam poetry performance, Hill earns our sympathy. Ultimately, 22 Jump Street isn’t so much coasting on its charm as fuelled by it.
