REVIEW — “22 Jump Street”

The undercover brothers are back!  This time, they are doing the exact..same…thing..as…the…last..movie.  (They even joke about it a few times within the film!)  But is duplication the recipe for success, or failure?  Well, a little of both actually.

Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum return as Schmidt and Jenko.  Also returning is Ice Cube, who has a thankfully expanded role as Captain Dickson. A lot of great comedy is forged from his hot temper.  Rounding out the cast are a number of actors who are also arguably too old for college including The Lucas Brothers, and Kurt Russell’s son, Wyatt, as the school’s star quarterback.  Christopher Miller and Phil Lord also return to co-direct this sequel.  It’s been rumored that due to their commitments on “The Lego Movie” they never took the time to do any script revisions prior to filming 22. This becomes apparent as some of the not-so-funny scenes drag on, pushing the run time up to the 2 hour mark.

With their conflicting skill sets, it’s hard to say if Hill and Tatum make the best or worst cop team-up, but there is no denying they have amazing chemistry.  Some of the best comedy in this film stems from their really intense brotherly love.  This isn’t a buddy-cop movie, it’s a full fledged Bromantic Comedy!  It even pokes fun at itself with a new version of the “Meat Cute.” (Yes, that’s spelled correctly.)  This self aware humor is the second area in which the movie shines.  For isolated moments, the fourth wall is nearly broken and comments are made about the nature of sequels, the production money being wasted around them, and the possibility of moving into the 23 Jump Street condos next year.  The problem with the film is all these moments of comic genius are tempered with stretches of blandness.  It really is the same story (only slightly different).  It’s jokes and situations we’ve already seen before.  It’s too predictable.

Is the movie funny? Yes.  Will it make you laugh? Yes.  Are there better comedies out in the theater right now.  Yes.  It’s not a bad film, especially if your date is paying.  Although it’s a bit ironic that the funniest moments come during the closing credits.

3.5 out of 5 Stars