22 Jump Street

Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum and Ice Cube sure hope you remember how much you laughed at 21 Jump Street, because everything is bigger, more explosive and more expensive in the sequel, 22 Jump Street.

Tatum and Hill return again as Jenko and Schmidt - two of the worst undercover officers you have ever seen in your life. Last time, they had to bust a drug distribution ring operating in a local high school.

This time, they have to bust a drug distribution ring operating at a local college (Like they say, if ain’t broke, don’t fix it).

That has to be the motto for 22 Jump Street. The three person writing team makes sure the funniest jokes in the movie are about how you don’t want to screw up a sequel, or how the sequel always costs more money or how people just want the same thing again, so don’t mess with the formula. These are the kinds of jokes this audience can appreciate, and join in on the fun when Hill, Tatum and the gang takes some jabs at Hollywood.

Lucky for us, 22 Jump Street is just as funny, or maybe even funnier than the first one.

Tatum and Hill stick to the characters and continue to play them as very very very stupid, but it’s a funny, kind of endearing stupid that comes off as sweet and honest. Their relationship and their chemistry is what drives this movie, and directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller are smart enough to point the camera and capture the antics.

Plus, Ice Cube gets to play the mean and angry boss, again, always barking orders and threats at the two more docile detectives. That guy should get his own movie, especially after he practically had me on the floor laughing at the movie’s biggest surprise.

22 Jump Street is not a great movie. It goes on much longer than it really should, with a few forced plot twists that don’t add anything to the film, and the plot is practically forgotten for most of the movie as we see all of the goofiness and silliness on screen as Schmidt and Jenko start to drift apart. Attitude carries the day more often than details and storytelling (and you have to laugh a little bit when the parts of 22 Jump Street that depart from 21 Jump Street are the parts that don’t work as well, maybe they shouldn’t mess with the formula).

However, 22 Jump Street is a very funny movie. It’s kind of raunchy at times. It’s kind of over the top at times, and it is hilarious all of the time. Even an unfortunately timed Tracy Morgan joke couldn’t bring down the mood of the audience, but maybe they could edit that out?

22 Jump Street is rated R for language throughout, sexual content, drug material, brief nudity and some violence.