Okay, some movies I just have to put under the category of ‘guilty pleasures’. This is yet another remake spoof of a series from the 80‘s. It was one of the original series from the then brand new Fox channel, but it will probably best go down in history as the show that started Johnny Depp on his road to fame. The premise of the show and this movie is young looking cops infiltrate high schools as students to fight crime. It’s a ridiculous premise as it’s hard to suspend disbelief as these guys clearly don’t look under 18. It became so ridiculous in the old TV series that they eventually had to change their mission to infiltrating universities (they still looked too old). Jonah Hill (Schmidt) and Channing Tatum (Jenko) are mismatched as partners, but it is some of what makes the movie work.
This movie goes out of the way to embrace the cliches of these shows and even acknowledge it. The police Captain Dickson (played by Ice Cube) proudly proclaims himself a stereotypical angry black police Captain. There are many references of the lead stars being asked if they were held back because they look 40. In one particularly hilarious highway chase scene, where we are used to seeing constant explosions, nothing ever blows up. After shooting several rounds into a leaking gas trailer, a confused Schmidt exclaims; ‘I really thought that one was going to blow up’.
The drug dealing ring plot is generic and just there to provide comic set-ups for the fish out-of-water detectives who are trying to assimilate. Jenko is confused that having a muscle car is no longer cool because it is not ‘green’ and picking on gay people is not funny like he thought it was and even a hate crime in modern high schools. Video gamers and comic book geeks are the new hip crowd and his old jock notions of cool are out.
I really could find nothing that I would call redeeming about this film, but I laughed constantly throughout and that has to count for something. For those who remember the old series, it’s fun to catch the numerous cameos (and one cameo in particular makes the whole movie). Channing Tatum proves he has some comedic talent and has a dumb jock expression as good as any I’ve ever seen. The bantering between Tatum and Hill is something I could listen to all day without getting tired. Jonah Hill is the master of the mumbling rants.
This is a short review, but there really isn't much more I could think of to say about the movie. It has little substance, but a lot of laughs. I’m ashamed I liked this film as much as I did, but I suppose that’s why they call them ‘guilty pleasures’.
I rate this movie: ** 1/2 stars. I want to rate it higher, but my conscience won’t let me.
No comments:
Post a Comment