The first half of 22 Jump Street relies largely on making jokes about how it’s a sequel. These “jokes” are wedged directly into the film’s plot by way of comments on a bigger budget and how they should do everything the same. It’s a level of self-awareness that has become quite regular in today’s movies, and worked well on a smaller scale in the first movie, in an attempt to divert your attention from the fact what you’re watching isn’t only unnecessary, but not really all that good either.
The second half of 22 Jump Street attempts to be funny by suggesting this sequel has now gone over budget and they’re going to have to think outside the box to complete their movie — excuse me, complete their investigation.
The jokes throughout both halves rely heavily on gay innuendo, playing off the fact police officers Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) are partners… get it? Partners!? Like, you know… gay. This “joke” has to make up at least 50% of the punchlines throughout this entire movie and the other 50% are either age jokes targeted at Hill or jokes comparing Tatum’s athleticism to Hill’s. In fact, we even get a montage late in the film reminding us how Tatum can essentially leap tall buildings in a single bound while Hill needs to take the stairs. Hardy, har, har.
22 Jump Street does generate some laughs, Ice Cube getting a couple, Tatum running around headquarters is the best scene in the whole film and Jillian Bell (The Master, Bridesmaids) gets a few herself, but so much of this movie feels like a second-rate rehash and seat-of-the-pants improvised sketch that it’s hard to find much laughter unless you’re actively trying to be amused. Personally, I wasn’t entirely turned off as much as I was looking on, enjoying an occasional chuckle and disappointed by most everything else.
For as much as 21 Jump Street used the tired idea of Schmidt and Jenko’s differences pushing them apart only to have those very differences bring them back together, the sequel mines the same territory, only this time for the film’s entire duration. While reading the screenplay, or whatever it is credited writers Michael Bacall, Oren Uziel and Rodney Rothman wrote down before this film went into production, I’m surprised the notes in the margin didn’t read “Just get on with it”, “Really? Another ‘partner’ joke?” and “Oh, it’s funny because Jonah Hill is out of shape right?”
Thankfully, directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller seem to realize they’ve exhausted this franchise before it even started and filled the end credit sequence with mock sequels from 23 Jump Street all the way to, I don’t know, 41 Jump Street or whatever it was. Hell, they even figure they have to spell out a “joke” about how this is 22 Jump Street because they had to move the undercover operation across the street and don’t worry, there’s even a nod to a possible 23 Jump Street at the exact same time. Brilliant! Didn’t see that coming.
If you’re wondering about the plot, don’t, the self-aware nature of the storytelling is the plot. This is less a movie than it is a commentary on the fact it’s a movie, and a not-so-funny one at that. Hill and Tatum are a fine comedic duo, but they’ve put any measure of acting aside in this one. But, at least it looks like they had a lot of fun.
22 Jump Street isn’t so much bad as it is mundane and uninspired. Sitting around with a few of your friends at a bar could result in similar levels of comedy, only growing increasingly comical the more you drank. Problem is, once you sober up and look back at the night you had, you may remember having fun, but nothing that was particularly funny.
