Photo: (21 Jump Street Movie/Colombia Pictures)
Here’s a few things I learned from the new "21 Jump Street," in theaters now. One, don’t be mean, it’s actually NOT cool and won’t make you popular. Two, people look and act really silly when they do drugs. And three -- not really a lesson BUT Channing Tatum is still a hottie with his shirt ON…
The film casts Jonah Hill as the brainy cop Schmidt and Channing Tatum as his cool partner Jenko. Together the two are pretty inept cops who are sent out, undercover, to investigate and stop a drug ring in high school. In order to fit in with the “cool” kids they try to be mean. Why? Because Jenko (Tatum) assumes that’s what cool kids do. But he's proven wrong when he strikes a LGBT teen in the face. OK LISTEN, in Jenko’s defense, he didn’t know the student's sexual orientation when he punched him, but when the whole school found out they dubbed him as a loser for being mean. The equation is simple: Being a bully is not a good look. Just ask Demi Lovato or Justin Bieber.
In the film, characters Schmidt and Jenko investigate the distribution and use of a synthetic drug called HFS after a high schooler dies of an overdose from the drug. Even though HFS is not a real drug, the message of drug abuse is pretty clear -- people act like the fool when they are on drugs. Check out the "21 Jump Street" boys faux PSA below.
For the record, "21 Jump Street" is not a remake. When asked during a Q&A after a screening of the film at SXSW, Jonah Hill (who is also an executive producer for the movie), said that he had no intention of remaking the TV show.
For those of you who don’t remember or maybe weren’t born yet, "21 Jump Street" was a popular crime drama TV show in the late 80’s/early 90's. It focused on a group of undercover cops who posed as teenagers in high school and college to bust up crimes such as alcoholism, drug abuse, hate crimes and child abuse. The show also sparked Johnny Depp’s career and turned him into a teen idol (think Zac Efron of the 80’s -- #swoon).
Photo: (21 Jump Street Movie/Colombia Pictures)
Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum are a perfect fit for this quirky comedy. Tatum even described their relationship as a "bromance" in the film. And no, for all those who wonder, Tatum does not take his shirt off in the film...sigh. But no shocker here -- he looks good in a uniform.