In honor of its tenth anniversary, here are ten reasons to love the dark horse comedy: 1. And while I’m not a fan of copaganda, this movie will always have a special place in my heart.
21 Jump Street also spawned a rare comedy sequel that actually works. The key decision to keep the premise for this soft reboot but change the tone and plot means that the movie stands on its own two feet. To this day, 21 Jump Street is one of those films that consistently entertains, even on a fifth or fifteenth watch. They reconcile just in time for prom and team up to take down the bad guys. Funnily enough, Schmidt ends up falling in with the popular kids, while Jenko learns what it’s like to be a geek, a dynamic that threatens their friendship.
They’re sent undercover as brothers at a high school as part of the 21 Jump Street operation in order to find and stop the supplier of the new hot (and deadly) drug HFS (Holy Fucking Shit). As adults, they become cops and, against all odds, best friends. Jenko was a popular jock, while Schmidt was head of the juggling society. The equation just didn’t seem to add up.Ī quick recap in case you haven’t seen the movie in a while: Jenko (Tatum) and Schmidt (Hill) attended the same high school, but were on opposite ends of the social hierarchy. Tatum wasn’t exactly known for his comedic prowess then, despite his hilarious turn in She’s the Man, and Hill was starting to pivot to more serious films, like Moneyball.
While we weren’t quite as mired in reboots and remakes as we are now, no one seemed particularly inspired by the idea of reviving the 80s TV show with Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum as the main characters. In case you’ve forgotten, expectations were low when 21 Jump Street premiered in theaters a decade ago.