21 Jump Street

21 Jump Street

Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) are unlikely partners assigned to go undercover and infiltrate a high-school drug ring in this comedic adaptation of the '80s cop show. Fitting in proves to be a little more difficult than they imagined, and their drug mission soon takes a back burner to their quest for popularity. The film has a nice balance of chase scenes and hilarious high-school moments, and Tatum holds his own against comedic veteran Hill. DVD extras include a blooper reel, a segment with Johnny Depp, deleted scenes, and an audio commentary.

85%

The Artist

In this charming, award-winning darling, Jean Dujardin plays George Valentin, a silent film actor whose life is turned upside-down upon the arrival of talking pictures. As the world collapses around him, he finds a friend in dancer Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo), whose vigor for talkies reignites his passion for filmmaking. The near-completely silent The Artist won five Oscars, including best picture, best director, and best actor. Extras include a making-of featurette, a blooper reel, and a look at the locations used in the film.

98%

One more release when you read more

The Hunger Games held tight to its top spot at the box office this weekend, raking in $61.1 million in its second week across 4,137 screens nationwide. Wrath of the Titans came in second, earning a respectable $32.4 million in its debut. The Julia Roberts-led fairy tale Mirror Mirror opened with $19 million while 21 Jump Street brought in $15 million in its third week. The Lorax trailed in fifth with $8 million.

Photo courtesy of Lionsgate

It was an incredibly exciting weekend at the box office for The Hunger Games, which annihilated the competition with $155 million — the third highest opening weekend of all time! The film also set new records for the highest midnight opening for a non-sequel and the best opening day and weekend for a non-sequel. 21 Jump Street trailed in a very distant second with $21.3 million, pushing The Lorax down to third with $13.1 million. John Carter took fourth place with $5 million, and Act of Valor retained the number five spot with $2 million.

Photo courtesy of Lionsgate

If you were one of the many people the helped 21 Jump Street top the box office this weekend, I want to hear what you thought of the buddy comedy starring Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill. Hopefully you liked it as much as I did, because a 21 Jump Street sequel is already shaping up, with Tatum and Hill most likely reprising their roles. Did you like the movie — and would you want to follow the funny odd couple on another drug-busting adventure? Let me know what you thought of the film (or anything else you saw at the theater) in the comments.

Photo courtesy of Sony

Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum have proved to be a formidable comedic duo at the box office, as 21 Jump Street debuted at No. 1 with $35 million — that's Tatum's second number-one movie of 2012 (the first was The Vow). The Lorax slid to second with $22.8 million, while John Carter clung to third with $13.5 million. Project X trailed in fourth with $4 million, and A Thousand Years finished off the top five with $3.7 million. Will Ferrell's Casa de mi Padre opened in ninth with $2.2 million in limited release.

Photo courtesy of Sony

There's lots of action in 21 Jump Street — car chases, shootouts, two mismatched partners — but the real reason to see it is that it's side-splittingly funny from beginning to end. Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill play Jenko and Schmidt, two relatively new cops whose incompetency lands them in an undercover program in high schools. Their assignment is to root out the dealers and suppliers of a dangerous new designer drug. As they spend more time in their new, younger identities, Jenko and Schmidt essentially switch high school personas. Former jock Jenko takes a foray into science with a clique of nerds, while Schmidt is welcomed into the unfamiliar world of the popular crowd. Tatum and Hill get lots of laughs from their nerd/popular kid juxtaposition, and their chemistry is the key to why 21 Jump Street is so entertaining.

The film is inspired by the TV series of the same name, but the new characters have little in common with the show's roster of officers (Johnny Depp's Tom Hanson would so not have approved of throwing a party for underage kids). The movie simply borrows the concept of undercover cops going back to school and runs with it into a hilarious, action-packed direction. Find out the other reasons I loved 21 Jump Street when you keep reading.