Directors: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller
Starring: Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Ice Cube
My Rating: Liked It
22 Jump Street knows it's ridiculous, and knows it's a sequel with a bigger budget, and knows that it's the same exact story as 21 Jump Street; and all of this works to its benefit. And of course the only reason this works so well is because they're silly comedies. I will admit that a few of the self-referential, or meta, jokes were a little corny, but many more landed than missed to me.
The Jump Street movies, while nowhere near comedy masterpieces, really have what few other movies have these days: these flicks are really fun. Yeah, I really like intense oscar winning dramas, but sometimes I feel drained after them. But after 22 Jump Street, I felt like I had a really great time for a few hours. In essence, isn't that why we all go to the movies? If that fun element wasn't so palpable, I bet that all the meta jokes would fall flat on the floor.
Oh man, Ice Cube plays more into this story in a very hysterical way, and it was absolutely my favorite part of the movie. If you liked the first one, I can guarantee that you will like this one too.