8 Utterly Boring Openings That Spoiled Great Movies
2. 21 Jump Street
In a story similar to Youre Next, 21 Jump Street marketed itself as a pretty standard comedy (burdened further with the added stigma of being a remake), but ended up delivering something surprisingly sharp. Channing Tatum pulled a McConaughey months before Matthew did in Killer Joe, while Jonah Hill played a role that wasnt simply hyper, awkward fat guy (so what if it was hyper, slightly less awkward thin guy). But, just like Youre Next, it doesnt feel confident enough to strike out until half an hour in. Films obviously always need to set up their key elements and get characters to where they need to be for the action to occur, but Jump Street plays these moments without the skill it uses later with the seemingly simple-drugs-in-school plot. We see school enemies become buddies, theyre both show as incompetent in their own lovable ways and their issues are handily boiled down to simple plot points. When Nick Offerman cheekily avoids saying the films title (37 Jump Street. Wait, that doesn't sound right.) you think its all over; it's all smugness from here on in. Thankfully, this is unexpectedly the start of everything good with the film, giving us police Captain Ice Cube and Korean Jesus and never looking back. Now unexpected directorial power-team Phil Lord and Chris Miller know people buy their concept, hopefully 22 Jump Street (excitingly only a few months away) will get to the funny a little quicker. Hey, a man can dream.
