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Here's something I didn't see coming, 21 Jump Street getting shockingly good reviews.

The Playlist wrote:...not just a great movie, it’s an instant classic. The action is exciting. The humor kills. The characters are interesting. The story is engaging. You’ll be entertained, and you’ll care. “21 Jump Street” is a brilliant, rewarding convergence of incredibly talented people who were of one mind about what they were trying to make, and miraculously they made it. More than merely hilarious, thrilling, intelligent, or involving – any one or two of which alone would be a significant achievement – it’s well-rounded, wonderful, and truly special. [A]

Wait. What?

Really?

Jeff wrote:Here's something I didn't see coming, 21 Jump Street getting shockingly good reviews.

The Playlist wrote:...not just a great movie, it’s an instant classic. The action is exciting. The humor kills. The characters are interesting. The story is engaging. You’ll be entertained, and you’ll care. “21 Jump Street” is a brilliant, rewarding convergence of incredibly talented people who were of one mind about what they were trying to make, and miraculously they made it. More than merely hilarious, thrilling, intelligent, or involving – any one or two of which alone would be a significant achievement – it’s well-rounded, wonderful, and truly special. [A]

Wait. What?

Heh, this news makes me slightly less embarrassed about unintentionally laughing out loud at the trailer ...all the times I've seen it. (Jonah Hill's heft shattering the car windshield gets me every time).

Jeff wrote:Here's something I didn't see coming, 21 Jump Street getting shockingly good reviews.

The Playlist wrote:...not just a great movie, it’s an instant classic. The action is exciting. The humor kills. The characters are interesting. The story is engaging. You’ll be entertained, and you’ll care. “21 Jump Street” is a brilliant, rewarding convergence of incredibly talented people who were of one mind about what they were trying to make, and miraculously they made it. More than merely hilarious, thrilling, intelligent, or involving – any one or two of which alone would be a significant achievement – it’s well-rounded, wonderful, and truly special. [A]

Wait. What?

obviously written by Jonah Hill's people

The Playlist also gave an A rating to the Tim and Eric movie, so

Tim and Eric are terribly subjective, though. Some people find them uproariously funny, some people find them downright awful. There isn't really any middle ground, and what side you come down on doesn't tend to be informed by your taste in other comedy.

tavernier wrote:obviously written by Jonah Hill's people

domino harvey wrote:The Playlist also gave an A rating to the Tim and Eric movie, so

Yeah, it may well be nonsense, and the Playlist review certainly sounds like hyperbole. I was more astounded by the Rotten Tomatoes rundown. It's at 100% fresh with 13 reviews. It looks like the kind of thing I'd expect to get slaughtered.

It may indeed be a laff riot, but beyond my Tim and Eric example, I think they've been in the bag for just about every Jonah Hill movie prior (even the Babysitter). I'm sure if it's indeed a new comedy classic, we'll know soon enough from others

I'm not sure 21 JUMP STREET is an "instant classic", but it sure is a hell of a lot of fucking fun. Lord and Miller somehow retain their super-cutty but super-organized aesthetic from CLOUDY MEATBALLS, while mixing in visual nods to Leone Woo et al. And it's consistently funny for the entirety of the running time; always keeps itself fresh.

I missed that this was Lord and Miller. A bit more excited now.

The trailer won me at "Not-So-Slim-Shady"

Jonah Hill said on The Howard Stern Show on Monday that much to his delight, 21 Jump Street performed "much better" than Superbad did in test screenings, which is a pretty high bar to begin with.

I went to a screening of 21 Jump Street last night and thought it was hilarious and very entertaining. Definitely much better than I expected.

Re: 21 Jump Street hyperbole, Roger Ebert favorably compared Channing Tatum in the film to Cary Grant

So the Tatum bandwagon now consists of the following:

Roger Ebert
Steven Soderbergh
Lots of 20- to 25-year-old women

Ignatiy V. is a huge Tatum booster as well.

Me included, I haven't seen him give a bad performance and for someone who could just do a lot of crappy romance movies he does challenge himself with stuff like working with Soderbergh and Montiel. Got to respect that.

Tatum supporter since Saints here. After Fighting I likened his working relationship with Montiel to that of Morrissey/Dallesandro, which is a huge compliment, but he's quickly proven to be a welcome presence as a genuine leading man as well. His mumbly-bumbly beefcake routine worked particularly well in The Eagle, which briefly renewed my hope that Hollywood had remembered how to do an historical epic.

The Fanciful Norwegian wrote:

tarpilot wrote:His mumbly-bumbly beefcake routine worked particularly well in The Eagle, which briefly renewed my hope that Hollywood had remembered how to do an historical epic.

The Eagle (which is also liked) was almost entirely a UK production, so...

Yes, I soon realized how idiotic that was, factually, and how vapidly smug the tone, but it was buried all the way at the bottom of the page and I couldn't be bothered to fix it. Oh well, some 'murican did something somewhere

Brian C wrote:So the Tatum bandwagon now consists of the following:

Roger Ebert
Steven Soderbergh
Lots of 20- to 25-year-old women

He's actually pretty good in 21 Jump Street, but I think it's really an example of a great casting decision. Same goes for his work with Soderbergh, at least so far. When he's successful, Tatum seems to understand his main function within the bigger project. Apart from his performances, Tatum also seems to understand he's pretty lucky to be working in movies, so he's going to make the best of it while he can. I thought he was a complete waste when he first started, and I'm fairly sure he'll always have a very, very, very limited range as an actor (seriously, very), but he's actually not that bad in comparison to some of the other choices out there in contemporary Hollywood.

I've only seen him in Public Enemies, so I don't really have an opinion on him as an actor, but I wouldn't put him down right away, even if he's done a bunch of movies I will never see. (Another G.I. Joe? Jesus...)

Ryan Gosling in the Mickey Mouse Club, Michelle Williams in Dawson's Creek...you've got to give them all time.

I don't know about the Grant comparison Ebert made, but I think he found his calling in 21 Jump Street. Like others I've found him sort of blank in the couple of films I've seen him, but he does deadpan very well and was really funny in this.

Spoiler

I also have to admit I actually felt a sting of sadness at his reaction when his character overhears some of the cruel comments Hill's character makes about him. Even uttered an non-cynical "awwww."

hearthesilence wrote:I've only seen him in Public Enemies, so I don't really have an opinion on him as an actor, but I wouldn't put him down right away, even if he's done a bunch of movies I will never see. (Another G.I. Joe? Jesus...

I thought he was good in A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints, which Montiel also directed. I'll have to see it again, but I thought that was very underrated. Even LaBeouf was good in it.

flyonthewall2983 wrote:I thought [Tatum] was good in A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints, which Montiel also directed. I'll have to see it again, but I thought that was very underrated.

I've been meaning to watch that movie for a while now, especially since it always gets mentioned as quite "underrated". I'm wondering why I never tracked it down...

flyonthewall2983 wrote:Even LaBeouf was good in it.

OK, now I remember why I keep hesitating on watching it.

Can't decide if a 21 Jump Street or Channing Tatum threadsplit would make more sense