21 Jump Street

In 2005, super jock Jenko (Channing Tatum) and uber-nerd Schmidt (Jonah Hill) are high school seniors with nothing in common.  Years later they meet up at the Police Academy and decide to join forces in order to pass their exams.  Once they graduate, they are assigned bike patrol at a local park.  It is here they attempt to thwart a drug deal and their efforts go horribly wrong.  A re-assignment sends them to 21 Jump Street where they learn they are to pose as high schoolers to infiltrate and crack a school drug ring.

Yes another dreaded re-make of an '80s TV show.  Surprise!  This movie is hysterical!!  We laughed from beginning to end and had a thoroughly enjoyable viewing experience.

Phil Lord and Chris Miller keep the direction and action fast-paced.  The screenplay is cleverly self-deprecating:  the movie opens up with the film logo "Original Films;" the cop who reassigns them says that the program was something they tried in the '80s and no one could come up with an original idea; and there are cameos from Holly Robinson Peete, Peter DeLuise, and, yes, Johnny Depp. 

What makes the movie work is the chemistry between Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum.  Who knew Tatum was such a comedic actor?!  Their comedic timing is completely in sync and flawless, most notably in the extended sequence where they are forced to take the drug and begin to trip out in the school hallway, running field, and band room.  And although it is one of the funniest pairings in recent memory, they also bring a tenderness to the story as they begin to bond more and more like brothers.

Other cast members include Ice Cube as their put-upon Captain and Dave Franco (James' younger brother) as the atypical (he's eco-friendly and vegan) drug dealer

One warning...this movie has the most "dick" jokes I've ever heard in a movie and some subtle ones at that; there is an on-going gag concerning explosions and when one finally occurs a truckload of roosters is blown up!  And let's not forget their Captain's name is Dickson.

This movie has to be the most surprising movie of the Spring season.  What could have been derivative and humorless arrives as the break-out comedy so far this year!  Highly recommended!