Way back in the late 1980s, Rupert Murdoch decided to make a TV Network and in search of product to fill it with before settling on the NFL, he gave us a "Mod Squad" rip off "21 Jump Street" starring Johnny Depp as a cop posing as a High School student.
So what took em so long?
Here comes the movie, a sincerely tongue in cheek spin, with Jonah Hill (so good in "Moneyball) as the nerd and Channing Tatum (so good in… hold on, give me a second) as the hunk,going back to High School to uncover the Mr. Big who is dealing a deadly designer drug.
This is a s sweet natured a shoot em up as you've ever seen, and as bright a satire on on teen life as, well, not "Superbad" but, hey, they both have Jonah Hill. Back in school as brothers, they forget their assigned names, and Tatum ends up in geeky Chem class and Hill in Glee where he gets the lead in Peter Pan.
It all ends up at the Prom and a show down with, well everyone and a car car chase in limousines where Tatum offers the line of the movie to a drunken young lady attempting to fellate him while a gun fight is going on. "You're really hot and awesome and slutty but I have to shoot somebody right now." "So you think I'm hot?" she asks as he drops her at the curb.
Jonah has a sweet relationship with a girl he invites to the Prom, Brie Larson, who I liked in "Scott Pilgrim Vs The World", the cops have real chemistry, and even the bad guys aren't that bad.
An excellent Action Comedy that works from one end to another. I hear there's a sequel. Good.
Musically, some Slim Shady at the outset, LMFAO at the party. And Jonah Hill singing "I Gitta Crow". Mark Mothersbaugh wrote the score.