22 Jump Street

Since 21 Jump Street was a smash on-screen, Sony has now given the world more of the same. 22 Jump Street, as part of its parodist nature, actually admits that's the case.

The inept duo of Jenko (Channing Tatum) and Schmidt (Jonah Hill) open the film by failing to catch big bad drug-dealer The Ghost (Peter Stormare). They're promptly reassigned back to Jump Street. But since the Korean owners of their former headquarters bought the place back, they've relocated across the street to 22 Jump Street.

Their case, just like last time, is to stamp out the source of a new super drug. In fact, their superiors expect the duo to solve the case in exactly the same ways that they solved their first case. Just like a formulaic movie sequel. But our heroes decide that they don't want to do the same thing over and over again. That results in their case, and friendship, turning complicated.

In plain-English: Jenko wants to play football rather than chase crooks. Schmidt dates student Maya (Amber Stevens). And an obvious clue turns out to be a red herring.

Directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller give this family unfriendly film the same delightful parodist nature that they did with this year's The Lego Movie. The screenplay, credited to four writers (Hill, Michael Bacall, Oren Uziel and Rodney Rothman), makes fun of action movies, college movies and formulaic sequels. The end credits actually gives us plenty of hypothetical sequels (which include a one-movie actor replacement) and spin-offs.

Jenko and Schmidt are still a likable pair of co-leads. They're the kind you'll be laughing with instead of just laughing at. Wyatt Russell and Jimmy Tatro are especially notable as Jenko's football buddies and suspected co-villains. The real co-villain provides good comic relief before the reveal.

22 Jump Street is more goofy and meta-fictional than most R-Rated comedies. Its most vulgar jokes involved return cameos from its predecessor's villains. But other than that, this film isn't ashamed to admit its true purpose. Let's hope those hypothetical sequels don't come to pass.