Send in the clones

Latest remix of ‘Jump Street’ drops another tasty beat

There was a time, not long ago, when I railed against the kind of creative bankruptcy that fuels feature film adaptations of dated television shows. From “Scooby Doo” to “Josie and the Pussy Cats,” over the years, self-aware crap that cashes in on pop culture nostalgia and brand recognition, be it based on television, theme park rides, comic books, board games or Gen-X toy lines, has become the (not so) new normal.

But, as any “Star Trek” fan knows, resistance is futile. Entertainment is a marketplace where success is measured in opening-weekend grosses and little else. If critics really made a difference to casual filmgoers, Adam Sandler would have been hosting “Family Feud” years ago.

But sometimes, if only by sheer repetition, the machine gets it right. Such was the case with 2012’s “21 Jump Street.” Directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (who went on to make “The Lego Movie” inexplicably worthwhile) transformed another seemingly rote idea into a fun, clever, and hilarious action-comedy that sagely commented on the superficialities of its titular prime-time source material which time had, fortunately, forgotten. Buoyed by a smart script from Michael Bacall (“Scott Pilgrim vs. the World”) and a great chemistry between its leads (Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum), Lord and Miller delivered an unabashedly funny movie that utterly defied expectation.

If that was your thing, then get ready for more of the same. Though unlike “The Hangover 2,” which cravenly milked what worked from the first entry, “22 Jump Street” makes a point of planting one foot firmly in the real world to satirize its own sameness, and the industry that depends on that familiarity. 

The plots are practically, and purposefully, identical, itself a comment on the formula of prime-time television, right down to the last episode “recap” as Schmidt (Hill) and Jenko (Tatum) go undercover at a local college to root out the purveyors of a new (and deadly) synthetic drug sweeping the campus.

The unlikely brotherhood they formed in their first outing has strengthened even as their weaknesses become more pronounced. Jenko can leap tall buildings but can’t think his way out of a doughnut hole, while Schmidt is a constant victim of his physical ineptitude yet somehow manages to score with the girl of his dreams. 

When the trail leads to the college football team and a dude-bro quarterback named Zook (Wyatt Russell) with whom Jenko instantly hits it off, a wedge is driven between Schmidt and Jenko that threatens to derail the case.

“22 Jump Street” cleverly strikes a balance between satirically jabbing at its existence and turning its own tropes on their ears. “Nobody gave a shit about the Jump Street reboot, but you got lucky,” intoned Nick Offerman’s Chief Hardy. And why would they? If you were a fan of the actual show, this incarnation would be a letdown, I suppose, since it more or less eschews the ensemble dynamic for a straight buddy/cop comedy. But Lord and Miller know they can take the formula and play with it. Their skilled direction sustains a natural and unforced comedic tone, part lowbrow, part slapstick, yet knowingly witty, with an odd yin-and-yang motif that re-emerges in surprisingly subtle ways. They’re also equally suited to the action set pieces, nailing all the right comedy beats within the mayhem and saving their best gags for last, though it does lack the unlikely freshness of the “original.”

As with the first film, it’s the chemistry between Tatum and Hill that provides the momentum, playing up the romance (I refuse to say “bromance,” though I guess I just did) at the core of their friendship in bitingly funny ways (“Are you saying you want to be in an ‘open’ investigation?” Schmidt asks when he feels like he’s losing Jenko to Zook). Supported by memorable comedic turns from its co-stars, most memorably from Ice Cube, Rob Riggle—who is flat-out demented—and Jillian Bell (with what might be the films funniest gag), “22 Jump Street” is as nimble a retread as one can possibly imagine.

The plot might as well be a MacGuffin—a point the film is keenly aware of. Is it as funny as the first? Not really. And poking fun at itself for that inevitability only goes so far. But it’s not a mile off, either. The fact that “22 Jump Street” is as inspired as it is means that these guys know what worked. And if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.                     

Short Reel

Yo! Grand Jury prize! This last weekend saw the commencement of the 14^th annual deadCenter Film Festival and now we have the play-by-play on the winners. Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul stars in director Kat Candler’s latest film, “Hellion,” which won in the Grand Jury Narrative Feature category. Word on the family drama has been overwhelmingly positive. Also starring Juliette Lewis and Jonny Mars (“Computer Chess”), “Hellion” is still making the festival rounds, but look for a VOD release sooner rather than later.

Oh Sterlin, Where Art Thou? Edging out Sterlin Harjo’s latest documentary, “This May Be The Last Time,” the powerful and enlightening film, “Alive Inside: A Story of Music and Memory” took the big prize in the Grand Jury Documentary Feature category. Filmed over three years by director Michael Rossato-Bennett, “Alive Inside” captures social worker Dan Cohen’s groundbreaking experiments in how music awakens the minds of dementia and Alzheimer’s patients, returning to them some semblance of their lost memories. Conversations with neurologist Oliver Sacks and musician Bobby McFerrin (whose “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” has often made me wish I were in a coma) bolster this revealing look at loss and hope.

Oklahoma-Style Superheroes… The OFCC (Oklahoma Film Critics Circle) also chose “The Post Human Project” as Best Oklahoma Film. Shot in-state, director Kyle Robert’s gives us this tale of a down-and-out high school senior who goes out on a farewell camping trip with his rock-climbing friends only to receive a “genetic boost” that imbues the four buddies with mysterious superpowers. In addition to Robert’s direction, the film was penned by OKC-based features writer Matt Price and Tulsa-based comic-book writer Sterling Gates and looks to be a trippy bit of sci-fi fun. Check out the trailer.

The Other Guys…“The Case Against 8” took the Special Jury Prize with its look at the fight to get California’s gay marriage ban (thankfully) overturned. The Special Jury Oklahoma prize went to “Sewing Hope,” one Ugandan woman’s story of returning dignity to the victims of 25 years of terror at the hands of Joseph Kony and the Lord’s Resistance Army (a name like that is never good news). Best Narrative Short went to “The Karman Line,” the tale of an ailing mother who is struck by a rare disease, who suddenly begins to levitate into thin air. Even more deadCenter winners here.