Dumb and Dumber To

Going into this movie, I knew it could have gone one of two ways. It could have been surprisingly funny, just like the original was two decades ago, or it could of been disappointing. And it did end up being disappointing, not because it was unfunny, but more because we didn't get anything new. One thing is for certain, it says it all in the title.

Harry Dunne (Jeff Daniels) and Lloyd Christmas (Jim Carrey) are reunited after twenty years of Lloyd pretending to be in a catatonic state, just to make a joke at Harry's expense. Harry finds out that he fathered a child with Fraida Felcher (Kathleen Turner) and that she put the baby girl up for adoption. After Lloyd sees the photo of her and falls in love, he decides to help Harry find his now grown up daughter, who is now named Penny Pinchelow (Rachel Melvin).

All in all this movie is almost a carbon copy of the original film. Harry and Lloyd are traveling across the country to find a girl and along the way they foil the plot of another couple (this time played by Rob Riggle and Laurie Holden), who are trying to get rich of someone they are close to. All the jokes in this one are just playing to fans of the original, Billy in 4c (the blind kid with the parrot) makes a return and is even played by the same actor. There is a henchman being extremely annoyed by them in a car until he dies and even the dog van makes a return. I felt like there needed to be newer jokes for a new audience, but apparently the Farrelly Brothers disagree. Sure, there was an obvious Breaking Bad reference, but the joke was extremely laboured and would have done well as a throwaway line.

It is amazing to have watched the careers of Jeff Daniels and Jim Carrey steer in totally different directions. Daniels is now regarded as a fine dramatic actor, whilst Carrey is still trying to hold onto his past as wacky comedic actor. That said, Carrey still possesses his amazing ability as a physical comedian and still throws himself around just as much as he did as a younger man. Daniels slips back into the role of Harry with such ease, that it's hard to believe that he won an Emmy for Best Dramatic Actor just prior to making this film.

All the other actors in this film gave pretty poor performances. Kathleen Turner was a hero in the 80s and 90s with her quick wit, but here she just felt lethargic. Rachel Melvin needs a bit more acting experience before tackling roles like this, because I couldn't help feeling that she is an idiot just like her character. Laurie Holden has never been an actor who has captured me with any of her roles and I know that Rob Riggle can do better than he did here.

Verdict: This movie payed too much service to fans of the original and didn't pave the way for anything fun or new for younger audiences to watch and have something of their own, especially if they were too young to have seen the first Dumb and Dumber.

Let's Be Cops

I'm really glad that this movie points out how illegal it is to run around pretending to be a police officer, not to mention how dangerous it would be, because I reckon it's something people might (and probably already) do. But for Jake Johnson and Damon Wayans, Jr. it looks like a lot of fun. 

Justin (Wayans) and Ryan (Johnson) are two losers in their early thirties who wish their life was better. For their upcoming college reunion, they decide to dress as cops because Ryan misunderstood the dress code on the invitation. After they realise the mischief that they can get away with, they keep up the charade for a while until getting dragged into an actual organised crime investigation.

For the most part this movie is a lot of fun. There are some great montages with Johnson's character learning how to be an officer from Youtube videos and the scenes where the two of them are adjusting to this new life that they have created for themselves, but are still unsure of what they should do, are hilarious. Despite this, the film does take a turn toward the end and the climax of the film is actually quite tense (compared to the light-hearted tone that preceded it).

Wayans and Johnson make a hilarious duo in the movie and work together excellently. There are some funny scenes in which they are talking to another character and both of their reaction shots to what the other is saying is hilarious. Nina Dobrev plays Justin's love interest, Josie, but she isn't given a whole lot to do in the story which is a bit disappointing, considering her talents.

The rest of the cast are very strong. Rob Riggle gets to play a serious cop for once (as opposed to his role in The Hangover). Andy García and James D'Arcy both play suitable villains but they serve more as foils for Johnson and Wayans. Natasha Leggero and Keegan-Michael Key both have hilarious cameos that are definitely a high point of the movie.

Verdict: A fun and serviceable buddy cop comedy that has got some great gags, especially Wayans reading text messages as a black woman.

22 Jump Street

So since neither Edward nor I could decide who would review this movie, you're all gonna get a weird (dis)joint(ed) review. So let's get to it.

Edward:

Having first seen 21 Jump Street when I was in high school, it was filled with plenty of jokes that I could relate to. Yet whilst it was funny enough, it always seemed like it was lacking direction in some areas, and I felt that much of the humour needed more of a setup. Now, as I’ve moved on to University, the boys are back and are going to college, with the (self-aware) sequel 22 Jump Street.

The new action packed installment picks up the pace a lot more, and overall I found the jokes quite a bit funnier than they were in the first. Whilst there’s still plenty of the “Suck my d*ck! No you suck my d*ck!!” sort of humor that dominated the original, it feels much more natural and flowing this time around, probably due to the vastly improved screenplay.

The film is also hilariously self-reflexive, taking satirical jabs at Hollywood’s obsession with sequels as we see the 23 Jump Street condominiums under construction, as well as the nature of the industry in general. There are also the absolutely hilarious credits - honestly one of the best parts of the movie - that I urge you to stay for, as they will certainly expel any worries you may have about the direction that this franchise is going in.

The action sequences are not over the top but definitely won’t disappoint, with plenty of eye-candy courtesy of explosions and slow-motion sequences. The acting is also spot on for this sort of comedy, with both Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum just as good as they were in the first and with a great supporting cast.

Verdict: Overall, 22 Jump Street stands up strong and is quite an improvement over it’s younger sibling.  If you enjoyed the first, you’ll be laughing all the way through this one!   

Jack:

Unlike 21 Jump Street, 22 knows it is a TV show spinoff (it also knows it a sequel but hopefully Edward's already written about that). We even get a previously on Jump Street recap, as if this is just another episode of a sitcom version of the original show.

This movie also has a bunch of references to other 80s TV shows and movies, such as The Golden Girls (which if you know the reference when it comes is hilarious) and Top Gun. These references are hilarious, but then again most of the film is funny. Schmidt and Jenko's bromance escalates to a homoerotic level that guarantees even more laughs.

This movie made me laugh so much that Edward must have regretted seeing it with me. The jokes were fast flowing and weren't too stale. However, the majority of the audience must have been a lot younger than us because I don't think they got a lot of the jokes, especially when the references are aimed at an older audience (like a superb Straight Outta Compton joke directed at Ice Cube).

Speaking of Cube, there is a lot more of him in this movie. And he is even funnier than he was in the first movie. His chemistry with both Tatum and Hill is fantastic and you tell they all had a really fun time making the movie. Especially Channing Tatum. He bounces around the screen like an actual teenager with a lot of glee.

The other standout performance comes from newcomer (to the franchise) Jillian Bell (Workaholics). If you are at all a fan of the aforementioned Workaholics, you'll especially like her character because she is just a slightly more unstable and violent version of Jillian on the show.

Verdict: A great sequel that is terribly self aware and just a pleasure to watch.