21 Jump Street Information

21 Jump Street is a 2012 American action comedy film produced by and starring Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum, scripted by Michael Bacall (from a story by both Hill and Bacall), and directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller. Based on the 1987 television series of the same name by Stephen J. Cannell and Patrick Hasburgh, the film follows two police officers who are forced to relive high school when they are assigned to go undercover as high school students to prevent the outbreak of a new synthetic drug and arrest its supplier. It was released theatrically on March 16, 2012 by Columbia Pictures, and was both a critical and commercial success. A sequel, titled 22 Jump Street, has entered development and will be released in theaters on June 13, 2014. It is the third installment of the 21 Jump Street series.

Plot

Morton Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Greg Jenko (Channing Tatum) are former classmates who meet again at police academy. Schmidt was a chubby nerd obsessed with Eminem while Jenko was a popular but underachieving jock. They end up becoming best friends at the academy as they help with each other's weaknesses, with Schmidt helping Jenko study and Jenko motivating Schmidt through physical activity. They graduate together as partners, but are assigned to park patrol. They catch a break when they spot a group of One Percenters and arrest their leader Domingo (DeRay Davis). The department is forced to release him as Jenko forgot the wording of the Miranda rights. The two are reassigned to a revived specialty division on 21 Jump Street. They are introduced to Captain Dickson (Ice Cube), who explains the division specializes in infiltrating high schools and that they were chosen because of their youthful appearances. Schmidt and Jenko are assigned to stop a new synthetic drug called H.F.S (which means "holy fucking shit") that caused a teenage boy to overdose by finding the supplier.

They go undercover as brothers with their undercover names Brad and Doug McQuaid, living at Schmidt's parents' house. Jenko accidentally switches their identities and they get each other's classes. They learn the lead dealer of the drug is the pseudo-ecological leader of the popular crowd Eric (Dave Franco), but he is not the supplier. They go to the dealing room where Eric forces them to take the drug there and not wait. They attempt to regurgitate it but are unsuccessful, and they undergo the phases of the drug while talking to their P.E. teacher, Mr. Walters (Rob Riggle), and also while on running track, during an audition for the school's production of Peter Pan (Schmidt gets chosen for the role of Peter as a result) and at band practice. The mistakes that happen at the track meet cause Eric to take a liking to Schmidt. Schmidt manages to fit in with the popular kids and takes a romantic interest in Eric's friend Molly (Brie Larson), while Jenko becomes friends with the nerds in his AP Chemistry class while his teacher Ms. Griggs (Ellie Kemper) takes a sexual interest in him.

Jenko discovers that his new friends can secretly tap into other people's cell phones to listen into their conversations. Schmidt decides to throw a party at his house to gain Eric's complete trust and Jenko takes the opportunity to tap into Eric's phone. Despite Captain Dickson ordering them not to serve alcohol and drugs to minors, they nevertheless buy alcohol and steal confiscated marijuana. When Eric arrives with Molly and his other friends, Jenko steals Eric's phone for his friends to tap into while Schmidt fights off a rival of Eric's. Schmidt pretends to sell the drug for Eric but is actually giving it to Captain Dickson to be confiscated. While at Eric's house, Schmidt asks Molly out to prom while Jenko listens through Eric's phone. He also insults Jenko to Eric with Jenko listening. Schmidt and Jenko learn that Eric is making a deal soon. When Jenko spots Eric leaving school, he takes Schmidt, who was preparing for the play which starts at the same day, to follow him. They see that Eric is dealing with the One Percenters and they follow them, but Domingo spots them and a car chase starts, but both Jenko and Schmidt manage to escape.

Upon returning, Jenko accuses Schmidt of his earlier insults, possibly ruining the case, and getting in too deep, but Schmidt brushes him off and leaves to prepare for the play, only to find that the play is now starting and he is replaced by the substitute. When Schmidt replaces the substitute, apologizes for his tardiness and prepares for the play, Jenko arrives and attacks him on-stage. As a result, Molly (who was cast as Wendy in the play) doesn't want to talk to Schmidt ever again, and both Jenko and Schmidt get expelled from the school. Later, Dickson is forced to expel them from Jump Street. Later that night, both are confronted by Eric and his friends, who want to bring them on as security after hearing about what happened with the One Percenters. He tells them about a deal happening during prom where they get to meet the supplier. At prom, they are surprised to see that the supplier is Mr. Walters, who unwittingly created the drug when he dipped the Cool Ranch Doritos that he always eats into a random concoction of drugs from the chemistry lab.

The One Percenters arrive for the deal, and Domingo recognizes Schmidt and Jenko as police officers since Molly angrily tries to confront Schmidt in the mid-deal and yells out names towards Schmidt, and tells two of his men to kill them. However, the two men reveal themselves as DEA Agents Tom Hanson (Johnny Depp) and Doug Penhall (Peter DeLuise), who were a part of the Jump Street program when it began. Hanson casually talks to Schmidt and Jenko during the standoff which gives Domingo the opportunity to kill Hanson and Penhall. A gunfight ensues among Schmidt and Jenko, Mr. Walters, and the One Percenters. Mr. Walters and Eric escape in a limo with Molly, who was knocked out after passing out from the drug, as a hostage, with the One Percenters in pursuit of them in another limo, attempting to shoot them unless they pay up.

Schmidt and Jenko pursue all of them in another limo where Jenko creates a homemade chemical bomb from his knowledge in AP Chemistry to kill the One Percenters. They then confront Mr. Walters, who shoots at Schmidt. Jenko jumps in front of Schmidt, saving his life and getting shot in the arm and his chest, which was protected by a bullet-proof vest, in the process. In response, Schmidt shoots Mr. Walters in his penis, severing it. The duo successfully arrest both Mr. Walters and Eric. After doing so, both Jenko and Schmidt make amends with each other when Jenko successfully recites his Miranda rights with Schmidt. Schmidt makes amends with Molly and the two share a kiss. They are rehired into Jump Street where Dickson gives them a new assignment in a college setting, to Schmidt's excitement but to Jenko's dismay. During the first-credits sequence, a brief scene shows Jenko having sex with Ms. Griggs in the locker room.

Cast

• Jonah Hill as Morton Schmidt: an unwitting, socially awkward police officer who is transferred to 21 Jump Street, alongside his partner and former high school rival Greg Jenko. In high school, he is known for being a stereotypical nerd known for his strong obsession of Eminem, such as for him into dressing like him. His undercover identity is Doug McQuaid.
• Channing Tatum as Greg Jenko: a well-trained, but somehow slow-witted police officer who is transferred to 21 Jump Street, alongside his partner and former high school rival Morton Schmidt. In high school, he was known for being a stereotypical jock. His undercover identity is Brad McQuaid.
• Dave Franco as Eric: a pseudo-ecological high school student who befriends Schmidt and one of the H.F.S. dealers.
• Brie Larson as Molly: one of Eric's friends and Schmidt's love interest.
• Rob Riggle as Mr. Walters: a Physical Education teacher and the supplier of the H.F.S.
• DeRay Davis as Domingo: the leader of a group of the One-Percenters.
• Ice Cube as Capt. Dickson: an aggressive African-American police captain who manages the 21 Jump Street undercover division.
• Dax Flame as Zack: one of the nerds Jenko befriends throughout his undercover assignment.
• Chris Parnell as Mr. Gordon
• Ellie Kemper as Ms. Griggs: a Science teacher who has a sexual interest towards Jenko. In the post end-credits, she is seen having sex with Jenko in the Janitor's closet.
• Jake Johnson as Principal Dadier: the principal of the high school. He is somehow extremely strict, as he expelled Schmidt and Jenko from the high school for ruining the Peter Pan play.
• Nick Offerman as Capt. Hardy: a police captain who re-assigns Schmidt and Jenko to 21 Jump Street.
• Holly Robinson Peete as Officer Judy Hoffs
• Johnny Simmons as Billiam Willingham
• Johnny Pemberton as Delroy
• Stanley Wong as Roman
• Rye Rye as Jr. Jr.
• Justin Hires as Juario
• Brett Lapeyrouse as Amir
• Lindsey Broad as Lisa
• Caroline Aaron as Annie Schmidt
• Joe Chrest as David Schmidt
• Dakota Johnson as Fugazy
• Chanel Celaya as Melodie: the girl who Schmidt asks to prom in the beginning
• Spencer Boldman as French Samuels

Uncredited:

• Johnny Depp as Tom Hanson
• Peter DeLuise as Doug Penhall

Production

In May 2008, Columbia Pictures confirmed that a film version of the series was under development. Jonah Hill rewrote an existing script by screenwriter Joe Gazzam and executive produced the film, as well as starred in the film. Hill has said he wanted horror director Rob Zombie to direct the picture. In May 2009, Hill described the film adaptation as being a "R-rated, insane, Bad Boys-meets-John Hughes-type movie". On December 21, 2009, it was announced that Columbia Pictures were in talks with Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs directing duo, Phil Lord and Chris Miller, to direct the film. The film follows the same continuity as the TV series; Lord said, "So, all of those events of the original happened. And now here we are 20 years later, and we're watching it happen to different people." However, the film features a highly comedic tone, departing radically from the more dramatic and earnest tone of the series.

Filming

The film was shot in and around the city of Metairie, Louisiana (suburb of New Orleans), although the filmmakers took elaborate steps to disguise the location as a generic city. They replaced distinctive street signs with signs using a Helvetica typeface, digitally removed billboards for local businesses (except the recognizable local RTA signs toward the end of the film as well as a Zatarain's billboard ad), and avoided filming locations with iconic New Orleans imagery. Despite this, signature landmarks such as the Crescent City Connection and distinctive French Quarter-area street are still partially visible. The main school used as the stand-in for the fictional Sagan High School was Riverdale High School, located in Jefferson, Louisiana. The naked baby pictures of Hill's character used in the film were actual pictures of Hill as a child.

Music

A total of 21 songs were licensed for use in the film. Despite this, no soundtrack album was released featuring the music from the film including the score by Mark Mothersbaugh. A modernized cover of the original television's theme song by Rye Rye and Esthero was released as a single in the iTunes Store.

Release

The premiere of 21 Jump Street took place on March 12, 2012, at the Paramount Theatre in Austin, TX during SXSW. The film opened in a wide release in theaters on March 16, 2012.

Box office

The film topped the North American box office with $13.2 million on its opening day. During the weekend, the film grossed $35 million, taking The Lorax out of the #1 spot that it held for its first two weeks.

The film grossed $138,447,667 in North America, and $63,137,661 in other countries, for a worldwide total of $201,585,328; it is also the No. 1 top-grossing movie under the High School Comedy genre.

Critical reception

Reviews of the film have been positive. Based on 205 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a "Certified Fresh" 85% approval rating from critics, with an average score of 7.2/10. The consensus states: "A smart, affectionate satire of '80s nostalgia and teen movie tropes, 21 Jump Street offers rowdy mainstream comedy with a surprisingly satisfying bite." Metacritic gives the film a "generally favorable" score of 69% based on reviews from 41 critics.

Accolades

The film received five award nominations at the 2012 MTV Movie Awards including Best Cast, Best On-Screen Transformation for Depp, Best Fight for a fight scene between Tatum, Hill, and a gang of school kids, Best Gut-Wrenching Performance for Hill and Riggle, and Best Comedic Performance for Hill. It won Best Music for the song "Party Rock Anthem" by the group LMFAO. 21 Jump Street was listed as the number 6 most illegally downloaded film of 2012 on BitTorrent with approximately 7.6 million downloads.

Year	Award	Category	Recipients and nominees	Result	Ref.
2012	BMI Film & TV Awards	Film Music Award	Mark Mothersbaugh
	Golden Trailer Awards	Best Pre-show Theatrical Advertising
		Best Comedy TV Spot
	MTV Movie Awards	Best Comedic Performance	Jonah Hill	rowspan="5"
		Best Cast	21 Jump Street
		Best On-Screen Transformation	Johnny Depp
		Best Fight	Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill vs. Kid Gang
		Best Gut-Wrenching Performance	Jonah Hill and Rob Riggle
		Best "tool" Music	Party Rock Anthem by LMFAO
	Teen Choice Awards	Choice Movie: Comedy	21 Jump Street
		Choice Movie: Actor Comedy	Channing Tatum
		Choice Movie: Actor Comedy	Jonah Hill
	Artios Awards	Outstanding Achievement in Casting - Big Budget Comedy Feature	21 Jump Street - Jeanne McCarthy, Nicole Abellera, Elizabeth Coulon, (Location Casting), Yesi Ramirez (Associate)
	People's Choice Awards	Favorite Comedy Movie	21 Jump Street
2013	Critic's Choice Award	Best Comedy	21 Jump Street
		Best Actor in a Comedy	Channing Tatum

Home media

21 Jump Street was released on DVD and Blu-ray in Canada and the United States on June 26, 2012 and was released in the United Kingdom on July 9, 2012.

Sequel

On March 17, 2012, Sony Pictures announced that it was pursuing a sequel to the film, signing a deal that would see Hill and Bacall return to write a script treatment that would be again developed by Bacall. Hill and Tatum are expected to return to star in the film. They will also be executive producers, alongside producer Neal H. Moritz. Phil Lord and Chris Miller will return to direct 21 Jump Street 2. The film was originally scheduled to be released on June 6, 2014. On May 8, 2013, it was announced that the film would be pushed back a week until June 13, 2014. The film has now been confirmed to be titled 22 Jump Street.