21 Jump Street, the surprisingly hilarious 2012 reboot/smackdown of the 80s TV series, is one of those movies that, for some inexplicable reason, is constantly bouncing on and off Netflix in the US… and it’s about to depart again. You have through Sunday, April 30th (not sure which time zone, sorry!) to catch it again, or for the first time.
If this seems like the sort of flick I wouldn’t normally recommend, well, you’re right. The number of things I usually cannot abide here is high: Hollywood comedies, remakes, Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill… But this is from the brilliant directorial team of Phil Lord and Chris Miller — who have also gifted us with Cloud with a Chance of Meatballs and The Lego Movie — and instead of a straight-face copy of the show about young-looking cops going undercover in high school, they went all out with snark and meta nostalgia, all while sending up high-school movies. Plus they mounted one of the funniest car chases I’ve ever seen onscreen. This is a movie fueled almost entirely by an appreciation of its own ridiculousness, and that is a rare thing. (Read my 2012 review.)
US: stream on Netflix through April 30th; rent/buy on Prime and Apple TV
UK: stream on MGM (via Prime); rent/buy on Prime and Apple TV
See 21 Jump Street at Letterboxd for more viewing options.
