Tag Archives: Rob Riggle

“21 Jump Street” puts a Hill-arious spin on teen cop show

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It’s inevitable that a lot of people are going to hate this new 21 Jump Street movie simply because it’s such a departure from the late ’80s/early ’90s TV show on which it is based. And I’ll admit I went into it with somewhat low expectations for that very same reason. But to my surprise and delight, 21 Jump Street is hilariously clever and entertaining, with enough nods to the original series to keep at least some fans happy.

Of course with Jonah Hill starring, you know it’s going to be amusing. But one of the major complaints about this take on 21 Jump Street is that, unlike the TV show, it’s a comedy. But the fact that the movie openly acknowledges that it is rehashing an old idea and cashing in on an established franchise is exactly what makes it work. It’s not a remake, but a sequel, with former high school nerd Morton Schmidt (Hill) and his hunkier counterpart Greg Jenko (Channing Tatum) reluctantly teaming up while training to become cops. After they prove to be incompetent officers, even as bicycle cops patrolling a park, the duo is reassigned to the secret Jump Street project, which still operates out of the abandoned church from the TV show.

Under the guidance of Ice Cube, who plays a stereotypically angry black police captain who, again, openly acknowledges that he is filling such a stereotypical role for comedic effect, Schmidt and Jenko are sent back to high school to find out who is dealing a lethal new drug called HFS (which stands for “Holy fucking shit” thanks to the hilariously hallucinogenic effect it has on the high schoolers consuming it). But a lot has changed since Schmidt and Jenko last walked high school halls, and a bit of role reversal takes place thanks to the fact that tree huggers, homosexuals and academic achievers are now the cool crowd and dumb jocks no longer rule the popularity hierarchy.

It doesn’t take long for both of them (especially Schmidt) to get sucked back into the high school life and try to catch up the things they might have missed out on the first time around. As a result, the bumbling duo continues to screw up, eventually getting them expelled and making Capt. Cube angry enough to kick them off the case. Continuing to follow in the cop caper formula, it’s after they are kicked off the force that they start to get big breaks in the case, giving them an opportunity to redeem themselves and prove that they can become good cops. But not without a few more mishaps, some silly self discovery and a couple of clever cameos that tie everything back in to the 21 Jump Street of old.

21 Jump Street is clearly not what fans of the TV show might be wanting or expecting. But since that would have been a difficult undertaking in itself, the film ultimately benefits from putting its own comical spin on things while simultaneously acknowledging its original audience.

21 Jump Street. Directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller. Starring Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Ice Cube, Brie Larson, Dave Franco and Rob Riggle. Rated R. www.21jumpstreet-movie.com.

“The Lorax” spreads ecological message in colorfully animated adventure

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Morality plays are at the center of all of Dr. Seuss‘ limerick-like tales of humanoid creatures in various fantastical settings. These morals are usually either universally accepted ideals that transcend most (if not all) political, religious and cultural boundaries, or are subtly conveyed through whimsical stories filled with colorful characters. The Lorax, however, has a clear environmental message that is made all the more apparent by its namesake, a grumpy little orange creature voiced by Danny DeVito whose existence is based solely on protecting the forest.

That message is made even more colorfully clear in Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax, which brings the story to life in computer animated 3-D. As has been done with previous Dr. Seuss adaptations, The Lorax is fluffed up with some back story explaining that Ted’s (Zac Efron) motivation for finding a real tree is to impress Audrey (Taylor Swift), the nature-loving hottie he’s pining for. But in Thneedville, where everything is plastic and a Napoleonic business man (Rob Riggle) has built an empire on bottled air sales, there is no nature.

At the urging of his Grammy Norma (Betty White), Ted sets out to find the Once-ler (Ed Helms), the only one who can tell him where to find a real tree. In much the same way the Grinch lives outside of Whoville’s society, the Once-ler is a hermit who lives in a boarded up mansion in the gloomy area outside of town. This recluse recounts the story of a young entrepreneur who set out to impress his oppressive hillbilly family by  mass producing the Thneed, a sweater-like garment that can actually be used for just about anything.

Made from the foliage of the forest’s Truffula Trees, which grows in spirals of flowing hair-like tufts in cotton candy pink and other pastels, the Thneed soon becomes the need of the nearby townspeople.  After initially cutting down a Truffula (the very act that summons the Lorax), the young man agrees to harvest the tufts of trees rather than continue chopping them down. But at the urging of his fickle family, he breaks this promise in order to keep up with supply and demand.

This simple act of defiance snowballs into typical human greed until there are no more trees in the forest, obviously leading to the present-day phoniness of Thneedville. When business ceases to blossom, his family deserts him (again) and the cute little forest creatures are forced to follow their Trail of Tears-like fate to a new forest, the young inventor watches the Lorax float away in disappointment and  is left alone in his big fancy house. Lesson learned the hard way, but there’s still room for redemption.

Luckily for Ted, the Once-ler has the last remaining Truffula seed. Though he’s initially hesitant about letting it go (especially after realizing that Ted’s biggest motivation is impressing a girl), the Once-ler finally gives Ted the seed, with instructions for him to plant the seed in the center of Thneedville. But O’Hare, who has been very Big Brother-like in his attempts to prevent his bottled air-buying townspeople from finding out that real trees create fresh air, has different plans.

Watching Ted race around on the oversized tire of his motorized unicycle thing while avoiding O’Hare’s goons is a lot of fun, and makes great use of the 3-D technology, which actually feels like part of the movie rather than something thrown in for added effect. Though much of Seuss’ magic is lost when all this extra stuff is added to his original story just to make it long enough to be a feature film, Illumination Entertainment (who also made Despicable Me and Hop) still does a great job of nurturing the whimsy and wonder of Seuss. And though most of the dialogue is not in Seuss’ signature rhyme, much of the story is told through musical numbers in which woodland creatures, fish, humanoids and other beings jovially convey pivotal plot points.

The Lorax‘s  ecological urgings are a bit heavy handed at times, which has already drawn criticism from some. But as the Lorax himself states, “A tree falls the way it leans. Be careful which way you lean.” Take such advice with an open mind and you’re likely not to lean too far in either direction. Somehow I think Seuss would be happy to know his message is still being spread, especially since this movie is being released on the 108th anniversary of his birth.

Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax. Directed by Chris Renaud and Kyle Balda. Starring Danny DeVito, Zac Efron, Taylor Swift, Ed Helms, Rob Riggle, Betty White and Jenny Slate. Rated PG. www.theloraxmovie.com.

Review by Jonathan Williams