MOVIE OF THE WEEK #1: 21 & OVER
KEY CAST MEMBERS: Miles Teller, Skylar Astin, Justin Chon, Sarah Wright, Jonathan Keltz, Francois Chau and Russell Hodgkinson
WRITER(S): Jon Lucas & Scott Moore
DIRECTOR: Jon Lucas & Scott Moore
WEB SITE: 21andovermovie.tumblr.com/
THE PLOT: Written & directed by Hangover alumni Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, 21 & Over stars Skylar Astin and Miles Teller as Casey and Miler, two high school (now college) friends who haven't seen each other in a while. That's all about to change, though, as the duo is heading to visit their fellow former high school buddy Jeff Chang (Justin Chon), who is about to celebrate his 21st birthday.
But while Casey is ready to chill, Miller is ready to par-tay down ... Which is a problem since Jeff Chang – they ALWAYS call him by his full name – has a very important interview the next morning at 8 a.m. sharp. And his overbearing doctor father (Francois Chau) is very insistent that he be there. But since when has an interview ever took priority over a good time?
Out on the town, Casey, Miller and Jeff Chang hit a few bars and have a great time ... Especially once Casey runs into Nicole (Sarah Wright) who just so happens to be dating top male cheerleader Randy (Jonathan Keltz). Anyway, things are great until Jeff Chang gets too drunk, passes out ... And neither Casey nor Miller can remember where Jeff Chang lives.
Now determined to get their friend home, Casey and Miller – with Jeff Chang in tow – begin to run into a series of adventures that make their task increasingly more difficult ... Each one adding to a night none of them are certain to ever forget.
THE TAKE: All the ads for 21 & Over – and smartly so, considering the movie going public's seemingly short attention span – hype the film as "from the guys behind The Hangover" ... The thing about that, though, is that while that film was a major success, Hangover II was not as well received. Additionally, last year saw the release of Project X, the ultimate high school/college party movie of all time. (There was so much property damage!) Anyway ...
The long and short of 21 & Over is that the movie is at times funny, at times predictable, at times silly, at times dumb and at other times, actually kind of sweet. Astin does a phenomenal job of acting in a movie of this ilk while Teller keeps things moving in the Stifler-from-American-Pie-like role he's given to work with. While breaking zero in terms of new ground, the film is enjoyable enough that you might feel a little juvenile for watching it (think Saturday matinee guilty pleasure) that you won't be too turned off. The film sticks to its comedic guns and plays them out instead of just dropping off half-baked, way-too-familiar jokes which works thanks to the dedication of the film's cast.
Long story short, if you like jokes about guys involving getting drunk and partying, you'll likely enjoy 21 & Over but not so much you'll leave with a humor headache akin to a Hangover.
But while Casey is ready to chill, Miller is ready to par-tay down ... Which is a problem since Jeff Chang – they ALWAYS call him by his full name – has a very important interview the next morning at 8 a.m. sharp. And his overbearing doctor father (Francois Chau) is very insistent that he be there. But since when has an interview ever took priority over a good time?
Out on the town, Casey, Miller and Jeff Chang hit a few bars and have a great time ... Especially once Casey runs into Nicole (Sarah Wright) who just so happens to be dating top male cheerleader Randy (Jonathan Keltz). Anyway, things are great until Jeff Chang gets too drunk, passes out ... And neither Casey nor Miller can remember where Jeff Chang lives.
Now determined to get their friend home, Casey and Miller – with Jeff Chang in tow – begin to run into a series of adventures that make their task increasingly more difficult ... Each one adding to a night none of them are certain to ever forget.
THE TAKE: All the ads for 21 & Over – and smartly so, considering the movie going public's seemingly short attention span – hype the film as "from the guys behind The Hangover" ... The thing about that, though, is that while that film was a major success, Hangover II was not as well received. Additionally, last year saw the release of Project X, the ultimate high school/college party movie of all time. (There was so much property damage!) Anyway ...
The long and short of 21 & Over is that the movie is at times funny, at times predictable, at times silly, at times dumb and at other times, actually kind of sweet. Astin does a phenomenal job of acting in a movie of this ilk while Teller keeps things moving in the Stifler-from-American-Pie-like role he's given to work with. While breaking zero in terms of new ground, the film is enjoyable enough that you might feel a little juvenile for watching it (think Saturday matinee guilty pleasure) that you won't be too turned off. The film sticks to its comedic guns and plays them out instead of just dropping off half-baked, way-too-familiar jokes which works thanks to the dedication of the film's cast.
Long story short, if you like jokes about guys involving getting drunk and partying, you'll likely enjoy 21 & Over but not so much you'll leave with a humor headache akin to a Hangover.
PARTING SHOT: A movie that's not as bad as you might suspect but not as good as you might want it to be, 21 & Over is a lot like freshman year in college – you'll regret some of it, enjoy some of it but ultimately keep on moving forward once it's done (unless you drop out!).
RATING (OUT OF FOUR BUCKETS OF POPCORN):
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