21 & Over
Lucas and Moore’s Hangover for the college crowd won’t go down as generation-defining (a la Superbad and American Pie), but its target demographic should find something to laugh at.
21 and Overis an old conversant trick , coming from film writer Jon Lucas and Scott Moore ( Ghosts of Girlfriends Past , The Hangover ) . Former BFFs Miller ( Miles Teller ) and Casey ( Skylar Astin ) get back together three years after graduating from high schoolhouse , to observe their acquaintance Jeff Chang ( Justin Chon ) turning 21 with a night of carousing and bar - hopping .
Jeff , it turns out , has an inner party animal waiting to break barren , depart him in a bibulous grogginess and his sidekick realize they have no hint where he lives . What follows is a predictable drollery of errors where Miller and Casey endeavour to get their old pal home , take on freaky college students and getting caught up in wild dangerous undertaking along the fashion . Meanwhile , a mostly - unconcious Jeff suffers from various forms of forcible abuse and humiliation along the way ( thinkWeekend at Bernie ’s ) , as his friend easy being to realize he ’s suffering from serious personal issues - and so are they , as it turns out .
Lucas and Moore are directing their own script for the first time , after handing over their previous high - conception yuckfest scripts to more experient filmmakers ( that name includesFour ChristmasesandThe Change - Up ) . However , the major problems in21 and Overare still related to writing , as it lack the idiosyncratic humour ofThe Hangover , the pathos found inSuperbadand social commentary ( no , I ’m not joking ) from theHarold and Kumarmovies . This motion picture lifts material directly from all of these superscript raunchy comedies , but to belittled yield . Ultimately , what forbid the sense of humor from becoming to a fault tedious is that Lucas and Moore partly tap into the insecurity and feelings of impotency get the behaviour onscreen ( rendering : this movie in reality has some gist ) .
Teller was a supporting histrion inProject Xand theFootlooseremake , but in21 and Overhe ’s upgraded to direct status . He essentially plays a slightly previous adaptation of Jonah Hill’sSuperbadcharacter ( and even has a representative that ’s uncannily similar to Hill ’s ) , but impressment by delivering a charismatic performance that does n’t oversell the fact that his quality ’s behaviour is all a denial mechanism for fears about being leave behind by his higher - attain bros . Astin ( Pitch Perfect ) is solid playing the foil to Teller , while Chon ( Twilight ) makes the most of a role where he spends 90 % of the meter either knock out or run around inebriated .
The repose of the mold is take - it - or - leave - it . Quintupletsand7th Heavenalum Sarah Wright ( a.k.a . Jerry ’s daughter onParks and Recreation ) plays Nicole , the generic sexual love interest for Astin ; fortunately , they have good screen chemical science , so their romance is believable enough for the film ’s design . Meanwhile , Jonathan Keltz ( cortege ) plays Wright ’s hot - tempered cheerleader boyfriend - who winds up the keister of numerous physical funniness laugh - and Francois Chau ( sorta ) flip on hisLostrole by playing Jeff ’s authoritative father , Dr. Chang . The pair are not at all terrible in these roles , but there ’s nothing satirically - biting or memorable about the caricatures they produce , either . Samantha Futerman ( Going the length ) as Jeff ’s foul - mouthed ex - neighbor and Russell Hodgkinson ( Fat Kid Rules the earthly concern ) as a apparently homeless druggie ( wink , wink ) , get an easy jape for their cameo , but most of the other abbreviated fibre appearance are duds .
In terms of guidance , Lucas and Moore take a scattershot approach that succeeds and fails in adequate quantity . Certain scene are structure as montages in a manner that make water mother wit , while others feel like awkward campaign to liven up the secret plan and create the illusion that what ’s happening onscreen is more elating and off - the - wall than it actually is ( but not in a self - aware fashion ) . As you would expect , the game is mostly a accumulation of occasional sitcom sequences , boast wroth sorority girl and party college student ( among other stock character ) - some of which border on being casually sexist and stereotypical . as luck would have it , things never amply pass over over into that awkward territory .
Tonal job on occasion arise when21 and Overshifts from madcap to sincere and saccharine , and then transition right back to more comedic saturnalia with nary a moment to spare . Similarly , while the main character suffer their average share of repercussions for the underhanded stunt they pull , it sometimes feels like they are let off the hook and capable to resolve their problem too swiftly , resulting in lilliputian significant emotional impact ( despite tinct on heavy issues ) . What create the inevitable third act payoff okay is that it solidifies the flavour that Lucas and Moore really like and key with the fiber they ’ve create , even after making them suffer greatly for the consultation ’s amusement . The conclusion is satisfying enough , given what sort of picture show this is .
It ’s the dear nature of21 and Overthat forbid it from being utterly forgettable . Lucas and Moore ’s ' Hangoverfor the college crowd ' wo n’t go down as contemporaries - defining ( a laSuperbadandAmerican Pie ) , but its target demographic should get something to express mirth at . The same goes for certain elder moviegoers who may even become nostalgic , wistfully recalling their own day running half ( or in full ) naked and drunk around a university campus .
Just do n’t require to remember much in the morning afterwards ( sorry , could n’t fend ) .
Miles Teller and Skylar Astin in ‘21 and Over’
— — —
21 and Overis 93 minute long and Rated roentgen for crude and sexual content , pervasive terminology , some in writing nudity , drug and drink . Now playing in house .
Justin Chon as Jeff Chang endures much abuse in ‘21 and Over’
Teller, Astin, Wright and Chon in ‘21 and Over’
