Post by StevePulaski on Mar 2, 2013 15:20:29 GMT -5
Rating: ★½
If you've seen the trailer for 21 and Over, there's no reason you should be surprised at its content. It's a juvenile, tasteless retread through the gutter of party movies, explicit in language, redundant in debauchery, and forgettable almost entirely. Contrary to those who believe I went in with the preconceived mindset to dislike this film, I was quite optimistic; the trailer got one laugh out of me. It was tied with last year's romp Project X for the number of laughs it generated.
Seeing as I laughed once in the trailer and once in the actual film, this technically makes 21 and Over a funnier film than Project X, although that's not saying too much. It continues to accentuate every loathsome quality of the youth in America for us to laugh at and for other countries to sneer at. For those who can't see why I'd dislike a film like this, it's the aftertaste I get with these films that really sits uncomfortably with me. To think how people in other countries see the twentysomethings of America after these films really makes me upset.
Our story immediately breeds contempt with his familiarity; two collegian friends named Miller (Miles Teller) and Casey (Skylar Astin) decide to pick up their friend Jeff Chang (Justin Chon) to party on his twenty-first birthday. Jeff Chang (who is always referred to by his full name for whatever reason) has an important medical interview the following day, and tells his friends that he can't party, but they don't listen and force him to live up his birthday with them. When Jeff Chang gets so drunk and incoherent that he can't stand up straight, Miller and Casey carry him around town, haplessly, Weekend at Bernie's-style, searching for his house in order to get him ready for his interview in a few hours.
Watching these nitwits wander around town, in search of their pals home, while dragging him on his feet, carrying him like an infant, or tossing him in the back of a golf-cart as they go down the stairs is not one of the definitions of comedy for me. If it's yours, embrace it, because this is the kind of humor you're in for. It wasn't long ago that I saw Seth Gordon's Identity Thief, a mostly mediocre film that predicated itself off of tired formula and worn jokes. it functioned in the genre of comedies that I label "maximum antics, minimum laughter," which the same can be said for 21 and Over, but at least Identity Thief was buoyed by charismatic leads. Sure they were subjected to pretty trite material, but they weren't as bland and faceless as the teens in this film. Aside from Justin Chon, who seems like an actor that can be capable in a role if he wasn't playing dead for two-thirds of the movie, no one seems to truly be inspired by this material.
But, again, how could they? This kind of script leaves almost nothing notable in terms of influence, subject, characters, or events. It's the kind of film young actors use as their breakout role. If there's any positivity in this film, it's that, hopefully, the young stars here are welcomed to more efficient projects that do not capitalize off of senseless debauchery.
Finally, do I need to make note of how degrading this film is to both sexes? It's not as hopelessly nihilistic as Project X, per say, but it's definitely not as spirited as one would hope. The men are chauvinistic, self-centered dogs, motivated by sex, popularity, and hormonal lust, while the women are no better than the size of their breasts and buttocks. What a shock.
The writing/directing team behind the 2009 comedy success The Hangover have gone on to make a film that simply feels gridlocked in its unambitious nature. It contains roughly two healthy laughs in its ninety-three minute runtime, features forgettable instances of brutality and disregard for safety, shows how manipulating and careless seemingly "best friends" can be with each other, and further throws its fun down the drain in favor of having a "money" mindset. If there's one positive to come out of all of this, it will give me time to reflect on my choice of friends in the future.
My video review of 21 and Over, www.youtube.com/watch?v=63C8Aubcv8c
Starring: Miles Teller, Skylar Astin, Justin Chon, and Sarah Wright. Directed by: Jon Lucas and Scott Moore.
If you've seen the trailer for 21 and Over, there's no reason you should be surprised at its content. It's a juvenile, tasteless retread through the gutter of party movies, explicit in language, redundant in debauchery, and forgettable almost entirely. Contrary to those who believe I went in with the preconceived mindset to dislike this film, I was quite optimistic; the trailer got one laugh out of me. It was tied with last year's romp Project X for the number of laughs it generated.
Seeing as I laughed once in the trailer and once in the actual film, this technically makes 21 and Over a funnier film than Project X, although that's not saying too much. It continues to accentuate every loathsome quality of the youth in America for us to laugh at and for other countries to sneer at. For those who can't see why I'd dislike a film like this, it's the aftertaste I get with these films that really sits uncomfortably with me. To think how people in other countries see the twentysomethings of America after these films really makes me upset.
Our story immediately breeds contempt with his familiarity; two collegian friends named Miller (Miles Teller) and Casey (Skylar Astin) decide to pick up their friend Jeff Chang (Justin Chon) to party on his twenty-first birthday. Jeff Chang (who is always referred to by his full name for whatever reason) has an important medical interview the following day, and tells his friends that he can't party, but they don't listen and force him to live up his birthday with them. When Jeff Chang gets so drunk and incoherent that he can't stand up straight, Miller and Casey carry him around town, haplessly, Weekend at Bernie's-style, searching for his house in order to get him ready for his interview in a few hours.
Watching these nitwits wander around town, in search of their pals home, while dragging him on his feet, carrying him like an infant, or tossing him in the back of a golf-cart as they go down the stairs is not one of the definitions of comedy for me. If it's yours, embrace it, because this is the kind of humor you're in for. It wasn't long ago that I saw Seth Gordon's Identity Thief, a mostly mediocre film that predicated itself off of tired formula and worn jokes. it functioned in the genre of comedies that I label "maximum antics, minimum laughter," which the same can be said for 21 and Over, but at least Identity Thief was buoyed by charismatic leads. Sure they were subjected to pretty trite material, but they weren't as bland and faceless as the teens in this film. Aside from Justin Chon, who seems like an actor that can be capable in a role if he wasn't playing dead for two-thirds of the movie, no one seems to truly be inspired by this material.
But, again, how could they? This kind of script leaves almost nothing notable in terms of influence, subject, characters, or events. It's the kind of film young actors use as their breakout role. If there's any positivity in this film, it's that, hopefully, the young stars here are welcomed to more efficient projects that do not capitalize off of senseless debauchery.
Finally, do I need to make note of how degrading this film is to both sexes? It's not as hopelessly nihilistic as Project X, per say, but it's definitely not as spirited as one would hope. The men are chauvinistic, self-centered dogs, motivated by sex, popularity, and hormonal lust, while the women are no better than the size of their breasts and buttocks. What a shock.
The writing/directing team behind the 2009 comedy success The Hangover have gone on to make a film that simply feels gridlocked in its unambitious nature. It contains roughly two healthy laughs in its ninety-three minute runtime, features forgettable instances of brutality and disregard for safety, shows how manipulating and careless seemingly "best friends" can be with each other, and further throws its fun down the drain in favor of having a "money" mindset. If there's one positive to come out of all of this, it will give me time to reflect on my choice of friends in the future.
My video review of 21 and Over, www.youtube.com/watch?v=63C8Aubcv8c
Starring: Miles Teller, Skylar Astin, Justin Chon, and Sarah Wright. Directed by: Jon Lucas and Scott Moore.