Ah yes. The gratuitous, hormonal party movie. Thanks to the genre’s revitalization by American Pie in the 90’s, we get a new one every year or so. Most of the time, movies like these are pure garbage, but every so often, a decent one slips through the cracks. 21 and Over fits somewhere in the middle. Its plot is cookie-cutter (think Superbad meets Project X in college) and its jokes are dumb, but somewhere in the midst of the film’s chaos is a semblance of a decent movie.
The plot of 21 and Over is simple: Two friends surprise their old high-school buddy in college and take him out to get drunk on his 21st birthday. The catch is they need to have him back by 9am for a job interview. Havoc ensues.
21 and Over is no doubt a gross, gratuitous portrayal of the American college student. Advertised for months as “from the writers of The Hangover,” it tries really, really hard to be smart, edgy, and off-the-wall, but unfortunately is simply filled with lame jokes, gratuitous nudity and just about every college drinking game known to man. In other words, it’s trying way too hard to play to the college market. For the most part, the film’s jokes fall flat – though, I will admit, I laughed a few times at the stupider ones.
On the positive side, there’s something to be said for pacing and character development. And when I say “character development,” don’t get me wrong; we’re not talking The Shawshank Redemption here. We’re given the age old dynamic between the charismatic, crazy slacker and the preppy “straight man.” Having written The Hangover 1 and 2, writer/directors Jon Lucas and Scott Moore pretty much have the formula down to a T. And it’s done about as well as a movie of this caliber can do it.
The packed theater of my peers in the key demographic laughed heartily throughout the film, and as I left, I heard smatterings of “that was a funny movie, man” and quotes of similar praise. I implore you not to trust their judgment. Its third act contains a sloppy reveal masquerading as a twist and deus ex machina shows up just as expected in movies of this type. 21 and Over is in no way a must-see (or “ever-see,” for that matter), but if you happen to be bored on your day off and feel the need to put your brain on a shelf somewhere and stare at a screen, then check it out.