Majeur et vacciné

Watched "21 and Over" last night at an advanced screening so sharing a review for those wondering about it.

If you should use other films/media to describe "21 and Over", it is like a combination of "Hang Over", "American Pie", and "Jackass". If describing in one sentence, "21 and Over" is stupid drunkenness or drunk galore? It is an enjoyable film and I would recommend it for those who enjoy dirty slapstick humor and just college craziness. I wouldn't feel the need to watch this film again and it isn't an Oscar nominee type of film, but If you like watching drunk people, this film is for you.

I admit, I like watching this type of films from time to time, but a big reason I was interested in this film was because I liked the writers' Jon Lucas and Scott Moore's other pieces, the popular "Hang Over" film series and "Change Up". I did assume that "21 and Over" would be structured and directed just like "Hang Over but "21 and Over" does not have the story-telling abilities that "Hang Over" has nor are the story, plot, resolution, and characters anywhere as interesting. One's own experiences and perspectives change with age, and Lucas and Moore are out of touch with the current 20s generation as the dialogue, story development, and characters in "21 and Over" are old, clichéd, and stereotypical.

The movie took a while to pick up the pace. Surprisingly and thankfully Jeff Chang is not the main focus in this film, nothing against the actors (these newcomers did a great job), but the supposed main character burned through his drinking and bar scenes early on in a series of montages.

Some of the likable aspects of this movie are the timing of the stunts and how outrageous the stunts are. When it seemed like the film would end soon or run out of tricks, the characters' rolling ball of chaos just got bigger and bigger. The stunts pulled now a day for slapstick humor are getting more outrageous and openly, visually sexual. If nothing, Lucas and Moore get kudos for fresh stunts. Perhaps they spent the time they were supposed to use for brainstorming dialogue and story development, watching "Jackass" instead.

In the end this film is still enjoyable because it's not like this film's audience watches these kinds of films for the dialogue nor accurate representation of cultural identities. All that matters is that the slapstick stunts and moderate dirtiness of the film is enough to not leave a silent house. For sure, the high school kids during the advanced screening got a kick out of it, hoping their college life can be that fun? Crazy at least.

Review by WendyXS@FeiXiangFilms

"21 and Over" is like a 21st Century version of "Animal House" and "Porky's" - only this one comes with a bit of a social conscience, as befits the times we live in.

Miles Teller, Skylar Astin. and Justin Chon play buddies from childhood, now ending their time in college, who reunite to celebrate the 21st birthday of one of them, Jeff Chang (Chon). Astin's Casey is the stuffed shirt who's already on the fast track to a career on Wall Street after he graduates; Chon's Jeff is the stressed-out A-student whose dad is pressuring him to ace a med school interview the next day; and Teller's Miller is the Stiffler-type wise-ass who refuses to grow up, convinced that the only life worth living is one patterned after the "American Pie" movies.

Against their better judgment, Astin and Teller- take Chon out for a celebratory bender, resulting in what anyone with any knowledge of how these things customarily work out in the movies can plainly predict. Yet, beyond all the drinking, brawling, sex rituals and generalized pandemonium, "21 and Over" actually has some poignant things to say about friendship and finding that fine line between becoming a mature adult and selling out to a life devoid of fun and joy. Luckily, the screenplay by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore (who also directed the film together) doesn't overdo it in the moralizing department, neatly balancing the insights with a steady stream of ultra-crass frat-boy hijinks. The movie even has some fun skewering the misogyny and sexual double standards that prevail among some of the male youth of today.

The movie is helped immeasurably by the performers who bring both humor and heart to the proceedings. They make the nonsense not only bearable but actually quite enjoyable at times.

"From the writers of 'The Hangover'" comes "21 and Over," another comedy about people getting really drunk and then having a bunch of crude and insane things happen to them. The difference here is that the three leads are not trying to find their buddy; they're instead trying to find their buddy's house. Oh, and the buddy whose house they're trying to find has passed out and has to be carried from place to place as the circumstances around them continue to get more dire.

Let's back up a bit. It's Jeff Chang's (Justin Chon) 21st birthday. He's a pre-med student who has a big interview the next morning. His best friends, Miller (Miles Teller) and Casey (Skylar Astin), have come to his apartment to surprise him and take him out for drinks, as is the American custom. Upon learning that the biggest interview of his life is the next day, Casey does the responsible thing and says that those plans can be postponed. Miller threatens to keep Jeff Chang up all night if he doesn't come out. "One drink," we're told. Like that's going to happen.

We don't even see Jeff Chang resist the party once it starts. He's loaded by the time we've zoomed forward in time, and only gets worse over the montage depicting the group's bar-hopping. Eventually, he's passed out and time is running out to get him home and to bed. The other two friends are from out of town -- they've all separated once college started, I guess -- so they don't know their way around. They spend nearly the rest of the film attempting to get him into bed before 7AM.

Doesn't this sound familiar? Three guys trolling around a certain location in hopes of finding something, or someone? While doing so, they find themselves in a bunch of "I can't believe it" situations, while also learning things about the others that perhaps should have been better left a secret. When Casey and Miller find a gun in Jeff Chang's pocket, and later learn that he was arrested by the police, we have a mystery on our hands. One whose conclusion is mishandled so badly that I thought there must have been an alternate ending.

It feels too similar, I suppose. We've seen movies that contain situations more shocking than this. When a guy gets run over by a buffalo -- which we don't actually get to see, by the way, because the camera cuts to black before impact -- that winds up being one of the more "crazy" points of the film. Sure, a couple of other moments are funny at the time, if only because at least one of the guys -- Casey -- doesn't seem like he deserved to be put through them, but they're kind of bland for the genre.

There are a few running gags scattered throughout -- always calling Jeff Chang by his full name being one of them -- but most of the humor in "21 and Over" comes from the situations themselves. That can work for some people. Many of you might find a lot of the film funny. It wasn't for me. Watching stupid people act pretty stupid and have bad things happen to them isn't the funniest thing in the world. Like I said, there are a few good moments, but not enough of them to fill the 90-minute running time.

Moving away from the amount of laughter, which is about all that matters in a comedy, the dialogue also leaves a lot to be desired. The film was written and directed by "The Hangover" writers, after all, so that should be expected. It's all profane and silly, and accomplishes one of two things: exposition or forced character development. The dialogue itself rarely attempts to make us laugh. That's a problem, since there's a good deal of time spent walking from place to place.

It says a lot about our main characters that they wind up being chased and/or hated by everyone they come into contact with. They wind up being hunted by at least three groups of people as the film progresses, all of whom show up seemingly at random. These groups are often forgotten about until the script calls for them to pop up for a few minutes. You forget, too, and it makes their reappearances seem to come out of the blue. Sure, the film is about these three guys -- although it's really two of them because Jeff Chang isn't awake for most of his screen time -- but if you want to continue bringing back these secondary characters, at least treat them with a little respect.

I'm sure that all of these actors have talent. Justin Chon turns in the best performance in the film whenever he's awake. Skylar Astin was in "Pitch Perfect" and fared much better there. He delivers every line with great sincerity, but that doesn't work with this type of character. Miles Teller was in "Project X," and plays the same type of role here. He isn't good in either.

"21 and Over" is pretty much the exact type of movie that you expect it to be. If you think "The Hangover" is funny, you'll probably find this movie hilarious as well. It has issues with its characters, dialogue and situations, but if you find it funny you probably won't notice. I didn't like "21 and Over," but if it sounds like your type of thing, you'll probably get some enjoyment out of it.

If the "The Hangover" and "Project X" were fused together to make one new film, the result would be "21 and Over." From the same writers of the Hangover, Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, "21 and Over" is a film that taps into the college demographic by concentrating on some of the issues that affect a lot of students throughout the United States — binge drinking, beer pong games, sex and parties.

This comedy follows three best friends who have fallen out of touch since graduating from high school and transitioning into college. They try to meet up on important occasions, in this case Jeff Chang's (Justin Chon) birthday.

Jeff Chang is finally turning 21 and with that age his best friends, Casey (Skylar Astin) and Miller (Miles Teller), believe comes a new stage in Chang's life; one filled with alcohol and girls.

Chang is a straight-A student who is preparing for an upcoming interview to gain admittance to medical school. In addition to his med school interview, Chang has to worry about his strict father who expects him to follow his family's legacy in becoming a doctor.

For his 21st birthday, Casey and Miller surprise him and take him on a night out. Chang agrees to go out on the condition that they only go for a few drinks and then return home.

They start the night off with a round of drinks, but soon enough begin club hopping, drinking alcohol everywhere they go. The night takes an unexpected turn when Jeff Chang becomes unresponsive after overdrinking.

Following the same formula used in "The Hangover," "21 and Over" attempts to win audiences over by using a lot of crude humor including many physical jokes.

Miles Teller (Miller) takes most of the spotlight with his straightforward dialogue and comedic timing. Justin Chon (Jeff Chang) further pushes the comedy bar with his use of physical humor. Skylar Astin (Casey) plays the typical preppy and awkward sidekick.

Even with a pleasant cast, the film fails to present anything original or creative. While it offers a few laughs, too many scenes are either lackluster, or exaggerated, and some of the humor is forced.

"The Hangover" was much more imaginative than "21 and Over," which has fewer plot twists and a rushed ending.

Even worse, the film reinforces all possible stereotypes including the smart Asian, the party alcoholic white male, crazy Latinas, and out of control college students.

The film is far from a masterpiece. However, if one day after a long day of class or work you simply want to have a few brainless laughs with friends, then "21 and Over" may be the movie for you.

21 & Over (2013)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Friends Miller (Miles Teller) and Casey (Shylar Astin) show up to Jeff Chang's (Justin Chon) house to take him out for his 21st birthday. The only problem is that he has a major interview in the morning but they talk him into kicking back a few, which turns into a disastrous night with too much alcohol and too many problems. 21 & OVER is the latest comedy about teens drinking too much while trying to have a few laughs and of course looking to get some action. Overall this is a fairly decent comedy since there are plenty of laughs but there's no question that it falls well short of becoming a classic and it's probably going to be forgotten by the time the next film in the genre hits. I think a lot of the credit has to go to the three lead actors as all of them fit their roles nicely and I think they're entertaining enough to where we can spend 90-minutes with them without getting bored. The film starts off a bit slow but once the "issues" start to happen the film finally picks up. One such issue turns this into a WEEKEND AT BERNIE'S for drunks. Basically Chang passes out and his friends have to carry him around from one location to the next while trying to figure out where he lives. While all of the laughs don't work, I think a good number of them do. Obviously this is a R-rated comedy so we get a lot of dirty humor but this is where the film works its best. There's a hilarious scene at a prep rally, a good long-running joke dealing with a Mexican sorority house and of course there are the various subplots that the guys get into over their drunk friend. Where the film doesn't work as well is when it tries to turn a bit more serious and look at "growing up" issues. I think those issues would have been served much better in a film that wasn't about being drunk and dumb. Still, fans of the genre will get enough laughs out of the film to make it worth sitting through.