21 & Over

I remember when I watched this movie back then in 2013, I laughed so hard that my stomach hurt. It was the funniest movie I had ever watched, and now that I have watched it for the second time after 10 years in 2023, it is still amazing and funny. Despite the negative reviews it received from some critics, it is a wonderful movie, and you won't regret watching it. And you will enjoy every minute of it. The film is suitable for anyone who likes comedy and wants to have a good time, and the end of the movie made me feel nostalgic for the good old days, and I wish they would make a sequel. Because it is one of my favorites.

This film is about the first 24 hours of a straight A student's 21st birthday.

"21 & Over" is a toned down college version of "The Hangover". The plot is very similar to "The Hangover", and it is wearing thin. Though the parties are ridiculous and the alcohol is plentiful, we all know what will happen and hence the plot does not have the same entertaining effect as the first time around. Fortunately, the subplot of testing the strained friendship and standing up for oneself is a bit refreshing, so "21 & Over" sets itself as slightly different from its parent clone. The Asian female student who swears a lot is the most memorable character, and she deserves a special mention. Her one minute of screen time is so unexpectedly crazy! "21 & Over" is an average comedy, if judged on its own merit. But please, enough with the "The Hangover" clones.

'21 & over' is the latest buddy comedy inspired by 'The Hangover.' It has a similar story to 'The Hangover' except the drinking rampage is the story rather than the morning after.

This film was surprisingly good! I think the last film I saw was 'Movie 43' and that made me lose faith in laughter and happiness… Anyway, '21 & over' certainly isn't the funniest comedy ever but there are a decent amount of laughs and cringe moments. Of course, towards the end the story does go totally over the top. This is a modern classic aspect of American comedies these days so I guess it is just something we will have to get used to. Thankfully, it doesn't really send the film into a downward spiral as it is still redeemable.

The characters in this film are all pretty funny in their own way and the characters you are supposed to like are genuinely likable. The story deals with a lot of important issues in a bizarrely light-hearted manner which is quite odd. A lot of the supporting characters are really funny so you're glad to see them each time they pop up throughout the film. I anticipated a lot of rubbish, cheap racist Asian jokes to be dotted all over the script but only a few did and they were from a character that seemed like the kind of person who would say those kinds of jokes. This was quite relieving, the film did its best to make jokes and references that people of a similar age would recognise and find funny.

Overall, this film is nonsense but the people who created it know this and don't try to pretend it's anything else. This is a good film to watch with your friends and I imagine, once it is released on DVD, will be a popular film for drinking games. Beer Pong anyone?

"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.

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