21 Jump Street (2012)

Turning an old TV cop show into a movie should have been the laziest pitch in Hollywood, and the movie knows it so well that the boss who ships them off basically says it out loud. That self-awareness is the whole trick. Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum go back to high school and the roles flip: the nerd gets popular and the jock gets stuck with the chemistry kids. Tatum is the surprise. He’s legit hilarious as a guy who thought he understood teenagers and finds out they care about the environment now. The drug case is filler, and the last act piles on car chases and gunfire like it’s scared you’ll get bored. You won’t, mostly. Phil Lord and Christopher Miller fire jokes faster than the plot can keep up. $201.6 million worldwide for a reboot nobody asked for. A 7.6 because it’s dumber than it pretends and sharper than it looks. $189 says you try reciting the Miranda rights from memory tonight and tap out halfway.

What works: Channing Tatum’s comic timing, the high school role swap, and a script that roasts Hollywood reboots while being one.

What doesn’t: The actual drug case is forgettable filler, and the final act leans on loud action instead of the jokes that got it there.

Who it’s for: Anyone who liked high school less than they claim, and fans of buddy cop comedies that make fun of buddy cop comedies.