The film begins with a ridiculous failed drug bust by the pair that involves a notorious drug dealer known only as "The Ghost" (Peter Stormare). Captain Dickson (Ice Cube) decides to send the pair to Metro City College because a new drug called WhyPhy is taking the campus by storm and has recently killed a student. The only lead they have is what appears to be a photo of the girl accepting drugs from her dealer, although his face is obscured. The duo must resume the identities of brothers Doug and Brad McQuaid in the hopes of locating the dealer and taking the supplier down.
The pair move into a co-ed dorm across from the room of a pair of hilarious twins named Keith and Kenny Yang (the hilarious Lucas brothers) and begin their college journey. They start with the girl who died and begin following her steps to see where they lead, which leads to Jenko falling in with the football jocks at a frat and Schmidt getting wrapped up with the artsy outsider kids, one of which is a beautiful girl named Maya (Amber Stevens), who happens to live across the hall from the girl who died. While Schmidt is making some ground with Maya, her roommate Mercedes (Jillian Bell) is none too pleased. She always seems to pop up at just the right moment to deliver a searing insult to Schmidt, always about his apparent age and the fact that he looks older than the other students. She calls him "Old Man River" and talks about his liver-spotted hands and things like that, but she is just hilarious and so deadpan about it. She steals every scene she is in and she and Hill bring awkward to a whole new level.
Meanwhile at the frat house, Jenko finds that he fits right in, especially with fellow football star Zook (Wyatt Russell) and his pal, Rooster (Jimmy Tatro). Jenko soon realizes that he and Zook are so compatible, they are almost identical, and he begins spending more time at the frat and with Zook than with Schmidt running up leads. This causes friction between the pair, especially when all evidence points to the dealer being a member of the frat house. What's worse, Jenko becomes a star athlete and is given the opportunity to attend college for real on a scholarship, giving him pause to consider whether he still wants to be Schmidt's partner in crime-fighting. Schmidt and Jenko question their "relationship" and wonder if they should take some space. Meanwhile, WhyPhy's prevalence is spreading beyond Metro City College and the pair must head to Puerte, Mexico before it goes viral at the Spring Break extravaganza. Can they get it together and be the unstoppable team they were last time or will their spats get in the way? Captain Dickson just wants the damn case solved.
22 Jump Street is an exercise in ridiculousness, but I mean that in a good way. While it is most definitely not something for children to watch, the movie is hysterical and absolutely nothing is sacred. Schmidt and Jenko go visit Mr. Walters (Rob Riggle) and Eric (Dave Franco) (from 21 Jump Street) in prison for some inside info and get more than they bargained for, while Officer Booker (Richard Grieco) makes an appearance as does Dustin Nguyen (both from the original series) as Vietnamese Jesus in a deleted scene. There are plenty more fun cameos to spot (make sure to watch the ads for future sequels at the end of the film), including Patton Oswalt, Queen Latifah, Seth Rogen, Anna Faris and more.
Even funnier than the movie itself are the special features, of which there are plenty. If you go with the Blu-ray version, you get more deleted scenes, more Line-o-Ramas and more featurettes. Basically, go with the Blu-ray. it looks better and is jam-packed. I spent a few hours watching the special features, so there's plenty in there, especially when you are dealing with improv comedy the likes of which comes from these guys. Just watching them try different approaches on lines is hilarious and the deleted and extended scenes are pure ridiculousness. I also got a good laugh out of the 11 minute version of the film with all comedy cut out. Not much to it, but a funny exercise nonetheless. Last, but not least, I am not typically a fan of commentary, but this commentary was great. Lord and Miller with Hill and Tatum is a combustible mix and they say some funny stuff, plus I learned a lot of fun inside info.
Overall, I really enjoyed 22 Jump Street and thought it was a great sequel that didn't take itself seriously and didn't want viewers to either. Sure, it's raunchy and childish, but it is really funny if you appreciate Hill's type of humor and aren't easily offended. It is the sort of movie where you can turn it on and turn your brain off and just laugh.
