- 9
...a riot of risks that pay off, the biggest of which might be handing Tatum funny business.
—Lisa Schwarzbaum Entertainment Weekly
- 8
Not since Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg teamed up in The Other Guys has an onscreen pairing proved as comically rewarding as the inspired partnership of Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum as baby-faced cops who go undercover at a high school to bust a drug ring.
—Michael Rechtshaffen Hollywood Reporter
- 8
Miller and Lord clearly understand the push-and-pull and hyper-competitiveness that make guy friendships both complex and stupid. That it comes to life so fully in 21 Jump Street is what gives the film an endearing, punch-you-in-the-arm-because-I-like-you-man charm.
—Betsy Sharkey Los Angeles Times
- 8
...the funniest movie I've seen in more than a year.
—Kyle Smith New York Post
- 7
...the irreverent result feels fresher than most '80s-show reboots, effectively flipping the address Johnny Depp made famous.
—Peter Debruge Variety
- 7
It wants to be fun and, to a perhaps surprising extent, it is. Largely forsaking the sweet multiculturalism of the original for white-dude bromance, and completely abandoning earnest teenagers-in-crisis melodrama in favor of crude, aggressive comedy, this 21 Jump Street is an example of how formula-driven entertainment can succeed.
—A. O. Scott New York Times
- 7
One of the pleasures of 21 Jump Street is that the screenplay by Michael Bacall and Jonah Hill is happy to point out all of its improbabilities; the premise is preposterous to begin with, and they run with that.
—Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times
- 7
The dialogue is fast-paced and full of pop-culture references. It all makes for an entertaining blend of buddy-cop action and irreverent teen-comedy satire.
—Claudia Puig USA Today
- 7
The drug humor in 21 Jump Street carries its own distinction, in that it's actually humor.
—Michael Phillips Chicago Tribune
- 7
Are we always still in high school in our heads? 21 Jump Street thinks so. And Hill and Tatum are just the crazy-ass comedy team to prove it.
—Peter Travers Rolling Stone
- 7
Like many almost-great comedies, 21 Jump Street is frontloaded with the best go-for-broke gags and lines.
—Jaime N. Christley Slant Magazine
- 6
Though these mismatched cops bounce well off each other, Tatum, in his first comedic lead role, is the better performer, both more riotous and affecting.
—Melissa Anderson Village Voice
- 6
It's more consistently amusing and inspired than an adaptation of an '80s TV show has any right to be.
—Nathan Rabin Onion AV Club
- 6
It's a good thing 21 Jump Street is funny, because in terms of pure filmmaking, it is a near-embarrassment.
—Jason McKiernan filmcritic.com
- 5
...tr(ies) too hard to be goofy.
—Peter Rainer Christian Science Monitor