21 & Over

Cast of Characters:

Miller - Miles Teller

Casey - Skylar Astin

Jeff Chang - Justin Chon

Nicole - Sarah Wright

Director - Jon Lucas & Scott Moore

Screenplay - Jon Lucas & Scott Moore

Rated R for crude and sexual content, pervasive language, some graphic nudity, drugs and drinking

      In 2009, writers Jon Lucas & Scott Moore scored a box office hit with The Hangover, an adult comedy in the vein of such previous works such as Road Trip and Old School. Now in 2013, the writers are also branching out into directing with their own film, 21 & Over.

      Jeff Chang (Justin Chon) has been best friends with Miller (Miles Teller) and Casey (Skylar Astin) since high school. Miller and Casey, already 21, are planning to take Chang out for his 21st birthday. Chang's father is dead-set against this considering he has a medical school interview set up for Chang the next day. You know what the means? It means Chang's gonna go out anyway with Miller and Casey. He's also gonna insist that he's only gonna have one drink, and that's it... and then he ends up shit faced plastered by the end of the night.

      Does it end there? No, it does not, 'cause Miller and Casey - despite being best friends with Chang since high school - have somehow forgotten where Chang lives. I give you two nominees for "Friend of the Year". They attempt to get in touch with another friend of Chang's, Nicole (Sarah Wright), 'cause she might know where he lives, and - wow, seriously, are you reading this, readers? Can you see the ridiculousness within the plot? 'Cause it's bright and shiny and sticks out like a Vegas neon sign.

      What an extremely annoying film. This film is so "by the books" cliche it ain't even funny. How many times have we seen the plot involving the annoying, foul mouthed party animal, the good guy that tends to be the voice of reason within the group, and the one with the hard ass father pushing him into a lucrative career that he feels isn't himself and then somehow manages to grow a pair of balls by the end of the film to tell his dad he needs to pursue what makes him "happy"? This film doesn't even attempt to be original or even funny at that. You know the party animal is gonna reform by the end. You know the good guy gets the girl, and you know the pansy's gonna man up to his dad. The Hangover wasn't a masterpiece by any means, but it at least made you laugh, partly due to the casting and the comic chemistry between the three leads (Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, and Zach Galifianakis). By the time this movie's about ten minutes in, you already know the three leads are gonna get drunk the night before the big interview, crazy shenanigans happen in between, and lo and behold, they magically make it back in time to get ready for the interview. Plus, the film takes an incredibly awkward turn for a moment when it suddenly has that "serious moment". As ridiculous as the film is up until that point, there's absolutely no way you can buy its so called sincerity when it tries to be serious.

      Just for kicks, I looked up how much the budget for this film was - thirteen million... Yes, that's thirteen million dollars. The only thing more shocking than the stunning revelation that a film studio would throw that much money at this gigantic, festering turd is that I think there were two moments that may have gotten a small laugh out of me. That may have been a facial spasm tick though. I can't be too sure either way. What I can be sure of is that this film may be reappearing on a certain top 10 list next year. I give 21 & Over a D- (½★).

      On a more somber note, today I found out about the passing of film critic Roger Ebert. It seems odd that just yesterday I was reading a post he wrote about taking a break, but still continuing to write reviews once his health improved. I remember watching Ebert & Roeper when I was in high school, and it was really that show, along with archived videos of Siskel & Ebert that got me into critiquing movies. It may seem a little unflattering to post a dedication to the greatest film critic of all time within a trashy film review; however, if you've ever watched his show or read his reviews, you know how much fun he had ripping into a really bad film (On early editions of Siskel & Ebert, they used to have a skunk show up on set for their segment called "Stinker of the Week"). I know of no better way to honor Ebert. My prayers go out to his family. RIP, Roger Ebert. I greatly enjoyed your insight into film even if I may have disagreed with you at times. You will be missed.