You know what I hate? I hate it when there’s a big, important meeting taking place early in the morning and my buddies go out drinking the night before and get into loads of crazy shenanigans that lead to personal growth and events so unbelievable you could swear they were being told before a Congressional hearing. Or I would hate it if my friends were this irresponsible. Or not imaginary.
From the writers of “The Hangover” comes “21 & Over,” a movie about the woes and struggles of desperate college students attempting to stave off the responsibilities of adulthood by drinking until their livers puke blood. Just like real college life.
More specifically, “21 & Over” is about three friends: Casey, Miller, and Jeff Chang. Jeff Chang is a young Asian man in a college-comedy movie, so his primary characteristic is his overbearing father who is forcing Jeff to go to a job interview so he can become a doctor and carry on the proud tradition of being a thinly-written stereotype. Miller is a loveable douche who forces Jeff to go out partying the night before his important, life-altering interview because friends don’t let friends become doctors apparently. And Casey is the straight man with a straight crush on a straight girl in a straight romantic subplot to give him something to do other than being the mostly sensible one.
Along the way, they’ll get into some silly misadventures and learn the true meaning of friendship. So you’ll be glad to know the plot and morals don’t get any more complex than an episode of “My Little Pony.” Despite being as simple as a backwoods hillbilly, “21 & Over” is actually pretty funny and its somewhat solid sense of humor can be traced back to its “Hangover” roots. Only instead of being a mystery trying to piece together the aftermath of a night of drinking, this film takes us through the night of ridiculous drinking. This is a step backwards in terms of story innovation, but I will let it slide.
The writers and directors do know how to write/direct unbelievable shenanigans and the callous cadre of clichéd comedy characters are funny enough to keep you sitting throughout the full runtime. I even warmed up to Miller, the initially-hateful douche who I wanted to die as soon I saw him onscreen.
There is a decent balance of funny in this film with some heart added in, even if that heart comes straight from every Saturday morning cartoon show ever. Not that it is a bad thing, I just thought it was a little strange to see that kind of moralizing come up in a movie that involves alcohol-fueled streaking and sorority paddling. Some jokes do fall a little flat, but “21 & Over” is, for the most part, a pretty good comedy that manages to entertain until the last minute.
