Review of 21 & Over (2013) by Jordan W — 22 Dec 2013

So let's get this out of the way; 21 and over is not for everyone. It's really an ode to college years and what making decisions after those years is all about. I say ode to college years not just because of the plot but also because the humour is very raunchy.

But the thing about the movie is that it delivers on every comedic level; it's smart, clever and somehow manages to fit in a bit of immaturity seamlessly into the bunch. The story is a bit over-dramatic but none-the-less relatable; with the only weak plot point being a romantic arc between Astin and Wright's characters.

It felt tacked on and unnecessary but you can't hate too much on the director for helping to flesh out the Casey character a little bit. Speaking of which, Miles Teller has to be one of the funniest new actors I've ever seen; he's like a cross between Vince Vaughn and Chris Marquette and his unique sense of humour and charm carry this movie.

There's a chemistry between these character and you actually grow to care for them and during the quiet moments when they express their feelings, you get where they're coming from and it's heartfelt.

How the director managed to pull this off in this type of movie is beyond me, but they did. The plot was fairly predictable but in my opinion, that's okay because there were points in time during the movie where you couldn't help but chuckle at the director's genius; the random Bull scene; the party with 8 floors and to ascend you had to out-drink the people on each floor; and the insane amount of racist jokes that you can't help but laugh at because they're so spot on.

Personally, I enjoyed the movie a lot more than the Hangover trilogy, but as I stated before, the movie's not for everyone and definitely seems to be targeted at younger audiences. But as for the future, all I can say is I'm proud of you, Jeff Chang.

8/10.