I'll still look to the critics to tell me what is good and bad, and dodge those films that get reviled. That will never change. But what I'm trying to do is go into films with as little knowledge about them as possible. To not watch trailers or read reviews (which is where Rotten Tomatoes and Meta Critic come in handy, since you don't need to read reviews). I'll never avoid trailers fully: I still love seeing them before a film in the theater, and there are some great trailers out there that spoil little and are almost works of art in their own right (see The Social Network trailer). But having no expectations, going into a film knowing nothing, can radically alter how you enjoy something.
For instance, I didn't know anything about 21 Jump Street. Not that it was a TV show in the late 80s that gave Johnny Depp his career start, nor what any of the jokes are. Ignorance is bliss, they say, and with this film thats especially true. Which is why I'm going to sum it up for you now. If you haven't see the film, I'll tell you this: go see it, then come back and read my review. I'm not spoiling anything, but gosh would be hypocritical of me to not tell you up front what you want to know and instead make you learn about the film.
Jonah Hill (slimmed down and looking like Slim Shady in the prologue) and Channing Tatum play opposite ends of the High School spectrum, and you can probably figure out where they fit. Fast forward seven years and they are best pals, united in Police Academy because Hill had the brains and Tatum had the brawns. After they flub their first arrest by forgetting to recite the Miranda Rights (you know, the one that starts out with You have the right to remain silent, you have the right to be an attorney), they are reassigned to what their captain aptly describes as, "A revised program from the 80s, which is what the people in charge do when they run out of ideas." If you find that line funny, you're in for the rest of the movie.
Their base of operations is at 21 Jump Street, where Ice Cube plays a foul-mouthed, angry police Captain who cannot believe how dumb his charges are. The purpose of the program? To send young-looking officers undercover to High Schools to bust drug rings ("You some Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus-looking motherfuckers," Ice Cube helpfully explains). The movie then takes the opportunity to lampoon Hollywood High School films, where all the stars are usually in their late 20s.
I could go on and on about the drug that is infecting the High School, how Tatum and Hill wonderfully play off of each other and end up in role reversals (Tatum suddenly the nerd, Hill in the cool crowd). But what it really comes down to is did I laugh? Was this movie funny? And the answer is a resounding yes. The movie is wall to wall with jokes that don't always make sense, which is explained by the presence of co-writer Michael Bacall (who wrote Scott Pilgrim, also wall-to-wall with jokes). These movies can seem a bit exhausting, and while 21 Jump Street could have lost five or ten minutes it still breezes by, only being stilted by boring action chases (which still provide some laughs).
The film also looks at High School cliques with an almost fresh perspective. So many High School films see it as a division of Cheerleaders and Jocks and Nerds. But its so much more complex then that. There are people who cross the lines, who shade in the areas. In this film, the cool kids care about the environment and don't bully people. Hell, one of them happens to be gay, but its not made into an issue. This perplexes Tatum and Hill, who came from the High School Hollywood feeds us, and though the nerds are still seen as little more then sad virgins, at least the film made an effort to shake up one department.
So see this film already! Sure the story may be slight, and the jokes may not always make sense (Korean Jesus), but it keeps laughing, and somehow makes you care for the characters. Its sad that something like this is rare for Hollywood to put out.
