21 & Over
Jon Lucas, Scott Moore
The story: It is Jeff Chang’s (Justin Chon) 21st birthday and his high-school buddies Miller (Miles Teller) and Casey (Skylar Astin) surprise him by turning up at his college to celebrate the occasion. The festivities start with plenty of booze, take in a detour to a Latina sorority and end with Miller and Casey walking through campus with nothing on but strategically placed tube socks.
Turning 21 is a majorly big deal in America because that is the age at which one can drink alcohol legally.
No more mucking around with fake identification and trying to scam the bouncers, which means one thing – the way to liver-destroying levels of binge-drinking is now free and clear.
With similarities of heavy boozing and wild shenanigans, you could think of this as The Hangover (2009) for the recently legal set.
This is no mere coincidence as Jon Lucas and Scott Moore wrote the earlier hit comedy. They write and make their directorial debut here.
So yes, 21 & Over is a dumb and crass comedy but it also has a little heart and some smarts.
The dumb and crass part is quickly established when Miller and Casey meet before heading over to Jeff’s place. The two argue about having sex with Casey’s sister and that sets the tone for the level of humour found here.
And when Jeff gets on a mechanical bull and makes like a merlion, the projectile vomiting is lovingly captured in slow motion.
Not surprisingly, he is too drunk to be coherent. With an important interview the next morning on the line, his friends try to get him back home.
This is where the heart and smarts come in.
The central theme in 21 & Over is really about growing up and what happens to once-cherished friendships when everyone embarks on different paths after high school.
What start off as one-note roles – obnoxious and pushy Miller, sensible and stuffy Casey, over-achieving pre-med Asian guy Jeff – begin to feel like plausible characters struggling with the transition to adulthood.
The film also works because Justin Chon (The Twilight Saga film series, 2008-2012), Miles Teller (Rabbit Hole, 2010) and Skylar Astin (Pitch Perfect, 2012) are game actors who have no trouble making utter fools of themselves.
This is a spirited comedy in more ways than one.
(ST)