Visit the film’s official website!
It’s a little hard to believe that Hollywood has never really ventured so explicitly into the realm of underage drinking with more abandon than it has in the new fratboy comedy 21 and Over. Is there a more surefire way to attract gazillions of teenage boys and their expendable allowances into cinemas than to show their screen idols upchucking between jaeger bombs? Methinks not.
Well, better late than never, and this movie is admittedly – almost shockingly – watchable. Yes, before you jump the gun I will admit that there are one too many drinking games. Actually four or five too many. But this isn’t a movie about drinking or even the allure of adult hedonism. It’s about being a grown up and how much the condition known as adulthood can S-U-C-K.
Prepping for adulthood is Jeff Chang, a young and studious man who has always been the straight A student and good boy his father has demanded that he be. The night the story begins Jeff is prepping for an interview with a medical school where he hopes he will be accepted and become a doctor like his father.
His best friends Casey and Miller (there’s always a “Casey” in these stories) want him to have one last (or first) hurrah and so they plan to buy him a beer. Emphasis: a beer.
Of course, this first beer turns into a keg, which soon turns into a few six packs, which in turn becomes a night of such drinking that you’d think Jeff was having one last go before checking into rehab in the morning. Will he make the interview? And even if he does, will he be sober? Or even coherent?
The movie works well enough because its leads are perfectly cast and all get a chance to shine by the surprisingly smart script. It isn’t a teen classic like Breakfast Club or even Harry Potter, but it is still quite enjoyable and everyone over 18 will be able to relate.
View All Photos ›
You don't seem to get a lot of comments Abba but I want you to know that you have become my go-to movie reviewer. Most of the time you are quite on the nose about these.