21 and Over (review)

If you have come for a movie that is a study in moderation, has no vulgar language, has a minimum of human skin that is on display, and is very temperate in alcohol usage, you have really come into the wrong theater! On the hand, if you want a celebration of wanton inebriation, sexual situations, and massive rude and crude occurrences, then sit right down and enjoy yourself.

’21 and Over’ is a movie that celebrates drunken excesses and juvenile outlooks on life. Add together a bunch of things such as: guys wearing nothing but a tube sock, a guy wearing nothing but a teddy bear, breaking into a sorority house, stealing various vehicles, some bi-curious male cheerleaders, female-on-female kissing, male-on-male kissing, tampon eating, projectile vomiting, a Resident Assistant who wears a diaper, an acid-dropping Indian in full headdress (who is actually a university professor), a game of darts that goes astray, an angry Asian father, and mix it all up together.

The writers are the same guys who had come up with ‘The Hangover’. It seems that any idea that was too rancid and juvenile for ‘The Hangover’ wound up here in this movie.

Set at an unnamed university in the Pacific Northwest, the story revolves around the 21^st birthday of Jeff Chang (Justin Chon). He is pushed by his father to become a doctor, and has a planned interview the next day. His old friends Casey (Skylar Austin) and Miller (Miles Teller) show up and they are there to take ‘JeffChang’ out to party. They always refer to him as ‘JeffChang’ (like a single word).

The story goes on and on and nothing happens in moderation. Nothing Succeeds Like Excess! They hop to several bars until ‘JeffChang’ is totally out of it. But Casey and Miller have no idea how to get back to where he lives. From that point on, the crude factor gets turned up to 11.

There is a meek attempt to show that Casey might have a chance with a sorority girl named Nicole (Sarah Wright), and there is some tension with her ex-boyfriend Randy (Jonathan Keltz). Plus a storyline about how ‘JeffChang’ is more troubled than he lets on, and that Casey might not be such a slacker loser idiot that he seems to be.

But who cares when there are beers to drink and drugs to take and girls to ogle! There are unbelievable situations stacked up higher and higher, but the people behind the movie do not care one whit. The whole point to make a hard-R movie that will appeal to the crowd that cannot legally drink.

Thank God they did not make this one in ‘No Reason to Be 3D’! I could not envision the projectile vomit coming at you in three dimensions.