We have another TV-movie adaptation coming out and I have watched the trailers. After watching the trailers, I felt a sense of sadness and depression because I did not laugh at all. I was slumping and sighing deeply because I was thinking, "Give me something." And, after the red-band trailer was over and seeing what Warner Bros. and the marketing department had to offer, we got Michael Peña carrying a nude Dax Shepard and Peña's gets face planted on to his bare groin. It felt like I was watching a rerun of sophomoric, lazy, sexist humor that offers nothing else on the table. It was one of the least laughable R-rated comedies I've seen in a while despite a somewhat noticeable chemistry and a few chuckles.
Officer Castillo (Michael Peña), a professional cop and womanizer, is working undercover to take down a gang leader. He is particularly involved with this case because the gang leader is the same criminal that killed Castillo's partner not too long ago. The crook holds his new partner, Officer Clay Allen (Adam Brody), hostage but Castillo shoots Allen in order for the bullet to go through both of them. Meanwhile, Jon Baker (Dax Shepherd), a former X-Games competitor, is training to become an officer of the California Highway Patrol. However, his training is not on par even with the handicapped trainees. Jon tells Sgt. Gail Hernandez (Maya Rudolph) that he is doing this to his marriage with his wife, Karen (Kristen Bell), as she is going to leave him. Out of pity, Hernandez accepts Jon into the program.
Castillo meets with the boss, Peterson (Isiah Whitlock Jr.), who is disappointed with him as to how he handles his case. Peterson reassigns him to go undercover in the CHP to take down the corrupts cops within their detail as he is given the name, "Ponch". Ponch is teamed up with Jon as they both awkwardly meet. Ponch and Jon begin their investigation by interviewing a woman who witnessed the truck robbery that was set up near the beginning of the movie that was planned by Raymond Kurtz (Vincent D'Onofrio). However, Jon is not off to a great start embarrassing himself and Ponch with the department laughing at him.
The only reason I'm giving one star is that were something there between Dax Shepherd's and Michael Peña's chemistry and deliver a couple of chuckles. However, this movie is too formulaic and predictable with its comedic jokes. It has the formula of a person trying to redeem himself to save his wife but he embarrasses himself repeatedly that it becomes not nice and unfunny. What is so ironic is that Shepherd directed this movie and wanted to become funny again, however, he tries too hard to become Jonah Hill from 21 Jump Street or even Channing Tatum because he has the persona of an X-Games competitor. Plus, the main story involving a few heists and corruption does not take off and we do not know why they are doing it and for what purpose and also the characters are underdeveloped.
I have never been a big fan of Shepherd because I feel like he tries too hard with his comedic chops and does not deliver the laughs. Peña is a great actor in both drama and comedy but this is one of his rare missteps in his filmography because he looks lost and because he is a womanizer, however, there's nothing going on for his character. Vincent D'Onofrio plays another one-dimensional villain that does not generate any interest. I wish we had a little more Maya Rudolph or Rosa Salazar, however, the female characters including Kristen Bell's character, for the most part, are sexed up and not as intelligent. There is misogyny within those characters.
21 and 22 Jump Street are The Godfather and The Godfather: Part II compared to this movie. This movie is like a parody of 21 and 22 Jump Street and not of its own TV show. There is not intelligence or comedy in the screenplay that would generate any fans or even followers. This movie deserves to tank with the terrible comedies in recent years. Plus, even after the movie was over, I forgot what the movie was about. There is no plot and there are no interesting characters to remember. Avoid this movie like the plague.
*
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