I remember turning 21. It was a long time ago (though not necessarily in a galaxy far, far away…). As a teenager, I was pretty crazy, but only in that ‘I’m a theater nerd’ kinda way. I wasn’t a drinker or smoker; I hated parties and had no desire to have a wild time just because it was legal for me to. This may be, in part, why movies like “21 & Over “ don’t always appeal to me in the way that it might others.
“21 and Over” stars Justin Chon as Jeff, a hard-working student readying himself for an extremely important interview for a prestigious medical school. As the title suggests, he is turning 21 but doesn’t have time for trivial pursuits. Enter Miles Teller and Skylar Astin as two of his high school buddies who are determined to take Jeff out and celebrate in a manner befitting his ‘coming-of-age.’ “Just one drink” turns into many and the next thing you know, the friends finally decide it’s time to get Jeff home. Except they don’t know where he lives. You can kind of guess things just get worse from here.
To say that “21 and Over” is a poor man’s “The Hangover” would be a disservice to the film because, despite my inability to identify with any of the characters, it’s a pretty funny film overall. There’s one sight gag after another and if you like unbelievably uncomfortable situations, well… you’ll find plenty of them here. The humor is crude, rude and you’ll find a good bit of male nudity here (much more than I think was necessary) so you might want to keep this move away from younger teenagers – I’d say 17 and up.
The Blu-ray release offers a very clean picture, with great color saturation. The audio is equally good, and while there are no special sound effects the ambient sounds in the louder scenes are well balanced with the dialogue so you never have an issue hearing the actors.
Special features are sparse, but acceptable for a film like this. “Levels of Intoxication” follows Jeff’s growing intoxication and “Tower of Power” focuses more on the types of drinking games that I would admittedly avoid like the plague. You’ll also find a brief Gag Reel and Theatrical Trailer. The Combo Pack I have includes the DVD and Digital Copy of the film.
I’m definitely not the target audience for “21 and Over”, but despite that, I still found it quite funny, if not necessarily original.
Directed by: Jon Lucas & Scott Moore
Starring: Miles Teller, Justin Chon, Jonathan Keltz, Sarah Wright, Skylar Astin
Extras: Levels of Intoxication; Tower of Power ; Gag Reel ; Theatrical Trailer
Release Date: 6/18/2013
MPAA Rating: R
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