21 & OVER (2013)

Genre: Comedy
Director: Jon Lucas, Scott Moore
Cast: Justin Chon, Sarah Wright, Jonathan Keltz, Miles Teller, Skylar Astin, Daniel Booko, Francois Chau, Daniel Booko, Dustin Ybarra
RunTime: 1 hr 33 mins
Rating: TBA
Released By: Golden Village Pictures
Official Website: http://www.facebook.com/21andOver

Opening Day: 7 March 2013

Synopsis: Straight-A college student Jeff Chang has always done what’s expected of him. But when his two best friends Casey and Miller surprise him with a visit for his 21st birthday, he decides to do what’s unexpected for a change, even though his critical medical school interview is early the next morning. What was supposed to be one beer becomes one night of chaos, over indulgence and utter debauchery in this outrageous comedy.

Movie Review:

Are Jon Lucas and Scott Moore so desperate to replicate the success of ‘The Hangover’ that they have to title their first writing project which they are also assuming directing duties for ’21 and Over’? In fact, besides the titular association, were they so short of ideas that they had to recycle the basic premise of ‘The Hangover’ using the excuse of a twenty-first birthday celebration? Given the thematic similarities, you might as well stop reading here if you’ve never liked ‘The Hangover’; but if you enjoyed it as much as we did, then allow us to share just how much fun we had with this coming-of-age version of their runaway hit.

Like ‘The Hangover’, ’21 and Over’ opens with our main characters in a ‘WTF have we done last night’ moment. That honour here belongs to Miller (Miles Teller) and Casey (Skylar Astin), whom we see walking butt naked across an open campus ground with only a sock each to cover their penises. That’s a teaser of just how crazy things have gotten, before the story rewinds itself one day earlier when both former high-school buddies – the not-so-academically inclined Miller who’s gone to a less prestigious university; and the more academically inclined Casey who is a Stanford student - meet up to pay their best friend Jeff Chang (Justin Chon) a surprise visit on the day of his twenty-first birthday.

As bad luck would have it, Miller and Casey bump into Jeff Chang’s stern disapproving father (Francois Chau) when they turn up unexpectedly in his room. Branding them ‘dimwarts’, he warns them to get Jeff Chang back early so he can be ready for an important interview the next morning – though you probably know better than to take their word for it. Nonetheless, at least among the two of them, there is one friend (i.e. Casey) responsible enough to urge caution when Jeff Chang throws it into the wind and gets high and loose. On the contrary, Miller is just his diametric opposite, egging Jeff Chang on shot after shot after shot.

It doesn’t take long before Jeff Chang is utterly wasted, but not fast enough before he does stupid things like standing on a bar top and peeing on everyone else in the room or riding a mechanical bull and puking all over the place. Yes, as it was in ‘The Hangover’, alcohol is the catalyst for shit to happen. The quest to get Jeff Chang back in his own bed forms the basis for the rest of the night’s riotous events, including trespassing a Latino sorority house, crashing a pep rally and participating in a progressive dorm drinking party that is akin to clearing a multi-level video game.

Of course, it isn’t all about Jeff Chang. Casey has the pleasure of a romantic interest in Jeff Chang’s female friend Nicole (Sarah Wright), while all three of them get to experience the wrath of Nicole’s boyfriend Randy (Johnathan Keltz) with whom they have a few unfortunate run-ins over the course of the night. This being a buddy comedy, you can be sure that friendships will be tested and truths will be revealed along the way, even as it all comes to an affirming finish by the time everything is said and done.

Indeed, you’ll probably have seen enough of such comedies to know the ending even before it comes along, so all that matters is whether Lucas and Moore make the ride to that known destination worth the while. In this case, the answer is a definite and affirmative yes. There is great fun to be had in the sheer unpredictability of just how the boys’ raucously over-the-top adventure will turn out – though we have to warn you that what passes for humour here does tend to get rude, offensive and politically incorrect – and Lucas’ and Moore’s playful sensibilities clearly demonstrated in both their writing and directing are perfectly suited for the characters’ comic misdemeanours.

That fit is also found in the casting, which finds great camaraderie among Teller, Astin and Chon. But more than that, each actor in his own way makes his character come alive. Teller is suitably irascible as the reckless and immature fool, but his eventual resolve to become a better person hits a sweet and tender spot. Ditto for Chon, who proves to be more than just a younger version of Ken Jeong by playing his character with surprising sensitivity - especially when Jeff Chang reveals his own dark secret. Compared to Teller or Chon, Astin seems saddled with the least interesting character, though it is not entirely his fault that Casey appears bland next to Miller and Jeff Chang.

Thankfully, the movie isn’t dull; instead, it manages with lewdness and sheer lunacy to recreate the pleasures that fans of ‘The Hangover’ had with that movie, with its writers Lucas and Moore effectively using the template they had created four years ago to offer an unbridled look at just how crazy your twenty-first celebration could be. Is that considered ripping off yourself? We don’t really care – ultimately, what matters is whether the movie is fun and entertaining, and we assure you ’21 and Over’ is one heck of a crazy ride you will want to relive the moment it is over.

Movie Rating:

(Replicating the formula of ‘The Hangover’ with a teenage cast, this riotous comedy is lewd, rude, crude, offensive and a whole lot of sheer exhilarating fun)

Review by Gabriel Chong