21 & Over

This film is about the first 24 hours of a straight A student's 21st birthday.

"21 & Over" is a toned down college version of "The Hangover". The plot is very similar to "The Hangover", and it is wearing thin. Though the parties are ridiculous and the alcohol is plentiful, we all know what will happen and hence the plot does not have the same entertaining effect as the first time around. Fortunately, the subplot of testing the strained friendship and standing up for oneself is a bit refreshing, so "21 & Over" sets itself as slightly different from its parent clone. The Asian female student who swears a lot is the most memorable character, and she deserves a special mention. Her one minute of screen time is so unexpectedly crazy! "21 & Over" is an average comedy, if judged on its own merit. But please, enough with the "The Hangover" clones.

'21 & over' is the latest buddy comedy inspired by 'The Hangover.' It has a similar story to 'The Hangover' except the drinking rampage is the story rather than the morning after.

This film was surprisingly good! I think the last film I saw was 'Movie 43' and that made me lose faith in laughter and happiness… Anyway, '21 & over' certainly isn't the funniest comedy ever but there are a decent amount of laughs and cringe moments. Of course, towards the end the story does go totally over the top. This is a modern classic aspect of American comedies these days so I guess it is just something we will have to get used to. Thankfully, it doesn't really send the film into a downward spiral as it is still redeemable.

The characters in this film are all pretty funny in their own way and the characters you are supposed to like are genuinely likable. The story deals with a lot of important issues in a bizarrely light-hearted manner which is quite odd. A lot of the supporting characters are really funny so you're glad to see them each time they pop up throughout the film. I anticipated a lot of rubbish, cheap racist Asian jokes to be dotted all over the script but only a few did and they were from a character that seemed like the kind of person who would say those kinds of jokes. This was quite relieving, the film did its best to make jokes and references that people of a similar age would recognise and find funny.

Overall, this film is nonsense but the people who created it know this and don't try to pretend it's anything else. This is a good film to watch with your friends and I imagine, once it is released on DVD, will be a popular film for drinking games. Beer Pong anyone?

21 & Over (2013)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Friends Miller (Miles Teller) and Casey (Shylar Astin) show up to Jeff Chang's (Justin Chon) house to take him out for his 21st birthday. The only problem is that he has a major interview in the morning but they talk him into kicking back a few, which turns into a disastrous night with too much alcohol and too many problems. 21 & OVER is the latest comedy about teens drinking too much while trying to have a few laughs and of course looking to get some action. Overall this is a fairly decent comedy since there are plenty of laughs but there's no question that it falls well short of becoming a classic and it's probably going to be forgotten by the time the next film in the genre hits. I think a lot of the credit has to go to the three lead actors as all of them fit their roles nicely and I think they're entertaining enough to where we can spend 90-minutes with them without getting bored. The film starts off a bit slow but once the "issues" start to happen the film finally picks up. One such issue turns this into a WEEKEND AT BERNIE'S for drunks. Basically Chang passes out and his friends have to carry him around from one location to the next while trying to figure out where he lives. While all of the laughs don't work, I think a good number of them do. Obviously this is a R-rated comedy so we get a lot of dirty humor but this is where the film works its best. There's a hilarious scene at a prep rally, a good long-running joke dealing with a Mexican sorority house and of course there are the various subplots that the guys get into over their drunk friend. Where the film doesn't work as well is when it tries to turn a bit more serious and look at "growing up" issues. I think those issues would have been served much better in a film that wasn't about being drunk and dumb. Still, fans of the genre will get enough laughs out of the film to make it worth sitting through.

I remember when I watched this movie back then in 2013, I laughed so hard that my stomach hurt. It was the funniest movie I had ever watched, and now that I have watched it for the second time after 10 years in 2023, it is still amazing and funny. Despite the negative reviews it received from some critics, it is a wonderful movie, and you won't regret watching it. And you will enjoy every minute of it. The film is suitable for anyone who likes comedy and wants to have a good time, and the end of the movie made me feel nostalgic for the good old days, and I wish they would make a sequel. Because it is one of my favorites.

For the record, The Hangover is one of my favourite comedies, and I walked out halfway through 21 and Over. The movie is full of jokes and gags that we've all seen before. The basic premise is simple: three college students go out for their friend's 21st birthday, and - shocker- the friend has to be back at his house for a med interview early the next morning. When he gets too drunk to find his house, the hilarity ensues (I wish). This movie could have been good, and I'm not expecting Oscar-worthy here, but instead it was a re-hash of movies we've all seen before. Now, I should also say that I didn't like Project X. However, since the writers from The Hangover were responsible for this movie I thought it would be a fun one to see. Afraid not. At least it was free. My recommendation? If you liked The Hangover, proceed with caution.