Back in 2009, Co-directors and writers of 21 And Over John Lucas and Scott Moore joined forces to write one of the most beloved and well known comedies to date: the The Hangover. Apparently, they aimed to mimic this extremely popular movie when creating their newest film, which features a nearly identical time-line to that of The Hangover. However, the new focus of their comedy-making expertise is centered around college students rather than bachelors in their newest film 21 and Over, which didn’t quite live up to the The Hangover.
The storyline of the less-than-decent movie was too predictable and terribly cliché. The movie begins with a dropout college student, Miller, and one of his strait-arrowed high school best friends, Casey. The two meet up to visit their other best friend, Jeff Chang, to help him celebrate his infamous 21 birthday.
Due to a med school interview early the next morning, Jeff Chang promises his overbearing father that he will not go out partying for his birthday. Moments after his dad exits the room, Miller is able to convince a reluctant Jeff to go out for “just one beer.” As expected, the college boys do not end up having just one beer, and the film immediately esclates into what seems like the longest night ever.
After a profane montage that lacks humor, Jeff ends up extremely intoxicated. Casey and Miller realize that they need to get their incoherent friend home in time for the meeting in the morning not only because his future depends on it, but also because they do not want to upset Jeff’s dictator-like father. However, there is one problem: neither Casey nor Miller remember Jeff’s address, and Jeff is unable to communicate because of his alcohol intake. More ridiculous scenes comprise the remainder of the movie—none of which featured any sort of comedy worth watching. Additionally, the movie boasts the classic romance side plot: boy likes girl, girl has boyfriend, girl and boyfriend breakup, boy runs after girl, and the two live happily ever after. A plot such as this Really leaves the viewer guessing, right?
It is possible that the film would have been more enjoyable for viewers if they had not seen The Hangover prior to 21 And Over, as there would not have been such high expectations for the latter movie. The Hangover was simply a funnier movie with better jokes and punch-lines. On the contrary, 21 And Over did not even have one prominent joke that one would consider funny or worth remembering. In conclusion, Lucas and Moore’s guys-gone-wild plot line worked the first time around, but their second attempt did not fare so well.
