21 and Over (2013) Review

If you're here to simply get confirmation to see this film, then you have my blessing. 21 and Over is harmless fun, fast food for the soul, what it lacks in depth and brain it easily makes up in simple joy and entertainment. If you want to get a slightly more detailed review, please read on.


21 and Over is about two friends Casey and Miller who take out their best friend Jeff Chang on the night of his 21st birthday which also happens to be the night before his med school interview. Of course things get out-of-hand and soon the three have to deal with a Hispanic sorority, a bunch of male cheerleaders and Jeff Chang's scary Dad on their odyssey through the night.

While the premise itself is probably most appealing to underage kids who want nothing more than get hammered and have a crazy night out there is definitely some fun to be had for others as well. Luckily the film keeps it fairly light in terms of gross-out humor (apart from one incident involving a tampon), for the most part the humor is strictly PG-13 (it's not yet rated but it's probably going to be R due to the swearing and some exposed breasts).

Let's get to the more interesting part. 21 and Over was shot at the University of Washington in Seattle and it definitely takes full advantage of its location. There seem to be only a handful of scenes that were not shot somewhere on or around campus so if you're a UW student (just as I am) you will have a great time recognizing every street, building and bar. The screening I went to was in downtown Seattle and the majority of the audience must have been UW students so when the movie opened with a shot of Red Square on a beautiful summer day the entire theater broke out into spontaneous applause and cheering. If you always wanted to see UW on the big screen then 21 and Over is your movie of choice.

Of course the film had its shortcomings. The characters are fairly shallow and barely exceed one dimension, the plot is pretty much a rip-off of The Hangover (both had the same set of mismatched buddies as the main guys, both had something at stake, here the med school interview, there the wedding, both start out at the present day and then show what led up to this point one day earlier) and the entirety of the plot can be summarized as "And then they walked into this setpiece, and then they walked into that setpiece, and then...", you get the idea. For the most part, the filmmakers seem to know that 21 and Over is fairly derivative and simply deliver in terms of fun. The only times the film really falls flat is when there is some sort of non-existing conflict introduced. At one point Casey and Miller put their friendship in question and it couldn't feel more out-of-place, awkward and distracting as casting Arnold Schwarzenegger in the role of Hamlet (and yes, the Last Action Hero reference here was intended).

But on the good side the film is well paced, has with around 90 minutes a perfect run time to never overstay its welcome and features some unexpectedly good laughs. With all that being said, 21 and Over, while not very memorable, is a simple little film that is perfect for a fun night out at the movies.