21 And Over: A night like so many others

A comedy produced by the same writing team that delivered The Hangover, 21 and Over tries too hard to capture the magic of that movie about an escapade that goes awry. Its storyline — aspiring med school student turns 21 and his reckless friends take him for a wild night of debauchery — actually has much in common with the aforementioned The Hangover; it’s just not nearly as funny or inventive. (It’s also not unlike any Harold & Kumar vehicle but with alcohol, or Project X with slightly older partygoers, or Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist with none of the clever dialogue. Of course, we could go on.)

While The Hangover was set in Vegas, this raucous bromance takes place on a college campus where Jeff Chang (Justin Chon) is busy prepping for an early morning interview that will determine whether or not he gets admitted to medical school. Casey (Skylar Astin) and Miller (Miles Teller), pals of his since high school, show up on his doorstep unannounced and demand he go out with them to celebrate his 21^st birthday.

After some small resistance, the birthday boy succumbs and a night of binge drinking ensues. By the time Jeff passes out, Casey and Miller decide they need to take him home. Problem is they can’t remember where he lives.  This is where inebriation meets preposterous.  At one point, Miller and Casey throw Jeff off a rooftop and onto a covered pool; the guy then bounces into a bed of rosebushes and emerges bruised by not broken. In another scene, Casey and Miller are beaten and branded by a group of Latino sorority girls. Along the way, we get gratuitous glimpses of nudity and sexual jokes galore.

The film tries to balance its wild side with heart, putting forth a message about self-determination and not adhering to parents’ expectations. While two of the three comrades are likable enough, their personal emotional journeys seem forced. The message is delivered with little subtlety and given the film’s extensive hijinks, it’s hard to take the introspection seriously. After all, this is in a flick where a guy eats a tampon mistaking it for candy.