21 & Over (2013)

Sometimes when you are searching for a film to watch and you just want to unwind and laugh a little then a comedy is what you are searching for. Now when looking for that comedy, I look for certain criteria and having The Hangover 1 and 2, Office Christmas Party, and so much more under your belt makes you a great candidate and that is why I chose 21 & Over which was written and directed by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore. The film stars Miles Teller (Bleed For This) as Miller, Skylar Astin (Pitch Perfect) as Casey, and Justin Chon (The Twilight Saga: Eclipse) as Jeff Chang who are a group of friends that have grown apart a little since going to college. One night, Miller gets them all together for Jeff's 21ST birthday and what turns out to be a one drink night turns into a night of hell as they have to get Jeff home safely for his his big interview the next day. The film also stars Sarah Wright (The House Bunny) as Nicole, François Chau (Birds Of Prey) as Dr. Chang, Russell Hodgkinson (Z Nation) as Chief, Jonathan Keltz (Necessary Roughness) as Randy, Daniel Booko (Avengers: Infinity War) as Julian, and Dustin Ybarra (We Bought A Zoo) as PJ Brill.

Now as far as all of their films are concerned, The Hangover is still the best one that they have written, but this was actually a super fun film to watch. It was exactly what I wanted to watch at the very time that I watched it and that is a fun film that teaches kids the lesson that sometimes after high school, we do grow apart from each other and that happens more than you know. People change and they go in different directions especially with what life throws at you and that certainly happens to these three guys as they figure that out as the movie progresses. Now the film shows me why I should have gone to a real college right away when I was straight out of high school, but I don't think I would have survived. That is a story for another day, but the film was exactly the same as The Hangover. You are presented with a main problem (the plot), which then spirals into several other problems (sub-plots) and there is even the added bonus of a romance thrown in for good measure. Did it payoff though? The answer is definitely yes because Miles Teller was absolutely wonderful and absolutely hilarious as he carries the whole entire film himself. He was absolutely sharp and on point and he commanded the screen every time he was on it. I really liked the other two, but unfortunately without Miles in the film, I am not so sure how I would have felt about it. It would be like having someone else play Alan in The Hangover (Zach Galifianakis's part). So, that is why unfortunately the film only gets an B for a final grade.