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21 Jump Street poster

Movies that feel like21 Jump Street (2012)

When cops Schmidt and Jenko join the secret Jump Street unit, they use their youthful appearances to go undercover as high school students. They trade in their guns and badges for backpacks, and set out to shut down a dangerous drug ring. But, as time goes on, Schmidt and Jenko discover that high school is nothing like it was just a few years earlier -- and, what's more, they must again confront the teenage terror and anxiety they thought they had left behind.

If you loved 21 Jump Street, the closest films we have are The Heat (2013), The Other Guys (2010) and Extreme Job (2019). All three share 21 Jump Street's kinetic and witty feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Knockin' on Heaven's Door (1997).

🍅 85% Rotten Tomatoes★ 7.2 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗dir. Phil Lordkineticwittyplayfulgrittywarm
9 of 12 streaming nowNetflix · Amazon Prime Video · Hulu

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If 21 Jump Street hit the spot, these will too

Looking for the series itself? Also in this series: 22 Jump Street (2014)

The Heat poster
The Heat
2013 · dir. Paul Feig
🍅 66%★ 6.6action · comedy · crime

A by-the-book cop and a loose cannon forced into partnership

The difference: The friendship arc is sweeter than the thin drug case

Uptight and straight-laced, FBI Special Agent Sarah Ashburn is a methodical investigator with a reputation for excellence--and hyper-arrogance. Shannon Mullins, one of Boston P.D.'s "finest," is foul-mouthed and has a very short fuse, and uses her gut instinct and street smarts to catch the most elusive criminals. Neither has ever had a partner, or a friend for that matter. When these two wildly incompatible law officers join forces to bring down a ruthless drug lord, they become the last thing anyone expected: buddies.

The Other Guys poster
The Other Guys
2010 · dir. Adam McKay
🍅 78%★ 6.7comedy · action · crimeNetflixStarz

Desk-cop losers spoofing action-hero worship from the inside

The difference: Sillier and more absurdist — gags outrank the plot

Unlike their heroic counterparts on the force, desk-bound NYPD detectives Gamble and Hoitz garner no headlines as they work day to day. When a seemingly minor case turns out to be a big deal, the two cops get the opportunity to finally prove to their comrades that they have the right stuff.

Extreme Job poster
Extreme Job
2019 · dir. Lee Byeong-heon
🍅 83%★ 7.1action · comedy · crime

An undercover op that spirals into absurdity the longer it runs

The difference: Korean fried-chicken farce — slower burn before the mayhem

A drug squad attempts to take down a criminal organization and they must go undercover to do so, so they begin working at a chicken restaurant, that becomes famous for its delicious chicken. Due to the unexpected popularity, the detectives find themselves in a situation they never expected.

Knockin' on Heaven's Door poster
Knockin' on Heaven's Door
1997 · dir. Thomas Jahn
★ 7.8comedy · crime · action

Kinetic where it counts, witty underneath

The difference: Sits closer to drama than 21 Jump Street does

Two young men, Martin and Rudi, both suffering from terminal cancer, get to know each other in a hospital room. They drown their desperation in tequila and decide to take one last trip to the sea. Drunk and still in pajamas they steal the first fancy car they find, a 60's Mercedes convertible. The car happens to belong to a bunch of gangsters, which immediately start to chase it, since it contains more than the pistol Martin finds in the glove box.

Bad Boys poster
Bad Boys
1995 · dir. Michael Bay
🍅 46%★ 6.8action · thriller · crime

Swaggering partners whose friendship is the real love story

The difference: Plays its cool straight — no self-mockery in the mix

Marcus Burnett is a henpecked family man. Mike Lowrey is a footloose and fancy free ladies' man. Both Miami policemen, they have 72 hours to reclaim a consignment of drugs stolen from under their station's nose. To complicate matters, in order to get the assistance of the sole witness to a murder, they have to pretend to be each other.

2 Guns poster
2 Guns
2013 · dir. Baltasar Kormákur
🍅 64%★ 6.7action · comedy · crimeNetflixStarz

Both land play and grit at once

The difference: Easier on the warmth than 21 Jump Street

A DEA agent and an undercover Naval Intelligence officer who have been tasked with investigating one another find they have been set up by the mob -- the very organization the two men believe they have been stealing money from.

Rush Hour 3 poster
Rush Hour 3
2007 · dir. Brett Ratner
🍅 17%★ 6.3action · comedy · crimeParamount+

Familiar buddy chemistry cranked up for one more improbable ride

The difference: The weakest Rush Hour — the double act runs on fumes

After a botched assassination attempt, the mismatched duo finds themselves in Paris, struggling to retrieve a precious list of names, as the murderous crime syndicate's henchmen try their best to stop them. Once more, Lee and Carter must fight their way through dangerous gangsters; however, this time, the past has come back to haunt Lee. Will the boys get the job done once and for all?

The Family poster
The Family
2013 · dir. Luc Besson
🍅 28%★ 6.3crime · comedy · actionNetflixPrime Video

One thread runs through both: high school

The difference: The scrappier of the two with critics

After ratting out his Mafia cohorts, Giovanni Manzoni and his family enter the Witness Protection Program and relocate to a sleepy town in France. Despite the best efforts of their handler to keep them in line, Giovanni (now called Fred Blake), his wife and children can't help but resort to doing things the "family" way. However, their dependence on such old habits places everyone in danger from vengeful mobsters.

Mr. Nice Guy poster
Mr. Nice Guy
1997 · dir. Sammo Hung
🍅 45%★ 6.3crime · action · comedy

Slapstick cop comedy chasing a drug gang at full sprint

The difference: Jackie Chan physicality, not banter — the jokes are stunts

A Chinese chef accidentally gets involved with a news reporter who filmed a drug bust that went awry and is now being chased by gangs who are trying to get the video tape.

Spy poster
Spy
2015 · dir. Paul Feig
🍅 94%★ 7action · comedy · crimeStarz

Kinetic action, and it commits to that

A desk-bound CIA analyst volunteers to go undercover to infiltrate the world of a deadly arms dealer, and prevent diabolical global disaster.

The A-Team poster
The A-Team
2010 · dir. Joe Carnahan
🍅 48%★ 6.7action · comedy · crimeStarz

Comedy with a pulse of wit, in both cases

A man who loves when a plan comes together, Col. Hannibal Smith leads a close-knit team of elite operatives and Iraq War veterans. Framed for a crime they didn't commit, Smith and his men, Capt. H.M. ‘Howling Mad’ Murdock , Sgt. Bosco ‘B.A.’ Baracus, and Lt. Templeton ‘Faceman’ Peck, break out and go rogue, using their special talents to clear their names and find the perpetrator. Hot on their trail is Capt. Charissa Sosa, who was once involved with a member of Smith's team and has sworn to capture them, no matter what it takes.

Pineapple Express poster
Pineapple Express
2008 · dir. David Gordon Green
★ 6.9action · comedy · crimeHulu

Both lean on play more than on crime

A stoner and his dealer are forced to go on the run from the police after the pothead witnesses a cop commit a murder.

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The best-reviewed films that share 21 Jump Street’s defining feeling.