The Big Clue Everyone Missed Early In 21 Jump Street
On a list of rebooted projects that have no reason to be as good as they should be, "21 Jump Street" should, without a doubt, be parked near the top of the list. Chris Miller and Phil Lord's meticulously meta action-comedy sees Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum going back to school as undercover police officers Morton Schmidt and Greg Jenko, posing as students, and is rife with quotable moments and side-splitting sequences. Besides that, some carefully penned moments make for a tightly wound story that is an even better watch on repeat viewing.
In between Schmidt (Hill) dressed as Peter Pan running down a highway and he and Jenko (Tatum) getting yelled at by Capt. Dickson (Ice Cube), there's one hilarious moment that sees the pair having to endure the effects of the drug they're trying to clamp down on. Caught by aggressive gym teacher Coach Walters (Rob Riggle), the two fight desperately to keep it together and fail miserably in the process. But while the scene is top-tier funny from start to finish, a second watch reveals an interesting clue that could've seen the case busted wide open much faster.
A familiar flavor points to the real criminal in 21 Jump Street
In their effort to get close to their target in the film, Schmidt and Jenko reluctantly take the new drug, H.F.S, to earn the approval of the local dealer, Eric (Dave Franco). After the initial taste test, Jenko questions the flavor of the drug, asking, "what is that? Cool Ranch?" referring to the Doritos flavor. It's a simple gag that could be easily overlooked if it wasn't for the next person Jenko and Schmidt meet while they're high out of their minds.
After passing Coach Walters in the hallway, the two fight to keep their composure and ignore the fact that at one point, the school staff member looks like an ice cream cone. What's easy to miss, though, is that Walters is holding a bag of Doritos during this entire conversation. Cool Ranch — to be precise. He's even seen with the same flavor later in the film when Schmidt and Jenko are fighting on the high school stage.
It's an important link given that Walters is later revealed to be the school's drug supplier. It's an easy little hint to miss, given that the two buddy cops in this movie are trying to control their bodily functions for the entire time. It's just a good job that they successfully infiltrate the dealer and find the supplier in the end. Case closed.