What happens when two mismatched, wannabe officers of the law (one a bit of a wimp, one a courageous musclehead) find themselves in over their heads on their first joint assignment, dealing with criminals whose nefarious activities are well beyond anything they've encountered before?
And what happens when that story's based on an incredibly cheesy TV show whose glory days have long since past? And what if it you were to make it funny, and cast the lead roles with two impossibly likable movie stars?
Well, you'd have 21 Jump Street. But you'd also have this summer's Baywatch.
This is the first trailer for Seth Gordon's Baywatch, and it plays a whole helluva lot like a movie created in the same factory where Lord and Miller's Jump Street franchise was born (I actually had to double-check to make sure they weren't involved). Does that make it derivative? Sure. Does that mean it won't be funny? Not necessarily!
The successful-to-unsuccesful punchline ratio in this trailer isn't stellar, perhaps, but the film looks big and colorful and willing to swing for the fences, and you can already tell that The Rock is working overtime to make this thing come together. Zac Efron - who's miraculously emerged as something of a low-key comedy MVP over the past few years - also seems game. I will get yelled at later (by BMD staffers who will go unnamed) if I do not also mention that Alexandra Daddario plays a vital role.
I'm not sold, but I'm also not walking away from the table just yet. This could be a Jump Street retread, but it could also be lot of fun. What do you guys think?