‘21 and Over’: the night before the hangover

March 1, 2013 at 12:00a.m.

McClatchy Newspapers

Oh, for those innocent days of yore, when “The Hangover” was a malady and not a movie.

It seems like millennia since the binge comedy became the new normal. But here comes “21 and Over,” taking rude to a new level of crude, a post-racial romp through one epic night on one Asian-American collegian’s 21st birthday.

A couple of “Hangover” scribes co-wrote and directed this sometimes inspired, often funny and occasionally psychotic pub crawl through the long dark night of Jeff Chang’s soul. Scott Moore and Jon Lucas hope we know that it’s not “ripping off” if you’re ripping yourself off.

Jeff Chang (Justin Chon from “Twilight”) is a catchphrase, a punch line and a punching bag, all in one. As in “Just one beer, Jeff Chang.” And “Jeff Chang is a grown man and he made his own decisions.” And “I think we killed Jeff Chang.”

He’s the Ken Jeong “Hangover” character here, a wild-partying break from Asian stereotypes. All he may want to do is sleep in the night before a big internship interview. But his gonzo pal Miller (Miles Teller of “Project X”) and more responsible friend Casey (Skylar Astin of “Pitch Perfect”) want to get him blind drunk.

All they have to do is take him back to his apartment, sober and cleaned-up, by the time the kid’s comically stern dad (Francois Chau) shows up. Which we guess, from the film’s opening scene, they won’t manage.

“21 and Over” becomes a drag when a gun shows up, when Jeff Chang’s dark secret and Miller’s embarrassing revelation come out, when the drunken-driving sight gag arrives.

But is it funny, on top of all the shocks?” Yes, on a few occasions, all of them involving Jeff Chang.