21 & Over - C+

Rated R, 93 minutes

Charming "21 & Over" is a mish-mash but still fun

Miles Teller, Justin Chon and Skylar Astin

Most everyone likely remembers (or at least longs for) their 21st birthday. With the likable but unoriginal "21 & Over," you're likely to relive some of the best moments, though it's really just an episodic collection of other movies. When straight-A student Jeff Chang's (Justin Chon) two best friends (Skylar Astin and Miles Teller) take him out for his 21st birthday on the night before an important medical school interview, what was supposed to be a quick beer becomes a night of humiliation, overindulgence, and utter debauchery. Directed by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, the screenwriting team behind the original "The Hangover" film, "21 & Over" is a mish-mash, clunky string of other films - it's really a younger version of their "Hangover" film - but it has low-brow appeal to the younger set who enjoy these party-till-you-die films. The leads: Teller ("Footloose"), Chon "(Twilight") and especially Astin ("Pitch Perfect") are much like the film, instantly likable though forgettable. This tale of debauchery, which includes nudity, lots of drinking, partying and other nonsense, is a second-rate retread of those other party films, including "The Hangover" and last year's dreadful "Project X," and while this film is better than the latter, that may not be saying much. The laughs are familiar and scattered, and if you're idea of fun is watching young people get wasted and do stupid things, then "21 & Over" should be right up your alley, but for the rest of us, do yourself a favor and skip it.

Wes's Grade: C+