21 Jump Street

The film 21 Jump Street tells the story of two young adult males who both desire to be police. The boys attended the same high school when they were growing up, but were in very different social groups at the time. When aspiring to be police men, the two males offer each other help in the category that the other one lacks in, so that they can both succeed. In one of the first scenes of this film, the boys stop a drug deal between bikers. While the two guys are very proud of themselves, the cops are unable to keep the bikers captive due to the fact that the boys forgot to read the men their Miranda Rights. When asked what they were, the new cop was unable to recite the rights. This demonstrates situational irony because everyone would expect a policeman to know the Miranda Rights and when to apply them. It also makes fun of the police system.

Another act of situational irony is shown when the two main characters are assigned the roles that they are to play when they go to a high school for an investigation with drugs. The less athletic and nerdier of the two boys is given the role of a cool jock, while the more athletic one is forced into acting like a nerd. This unexpected plot twist is quite funny, and draws attention to the hierarchy in high school and how easy it is to manipulate it depending on social status.