Movie Review: Superbad
- Theatrical release date
- August 17, 2007
- DVD release date
- TBA
- Grade
- A-
Superbad brings good comedy to an old genre. It’s definitely worth a viewing.
Everyone knows what to expect with a raunchy teen comedy. You can count on vulgar language, gratuitous nudity, and a feel-good (yet not in the Cosby way) ending. With Suberbad, we find that two out of three ain’t bad.
Screenwriters Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg give us a movie light on plot but heavy on comedy. Suberbad follows the teen sex movie formula pretty well. Evan (Michael Cerra), Seth (Jonah Hill), and Fogel (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) are high school outcasts in their senior year on a quest to lose their virginity. Evan is the skinny nerd nursing a crush on a pretty classmate. Seth is the plump best friend who curses a blue streak. The two plan to live it up their senior year before they’re head off to separate colleges next year.
When charged with bringing the liquor to a party, Seth and Evan figure that their best bet to getting laid is to take advantage of drunken girls. Luckily for them, or so they think, their barely-tolerated sidekick Fogel has gotten his hands on a fake ID that changes his name to the exceedingly cheesy “McLovin.” But getting their hands on the booze proves a little more difficult than any of the guys expected. Between a liquor store hold up, a house party from hell, and two crazy cops, the guys find themselves trying to make it to the party in one piece.
The three main stars turn good performances. Seth’s heavy use of profanity could have proven distracting but instead manages to get laughs. He comes across as any teenager over-doing the things he can’t get away with at home. Evan is the epitome of the awkward geek who can’t get through one conversation with a girl without humiliating himself. Fogel spends much of the movie living it up with two bumbling cops. Unfortunately, he has to carry many of his scenes by himself as Officers Slater and Michaels (Bill Hader and Seth Rogen) fail to elicit laughs.
Unlike movies such as the American Pie series, there isn’t any nudity in Superbad. That is, unless you count the less-than-impressive bare chest of Fogel. The lack of nudity gives the film the more authentic feel of the embarrassment-fueled modesty of most high school students. Making things more believable is the fact that the actors look like they could actually be in high school. No cast full of 30-year-old former models in this movie.
Rogen and Goldberg give the movie a retro feel that spoofs high school comedies even as it joins their ranks. The music and wardrobe recalls the 1970s while pop culture references to things like Myspace keep the movie current for younger audiences. For all ages, it’s a pleasant diversion worth the price of a ticket.
Copyright . Published 1 September 2007 in What’s New.
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