Review: Superbad
by malik on Aug.26, 2007, under movies
It seems to be a tough time in Hollywood nowadays for relationship comedies. There hasn’t been a good one in hell, I don’t know, quite a while. (I haven’t seen Knocked Up yet.) Following producer Judd Apatow’s formula of heart and raunch, Superbad Screenwriters Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg created a funny, any-generation-can-relate movie through what some would call a “bromance.”
Superbad is about a twisted interdependent friendship with separation anxiety. On top of that we have a very raunchy-tendered filled comedy with abundant dick jokes. It captures the awkward social scene of High School and is more authentic than other of its type in years. Evan (played by Michael Cera of Arrested Development fame) is the sweet, smart, and seemingly always terrified one. Seth (played by Jonah Hill who has been compared to John Belushi) is the sexually obsessed, foul-mouthed agitator. They are best friends who complement each other and can’t seem to separate. The two are joined by the prerequisite geek Fogell (played by Christopher Mintz-Plasse) who obtains a fake ID and adopts the persona of a Hawaiian organ donor named “McLovin.” All three have love interests that, until this one night, haven’t made the effort to pursue. They hope to reverse their sexual misfortunes in one panic-driven night. Bill Hader and Seth Rogen play suburban keystone cops who become intertwined with the trio. I don’t want to go into anymore details because it’s best to just see for yourself. In a movie with tons of dick jokes, I don’t want to be a dick by giving any of them away. The great thing about Superbad is the barrage of jokes. If one doesn’t work, another is just around the corner. Some come so fast, as in how a word is spoken, that you might miss it. Although Cera’s timing is dead-on, I kind of wonder what would’ve been if he played the Seth character instead of Evan. Arrested Development might have typecast him as the shy, awkward nice kid and would’ve liked him playing someone totally opposite.
The funny thing about life is you create these unnecessary expectations and when they are eventually met, it might not be something you wanted all along. Superbad is a very funny movie that understands this. It’s unnecessary to put “teen” in front of this smart comedy.
