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Movie Review: Superbad

By David W. Shelton | September 17, 2007 |

Every once in a while, a film about teen angst actually gets it. With a genre that has multiple entries that are built to copy (often badly) the format of the legendary Fast Times of Ridgemont High, teen comedies are often far better at replication than in actually capturing what it’s like to be a frustrated dweeb who’s two weeks away from graduating. Teen comedies are often replete with awkward sex jokes, potty-mouth characters, and an attempt to “get the girl.”

Superbad has all of this, but it works. The brilliance of the script by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg is that it presents the greatest reality of teen life: friendship. There’s only one thing more important to high school geeks, and that’s their best friends. Seth (Jonah Hill) and Evan (Michael Cera) are the dynamic dweeb duo of the film who must wrestle with the fact that they’ll finally be separated when they go to different colleges in the fall.

It’s no coincidence that the names of the lead characters are the same as the screenwriters. They too were best friends when started the script when they were 13, and simply wanted ‘to see if they could write a movie.’

Jonah Hill presents a well-rounded character in Seth that as deep as he is chubby. When he reveals his greatest secret to Evan, just the fact that he did the scene with a straight face makes me wonder how many takes it took to shoot. The script was written with a clear understanding that no matter how strange your best friend might be, he’s still your best friend.

I don’t know what disturbed me more—the fact that I liked Superbad so much, or the fact that I found myself relating to some of these characters. Maybe that’s the point of the film. Director Greg Mottola, for whom this is his first major feature, has given the film a fresh approach that succeeds brilliantly.

The key subplot of the film is provided by events surrounding the geek-on-the-outside character, Fogell (newcomer Christopher Mintz-Plasse). I could have sworn that this kid is an exact clone of one of my best friend’s cousins, right down to the horrible dress. But Fogell isn’t just an excuse to fill screen time, he’s the pivotal character that has the fake ID (what teenager hasn’t wanted one?).

The plot centers around Seth and Even who were invited to the biggest party of the year. The only catch is that they have to bring the alcohol. Convinced that it will mean certain sex for him with the prettiest girl in school Jules (Emma Stone), Seth is the driving force behind their plan.

Like most R-rated teen comedies, Superbad is filled with super-bad language, with almost two hundred f-bombs, nearly half of which are dropped by Seth. The language is indeed vile, but that’s part of what makes the film succeed. One of the elements in the life of teenagers is an awkward attempt to look “cool,” which almost demands the regular use of hard language. Regular usage of the ‘f-word’ illustrate the character’s frustration as well as their clear need to blend in with their peers.

Everyone will find someone with whom they relate the most. For me, it was Evan. He was just nerdy enough, and just worldly enough to know what’s going on. He was also enough of a true friend that he didn’t know how to break it to Seth that he’d be rooming with Fogell at college. Evan’s commitment to his friend is what provided that connection. Sadly, I was able to relate to more of his experiences, but that’s another story.

Probably the only weak link in the story are the two cops (screenwriter Seth Rogen and Bill Hadler) who enter the story just as Fogell attempts to use his fake ID (with the singular name of McLovin). Just as Fogell nearly succeeds in purchasing nearly $100 worth of booze, a robber punches him out and takes the cash out of the cash drawer.

Rogen and Hadler are forced to deal with the fact that their characters are completely implausible as police officers, but manage to play their parts with over-the-top panache. This is certainly not a picture of cops as we know them, but is clearly an image presented as teens often want to see.

Superbad is as much a trip down memory lane as it is a reflection of teen angst in every way. When we walk out of the film, everyone in the audience has somehow connected with Seth, Evan, and even Fogell. After all, isn’t there a little bit of McLovin in all of us?

8/10

Superbad Trailer

About David W. Shelton

Posts by David W. Shelton are copyright (c)2006, 2007, 2008 by the author. All rights reserved. David W. Shelton is a writer, speaker and activist in Clarksville, and serves on the Clarksville Human Relations Commission. His passions include film and complete equality for all people, and he has worked in various capacities to work toward this goal. He is currently an illustrator, graphic designer, trainer, and is the owner of Imagine Media Solutions. He is an Adobe® Certified Instructor in Photoshop®.

Web Site: http://www.skippingtothepiccolo.com/

Email: dwshelton@att.net

Sections: Arts and Leisure
Topics: Evan, Evan Goldberg, Jonah Hill, Michael Cera, Seth, Seth Rogan, Superbad

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