Movie Review: Superbad (2007)


Going into Superbad, I expected an edgier coming to age type of movie, in which a couple of dorks get the girls of their dreams all while learning the importance of not becoming something other than who they are. Very quickly however, I realized this was not going to be your ordinary teen angst comedy — not by a long shot.

Within the first two minutes of the film (after the opening dance silhouette), I was bombarded with a barrage of vulgarity that rivaled, if not surpassed, that which was in Clerks II. Seth (Jonah Hill) has started his school day talking about jacking off to obscure pay porn sites with his best friend Evan (Michael Cera). After hearing their initial conversation and seeing them, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to conclude they’re social outcasts who wholly rely on one another for support. Unfortunately for them, in a cruel twist of fate, these gents only have a few short months left together before they head off to separate colleges. As their final hurrah, they develop a plan to get laid by the two girls they adore: Becca (Martha MacIsaac) for Seth and Jules (Emma Stone) for Evan. The plan is simple — get the girls wasted and take advantage of them. Lucky for our numbskull teenage friends, their plan may actually come to fruition because they’ve volunteered to acquire the alcohol for a final house party. This, as you can imagine, takes our ladyless heroes into uncharted territory while also taking Superbad slightly off course.

And while I say “off course” I certainly don’t mean the movie gets serious or loses its level of potty humor. It’s far from that. What happens is the writers (Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg) veer off of the awkward teenager situation and thrust the stars into insane situations with insane people for the laughs. Take for example, the alcohol acquisition campaign. What should have been a fifteen minute segue instead turns into the entire second half of the movie. Their buddy Fogell (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) a.k.a. McLovin (who they peg to get the alcohol with a fake I.D.), ends up hanging around two bumbling, idiot cops played by Bill Hader and Seth Rogen. These guys roam around the town drinking, crashing cars and shooting their guns wildly – funny yes – but what the hell does it have to do with the plot? Another example finds our misfits at another party, at which Seth does some dirty dancing and Evan serenades some cokeheads. Sure it is loosely tied to trying to garner alcohol, but I figured devoting twenty minutes to it to be a bit excessive.

Trust me, I’m not trying to complain or find fault. Even with this loss of focus Superbad is a painfully, funny movie. It captures the Freaks and Geeks years we’ve all tried to forget without a hitch. Even people with a stick wedged up their asses (hello Christian conservatives) will find it impossible to not laugh out loud. I’m a firm believer that under the right circumstances, nudity, fart/shit/period jokes or using every curse word imaginable can put a movie over the top. It can be said, Superbad goes above and beyond, since it only lacks the nudity (hopefully the unrated DVD will fix that).

With movies like Knocked Up, and The 40 Year Old Virgin and now Superbad under their belts, I do believe there are new comedy giants in our midst. It couldn’t come at a better time either, because I for one, have grown weary of the Adam Sandler comedy.

Everyone needs a fix of raunchy humor now and again – get yours today.

Critical Movie Critic Rating:
4 Star Rating: Good

4

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The Critical Movie Critics

I'm an old, miserable fart set in his ways. Some of the things that bring a smile to my face are (in no particular order): Teenage back acne, the rain on my face, long walks on the beach and redneck women named Francis. Oh yeah, I like to watch and criticize movies.


'Movie Review: Superbad (2007)' have 13 comments

  1. The Critical Movie Critics

    August 23, 2007 @ 7:01 pm Len

    This is single-handedly the funniest movie of the year.

  2. The Critical Movie Critics

    August 27, 2007 @ 9:16 am Lisa

    I found the level of profanity to be too much for my taste. Definitely not a movie for youngsters.

  3. The Critical Movie Critics

    August 27, 2007 @ 6:13 pm DCMovieGirl

    My thoughts are pretty much in line with yours on this…Though, somehow I forgot there was no nudity.

    I’ll rectify that.

  4. The Critical Movie Critics

    August 30, 2007 @ 3:56 pm blogcabins

    There was nudity, though it only lasted a split-second. It’s on a computer or TV screen (can’t recall). Though there certainly could have been more.

    I’m in agreement as well as it pertains to the movie itself. I kept thinking “get to the party already” in spite of the fact that there detour was fun and funny. Much like the other Apatowian films (and well, maybe every movie this year), this could have used a 10-15 minute trimming. Still enjoyed it, though.

  5. The Critical Movie Critics

    September 2, 2007 @ 12:34 am Word Hugger

    I thought this movie was hilarious. I will definetly be going to see it at least one more time in theaters (I work at one, so it is free).

    A definite classic.

  6. The Critical Movie Critics

    September 5, 2007 @ 1:50 am Stephen

    Great movie. I pissed myself watching it!

  7. The Critical Movie Critics

    September 12, 2007 @ 6:49 am JET

    What a fun movie. Not as good as American Pie, but still a highly recommended watch.

  8. The Critical Movie Critics

    October 7, 2007 @ 4:50 pm ken

    Profanity, now and then, can be used for a laugh or two but it loses its punch when used repeatedly. Superbad is a prime example of this. It’s a movie short on substance so the writers figured they could cover that up with the use of every curse word known to man. It gets old in 5 minutes.

  9. The Critical Movie Critics

    October 26, 2007 @ 7:27 am TEK

    Suberbad? They should have named this Superfunny! I never lauged so hard in my life.

  10. The Critical Movie Critics

    November 6, 2007 @ 1:32 pm Atomic Popcorn

    This is single-handedly the funniest movie of the year.

    I can’t agree more !! Classic film, great humor all around.

  11. The Critical Movie Critics

    November 7, 2007 @ 12:42 pm Free

    What can I say, brilliant film. A film as good as the trailer, a bit of a rarity recently.

  12. The Critical Movie Critics

    November 15, 2007 @ 11:42 pm Sirius Lee

    Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg are infusing new blood into the comedy genre. The Sandler routine is indeed getting a bit tired and I’ve had my fill of Kevin Smith. Turns out that Superbad is somewhat of an autobiographical take on Rogen and Goldberg’s friendship, so I can’t wait for the duo to put more of their collective life experiences to film.

  13. The Critical Movie Critics

    December 6, 2007 @ 6:03 pm Gear

    A pretty good comedy overall, but the comedy style was strangely inconsistent. I really enjoyed the fact the the comedy style started out as a fairly realistic approach, but on occasion it slipped into a more slapstick type comedy. Particularly during the cop scenes.

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