"Superbad," directed by Greg Mottola, has been raking in money at the box office lately, and it's no surprise: The ridiculously crude adventures of these high school boys make up one of the best teen comedies in recent memory.
Best buds Seth (Jonah Hill) and Evan (Michael Cera) are somewhat loser-ish high school seniors nearing graduation. The guys' plans to go to college together evaporate when Evan is accepted to Dartmouth, but Seth isn't - though they try to play it cool and pretend they won't miss each other. Instead of any deep conversations about the future, the guys revel in disgusting each other with sex jokes and insults, most of which revolve around the penis.
When Seth and Evan are invited to a party on a Friday night (the whole story takes place in one day), the guys solicit help from their nerdy friend Fogell (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) to buy booze, each hoping to use alcohol to woo the girls of their dreams. Fogell confidently buys a fake ID representing a 25-year-old Hawaiian named McLovin and enters the liquor store - only to be caught in the middle of a calamitous situation taking the boys on a wild ride through a night, which, scene after scene, worsens when it can't seem to get any worse.
And it gets bad - but not for the audience. I simply never have laughed in a theater as much as I did during "Superbad," and I tend to despise teen comedies. What makes this one better is the sharp script, written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg (the namesakes of the film's main characters), and a cast with perfect timing.
Hill, and especially Cera, do well as awkward friends with separation anxiety, but newcomer Mintz-Plasse is easily the best thing about "Superbad." Every teen movie has an annoying nerd, but Mintz-Plasse steals each of his scenes by refusing to descend into the cliché brainiac with a snorting laugh and no common sense or social skills.
Instead, Fogell is a lovable, scrawny teen who thinks he's the most suave guy in school. Mintz-Plasse's delivery is stunning, and his facial expressions are impeccable. You've got to see it to believe it.
The plot takes some ludicrous turns, especially when Fogell finds himself in the backseat of a police car with two goofy officers played by Bill Hader and Seth Rogen. The officers turn on their sirens to run red lights and drink copious amounts of beer while driving to their next stops, where they're more than willing to brandish their guns.
Sure, Fogell is having fun, but one often wonders why he just doesn't ask the cops to take him to the party where his dream girl awaits.
But this is a movie that doesn't require a lot of thought. We don't need to sit and analyze why certain things occur or why none of the characters seem to have last names. Unlike the "American Pie" series and similar films, "Superbad" doesn't take itself that seriously. Only at the end is there a brief splash of sentimentality, which is entirely appropriate and humanizes the boys just enough to make you wish they were your best friends.
The film runs a little too long with about 20 minutes of useless material in the middle. It involves a strange plot twist which lands the guys at a rough party. Thankfully, the film is never boring, though any scene which didn't include Mintz-Plasse only made me miss him more.
The issue of the crude humor and language must be addressed. I have never heard more penis jokes or such a steady stream of the F-word in my life.
As I remember high school, considering it was only four years ago, there was a lot of sex talk and cussing - but this is overkill. When used properly, vulgar language can sharpen scripts and provide shocking, yet funny dialogue - "The Departed" comes to mind - but when overused, vulgar language just gets annoying.
Despite these flaws, "Superbad" is charming. Sure, the guys appear to have less than moral intentions at the beginning, but they ultimately have good hearts and share a strong, loving friendship - a trait teen comedies often refuse to show between males. In fact, it's the charm of "Superbad" that raises it levels above the film industry's usual trashy attempts at humor for the high school and college crowd.
No doubt Hollywood will continue pumping out those mindless comedies that assume the audience doesn't care about a good script or fine acting. Meanwhile, I'll be buying an "I am McLovin" T-shirt.
Be the first to comment on this article!