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Juvenile and crass in every way a teen comedy can be, “Superbad” reaches a new low even for its often sophomoric genre. Which is exactly why most of it is so darn funny.
The film was written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg and produced by Judd Apatow, all of whom had a substantial hand in making “Knocked Up” the funniest movie of the year. “Superbad” isn’t as funny but it is more crude, probably because it’s aimed at teenagers whereas “Knocked Up” was geared toward late-teen/early-20s adults.
The story is a not-so typical day in the life of co-dependent best friends Seth (Jonah Hill) and Evan (Michael Cera), who are about to graduate from high school. Neither has gotten anywhere with the girl on whom he has a crush: Becca (Martha MacIsaac) actually likes Evan though he’s too dense to realize it, while Jules (Emma Stone) has already put Seth in the “just friends” category. The good news is they’re going to see the girls at a party later that night. The bad news is their nerdy friend Fogell (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) has a fake ID, and now they’re responsible to bring the alcohol.
This is where the movie runs into trouble. Fogell’s ID with the name McLovin’ actually works at the liquor store, but after a set of contrivances he finds himself hanging out with two immature cops (Rogen and Bill Hader) for the rest of the evening. Without booze, Seth and Evan endure a series of unlikely mishaps that are an unnecessary and distracting detour from watching them awkwardly try to get laid.
“Superbad” is at its best when Seth and Evan banter back and forth and unwittingly provide a sense of care and affection through their harsh invectives. We can easily imagine high school guys talking and acting like this, being this possessive and insecure about one another and women, and having the same priorities. What’s more, Hill is so gifted at finding humor in profanity-laced tirades that he’s immediately likeable, as is Cera’s naïve nerd who’s in way over his head.
With comedy-through-awkward-reality being the film’s strength, the cops bring an element of absurdity that simply doesn’t fit. Drinking on the job, letting Fogell shoot their guns, etc., takes the story into the realm of teenage fantasy and does the movie a great disservice. Things are slightly redeemed when Seth and Evan finally find the girls, but by then the damage is done.
Director Greg Mottola’s film is justifiably rated R for “pervasive crude and sexual content, strong language, drinking, some drug use and a fantasy/comic violent image - all involving teens.” Although parents of suburban teenagers may be scared to hear it, the inclusion of those elements was necessary in order to provide characters and situations (except the cops, of course) to which real teens could relate. So although the content may be appalling to stuffy adults, to insecure teens who’re desperate for acceptance it could mean everything. And if it makes just one of those kids laugh and feel better, mission accomplished.
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