Superbad is a small comedy of epic proportions. It’s a film with nothing on the line yet everything at stake. It’s a rude and crude coming of age tale with a filthy mouth and a heart of gold. And not unlike this opening paragraph, it’s a grab bag of clichéd ideas mixed together in very original ways. Superbad’s hilarious characters, quick one-liners, and outrageous physical gags will soon invade the cultural landscape in the same way all iconic comedies do. It’s one of the funniest and most endearing movies of the year.
The plot is nothing special. Two nerdy guys (played by Michael Cera and Jonah Hill) hope to get laid before they graduate high school. They realize they need alcohol to get laid, and they then realize that they need a fake ID to get alcohol. Enter the other nerdy best friend Fogell (played by astounding newcomer Christopher Mintz-Plasse) who has a fake ID, and you have a storyline that could have easily been American Pie 8: Bikini High School.
But it’s the pedigree, not the plot, of the film that separates it from the rest. As fate would have it, Superbad is a Judd Apatow production, and for those of you who don’t know, Apatow has been responsible for some of the smartest and most endearing comedies over the last 10 years. A brief perusal of his resume shows a hand in creating The Larry Sanders Show, Freaks and Geeks, Undeclared, Anchorman, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, and Knocked Up. The film was also written by Seth Rogen (star of Knocked Up) and Evan Goldberg, two lifelong best friends who originally wrote the film at the tender age of 13 with themselves in mind to star.
Thankfully that didn’t happen, because it paved the way for Cera and Hill, a cinematic duo so perfectly matched it’ll make you take down your Corey Feldman and Corey Haim posters.
Hill, a standout in his brief time onscreen in Knocked Up and Virgin, shines as the foul mouthed, sex obsessed Seth. Although so much of the film hinges upon Hill’s character being delusional and desperate to get laid, Hill’s character never becomes annoying. In what could have been a one-note role, it’s refreshing to see an actor maintain the comedic energy of the story while at the same time allowing the true heart and emotions of the character to shine through. Hill portrays Seth not simply as a horny high-schooler, but as a horny high-schooler who’s scared of girls not liking him — and he’s afraid of losing his best friend.
Cera, who you might remember as George Michael on Fox’s short lived Arrested Development, is also in top form as Evan, the quiet, sensitive one. Blessed with quite possibly the best and most unique comedic deliveries this side of pre-1980s Chevy Chase, Cera has you laughing every second he’s on screen. The give and take between himself and Hill is so fast paced, hilarious, and accurate, it makes Kevin Smith’s dialogue look like a simian version of James Joyce.
But while Cera’s definitely fantastic in the film, his role is almost the exact same as his role on Arrested Development. Hopefully in the future Cera will make a conscious choice to avoid being typecast in the way so many huge comedy stars are (Ben Stiller, Jim Carrey).
And then there’s Christopher Mintz-Plasse, who was given one of the greatest gifts in the cinematic universe when he won the role of Fogell, a hilarious mixture of Spicoli, Ferris Bueller, and Urkel that has to be seen to be believed. The fact that such a hilarious and star-making turn came from a 17-year-old kid who’s never acted in a film before is completely astounding. What’s even more astounding is the number of McLovin references people are going to hear over the next year. When you see the movie, you’ll understand.
Rogen and SNL star Bill Hader also deliver great supporting performances as two of the coolest cops you’ll ever meet. However, the only real fault of the film lies in these two characters. The film makes the mistake of breaking away from our two main characters (Cera and Hill) for long periods of time and following Rogen and Hader’s characters. While these scenes aren’t necessarily bad, they do detract from the overall story.
Of course, even a film with the greatest of actors could never become anything remotely special without a fantastic screenplay, and Superbad has that in spades. Rogen and Goldberg have written a hilarious and accessible film about the high school experience that does not pander to the audience with forced dialogue and stock characters. Clearly, the film was written with character and comedy in mind, not marketing and demographics.
Greg Mottola should also be commended for directing such an honest comedy and giving the actors free range with the material.
Nonetheless, the unsung hero of this film is Apatow. As producer, he has made it all happen by perfectly combing the talent. It’s often said that the most creative of people control everything in the creative process themselves. Thankfully Apatow realizes that statement is complete crap.
Comments
going to see this at midnight, i’m so excited. thanks for the review bradley!
the chubby kid became annoying in his first scene. i didn’t laugh once, and couldnt wait to leave.
the fact that people will be referencing this movie, i.e. nicknaming themselves and their friends mclovin, is exactly what’s wrong with this movie. it’s pop-culture poison.
the american comedy is dead.