Film Review: Superbad (2007)

In the first decade of the 21st century, Judd Apatow solidified his reputation as Hollywood's King of Comedy, not only due to the quality and commercial success of the films he directed but also because he assembled a talented group of individuals who would distinguish themselves as writers and directors in their own right. Apatow played a significant role in nurturing their talents as producers. One such project was Superbad, a 2007 film directed by Greg Mottola.

The screenplay for Superbad was originally written by Canadian screenwriters and best friends Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogan when they were teenagers in the 1990s Vancouver, inspired by their own lives. The film's protagonists are named after the writers themselves. The plot unfolds over 24 hours in Clark County, Nevada, following Seth (played by Jonah Hill) and his best friend Evan (played by Michael Cera), two high school seniors who are about to part ways as they head to different colleges after graduation. Both young men are eager to lose their virginity before the transition, and the opportunity presents itself at a party that will be attended by Seth's love interest, Jules (played by Emma Stone), and Evan's love interest, Becca (played by Martha McIsaac). Jules has invited Seth to the party, while Evan promised Becca that he would bring a specific brand of vodka. However, the problem for them is that, due to their minor status, they cannot purchase alcoholic drinks. The apparent solution to this problem comes in the form of Fogell (played by Christopher Mintz-Plasse), who has obtained a fake ID. The plan to purchase drinks becomes increasingly complicated with the arrival of two policemen, Officer Michaels (played by Rogan) and Officer Slater (played by Bill Hader), who ultimately befriend Fogell.

Upon its premiere, many critics hailed Superbad as the film that "rescued" or "resurrected" the genre of teen comedy. However, the film's success had more to do with being Judd Apatow's production, and, as such, it was deliberately unburdened by the PG-13 rating yoke, just like many other Apatow comedies. The seemingly "revolutionary" content consisted mainly of salty language, some jokes, and visual representations of male genitalia, as well as moments of gross-out humour concerning various bodily fluids.

On the other hand, all this adds to the film's realism, making Superbad something a person who actually remembers their teenage years might partially identify with. It deals with a base obsession with sex and drinks, and, despite some discussions about the characters' future, there isn't anything particularly "deep" about the whole film. There are some interesting ironic twists, such as Fogell's character, who, despite his un-charismatic looks, succeeds in "scoring" and becoming the "coolest" of them all, or the policemen, who, despite nominally being responsible adults, act in the most immature manner.

Much of the film's success is due to the inspired cast, although Jonah Hill and Michael Cera, despite good "buddy buddy" dynamics, get overshadowed by larger-than-life Christopher Mintz-Plasse in his first major role. Emma Stone, who would later achieve many great things, is solid but not too memorable as one of the protagonist's love interests.

The film's biggest problem appears to be pacing; with almost two hours, Superbad is definitely overlong, and some of the jokes, especially near the end, look repetitive and ineffective. At the end of the day, Superbad is mostly funny and entertaining, although it would work best among an audience with lowered expectations.

RATING: 6/10 (++)

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