Come and get some!
Superbad is a 2007 coming-of-age teen sex comedy film directed by Greg Mottola, written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, produced by Columbia Pictures and The Apatow Company, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. It stars Jonah Hill and Michael Cera. It was not nominated for any Academy Awards.
"I am McLovin!" - Fogell
Plot
High school seniors Seth and Evan have three weeks until they are done with their high school career forever. They soon realize that they must lose their virginity prior to entering college, so they embark on a journey to impress the girls that they like at a party, leading to a situation that neither of them could've ever possibly imagined.
My Favorite Part of Superbad
Superbad is the ultimate raunchy comedy. From the first line of dialogue to this last, this movie embraces the dirty jokes and sexual references. And, for the most part, they are really funny. There's one sequence involving Jonah Hill's character where he tells Michael Cera's character a story about some drawings that he made when he was a kid...and it is legitimately one of the funniest things I have ever seen. It's stuff like that that makes this movie just funny. A little bit uncomfortable, but funny.
My Least Favorite Part of Superbad
I think the first third of the film is utterly hilarious. I was laughing so hard. It was really great. I think the next two thirds of the movie do not live up to that first third. Once the story kicks in, it feels like they stretched a simple plot really thin and started recycling jokes a little bit. Scenes sometimes last longer than they should. Most of the movie is funny, but near the end, it tries to throw in an emotional element that just doesn't really work. I get what they were going for, but I wasn't on board with it.
Why Superbad Still Works
Just because the first third is better than the last two thirds doesn't mean that the last two thirds are bad. This movie is a really funny high school movie. Jonah Hill and Michael Cera embrace the raunchy ridiculousness that this movie is. They give it their all. Throw in Bill Hader and Seth Rogen as two idiotic cops and, of course, McLovin, and you've got a pretty good and pretty funny high school movie.
Final Thoughts and Score
Superbad is a solid high school comedy that has the perfect amount of raunchiness combined with some great performances. The plot is stretched thin and the attempted emotion doesn't work, but it ultimately boils down to the comedy, which does work.
I will go Savory here. Age range is 17+.
SWEET N' SOUR SCALE
Sweet (Great) Savory (Good)
Sour (Bad)
Moldy (Terrible)
"Superbad"
Fun Factor: 8/10
Acting: 8/10
Story: 5.5/10
Characters: 7/10
Quality: 7.5/10
Directed by Greg Molotta
Rated R for crude language and sexual content, alcohol and drug use, minor violence, thematic elements
Released on August 17, 2007
1 hour and 53 minutes
Jonah Hill as Seth
Michael Cera as Evan
Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Fogell / McLovin
Bill Hader as Officer Slater
Seth Rogen as Officer Michaels
Emma Stone as Jules
Martha MacIsaac as Becca
Aviva Baumann as Nicola
Joe Lo Truglio as Francis
Kevin Corrigan as Mark