Superbad Review

[Owen Bartley]

Superbad is the latest teen-focused comedy from Judd Apatow, and in the style of 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up, delivers fairly consistent laughs. Not all of the gags are original, and not all of them are smart... but it really is a funny movie.

The story revolves around Evan (Michael Cera, who almost carries over his George Michael Bluth character from Arrested Development - which isn't a bad thing) and Seth (Jonah Hill), who are longtime best friends, and minor social outcasts. Evan is quiet, awkward, and overly polite, and Seth is a loud, foul-mouthed perv. Throw in the 3rd man, the classically super-nerdy Fogell, aka McLovin (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), and I think pretty much all of the usual socially awkward traits are covered.

The main drive here is for Evan and Seth to hook up with the girls they have been lusting after at a big end of highschool blowout party. Fogell manages to get a fake ID, which gains him a tag-along invitation when the guys realize that booze could be their ticket to the girls of their dreams. Fogell's attempt to buy the liquor ends up with a visit from 2 cops (including Seth Rogen, who is in most of Apatow's other work), though it isn't due to the expected reason. When the cops show up, Seth gives up on Fogell and he and Evan hook up with a sketchy older guy who promises he's going to a party with lots of liquor that he can get them in exchange for not reporting him to the cops for hitting Seth with his car. The cops are actually offering Fogell a ride to the party, and soon get called away to another disturbance, with him in tow.

Evan and Seth get to the party, which is all much older people, and after a few scary moments Evan takes off, leaving Seth still determined to leave there with some alcohol. Meanwhile Fogell has bonded with the cops, who are really just out to have fun themselves. The three are reunited by fluke, and decide to run away from the cops and make it to the party, where each finds his girl and we get some great scenes that are so awkward you find yourself squirming in your seat, or wincing with pity.

The same cops make another appearance when they show up to break up the party, and they confront Fogell for running away from them. He finds himself back in the police car, while Seth carries a passed out Evan from the party in a valiant effort to save him. From here, several resolutions come together, which I'm not going to go into here because it would ruin the moments, and the movie comes to a close.

I laughed a lot during this movie, and I think most people know what to expect going in concerning the swearing, vulgarity, and crude humour. It fits into so many categories... buddy movie, coming of age, nostalgia, etc., that I think it will resonate with a lot of people, especially those who remember doing (or are still doing!) similar things. I can't say it was as polished and all-around good as my two benchmark comedies of the 2000's - Old School and 40 Y-O Virgin, but it has a lot of laughs, and was pretty good entertainment for my money.