Superbad: Review

Judd Apatow has had the Midas Touch now for almost a decade. Anything the man touches, turns to gold, either critical or box office and Superbad, his latest film (as a producer) is no different. Based on a script by Apatow regulars Seth Rogan and Evan Goldberg, Superbad is a gut bustingly raunchy comedic adventure that will undoubtedly quickly become the Animal House of this generation. Much like how Bluto Blutarsky, Otter and Pinto entered the popular lexicon following the release of that John Landis classic, so will (or already has, depending on who you ask) McLovin, characters of such likable ill repute that the mere mention of their names will bring a smile to the faces of most who hear it.

For those who couldn't get into The 40 Year Old Virgin or Knocked Up, Superbad is not for you, the grossest, crudest of the bunch. Where Knocked Up possessed its fair share of language and embarrassing moments, it never comes close to Superbad which seems to outdo just about anything Apatow has penned in its first 10 minutes. That dramatic change can be attributed to Rogan and Goldberg, whose sense of comedic is still being honed. There are a much larger number of jokes in Superbad that don't work when compared to Knocked Up but thanks to their fast and furious nature, there is enough being thrown on screen that more often than not, the audience was left gasping for breath.

Much of the film's success comes from it's three primary leads, Michael Cera, Jonah Hill and newcomer Christopher Mintz-Plasse, all of whom give their body and souls to the script, delivering even the crudest, most far-fetched lines with a dose of naivety and heart. Cera, best known for his stellar work in TV's Arrested Development, is perfectly suited for his character, his comedic timing honed to a fine science. While Hill breathlessly spews profanity at rapid-fire speeds, Cera works his lines in with a subtlety and grace that he undoubtedly learned from his cast mates on AD. Mintz-Plasse, the now infamous McLovin is wonderful in his role, a riotous mix of overconfidence and clumsiness. It is only Hill's character, who is constantly cursing, that ever wears on the audience and even his inspired foulness is redeemed by a genuine good nature. Despite his rough exterior, he is like every other 18-year-old guy, insecure and worried about his future.

Superbad is not the most innovative or original film: it tells the story of three guys who try to score girls and booze on the night before their last high school summer vacation starts. Seth (Hill) and Evan (Cera) are long time best friends who are now faced with the fact that they will be going to different colleges and for the first time, they will be separated. Fogell (Mintz-Plasse), who quickly becomes known as his pseudonym McLovin, is the third wheel here, a fellow student who will be attending Dartmouth with Evan. The hijinks that follow track the trio through the course of one day and night, with each situation being more ridiculous than the last.

Superbad's charms don't come from its originality but its heart; without that, it is no more than a Van Wilder clone. Instead, one can tell that Apatow's skills have rubbed off favorably on Rogan, who has crafted a screenplay that is heartfelt and sincere. Mr. Rogan gracefully enters the realm of late teen males, who have discovered swearing, alcohol and sex, and runs with it, making the film as raunchy as anything else on screen. However, under the harsh and uninviting exterior is a gentle core, a couple of guys who are unsure of themselves and just trying to get girls to like them. While they may try to act tough, it quickly becomes clear that they don't know how to talk to girls, stumbling over their words whenever a pretty member of the opposite sex walks by. While Rogan doesn't have quite the same ear for normal, male dialogue that Apatow does, he is certainly on his way and the sky's the limit for a guy who could quickly become one of the major stars of American comedy.

Superbad never hits the same high notes that Knocked Up does, but to be honest, almost no contemporary American comedy has. With his pregnancy comedy, Apatow created the first truly worthwhile mainstream comedy for this generation, a film that doesn't preach or moralize but merely presents the issues at hand in a humane and original way. Superbad never aspires to those heights, it merely wants to be a genuine teen comedy that allows its audience a couple hours of laughter. It achieves its goal with style and panache, leaving its audience exhausted from the on screen hilarity. In other words, it aims low and hits high: it is, without a doubt, a gross out comedy but one with a huge helping of feeling. For that, it will likely takes its place in the pantheon of great comedies, sitting alongside Animal House, Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Ferris Bueller's Day Off. It isn't quite Knocked Up, but like I said, few are.

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