Superbland

Rating: Null/10 (19 October 2008)

If Kevin Smith tried to write a teen sex comedy, the rough draft might look something like this movie. Luckily for us, Smith left the tired genre alone. And so, here we are in 2008, and along comes Superbad.
We've seen Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
We've seen Porky's.
We've seen American Pie.
We've seen the thousands of other movies that have adopted this formula (annoying teenagers trying to get laid + alcohol = hijinks).
So where else is there to go with this kind of a movie? Nowhere. A teen sex comedy is a teen sex comedy, period. This movie goes way too far in its desperate attempts to sway the viewer into thinking it's something deeper. It isn't. It's a parade of unlikable teenagers on a quest for booze and sex with a nice little moral at the end to make us feel like we weren't wasting our time. At least the aforementioned movies didn't kid themselves about their intent.
This isn't a terrible movie, but it's certainly not very good. There are a few genuine laughs along the way. But its silly little "social commentary" and its insistence on developing empty, one-dimensional characters are nothing short of pitiful.
Don't believe the hype.