Superbad = Supergood

Rating: 9/10 (10 September 2007)

Beloved Reader, please glimpse at the star rating below. Yes, I may be just one critic. And this one critic may have given Superbad half-a-star away from the almighty 5. That is because this movie is a rare movie. It is not 4.5-star-worthy in same way as, say, Collateral. It has achieved that rating in the context of other Comedies. In that case, it has gotten that rating for three simple words.
It. Is. Hilarious.
First off, if you believe the rumours, this started off from the minds of two 13-year-olds. Doesn't sound promising, does it? But when one of them is Seth Rogen (Knocked Up), you know you're safe. Then there were the trailers and other assorted advertising. You could not be blamed for thinking it was another Animal House, or Porky's, or American Pie. Yet, with Judd Apatow (The 40-Year-Old Virgin) producing, this is more than a rehash. No, that would be plain lazy for these pros.
There are a few comedy classics with recurring gags. Back To The Future had Calvin Klein. The Big Lebowski had the Rug. Groundhog Day, well, had the whole 24 hours. And one could suppose that Superbad's recurring joke is the Cops. Drunk, incompetent, imbecile cops are something we've seen before. But when two cops flee from sirens that aren't they're own? In such a naturally comical way? That deserves some kudos.
As with the cops, we've probably seen the buddy-coming-of-age-flick-with-added-crude-jokes before. But not like this. This clichéd sub-genre of comedy has been kicked in the man-parts. That's both figuratively and literally. That is because, even in the fantasy scenes, it stays true. The daydreams of Seth (the brilliant Jonah Hill) as he prepares to steal liquor. Sure, they are beautifully over-the-top. But it stays true to the paranoia most teenagers have in that situation. Jonah Hill adds those subtle shuffles and shifty eyes. To which, makes you chuckle lightly, before exploding with laughter.
All of this adds to why it's so good. One would not expect a film such as this to be good. Deep down, you may go in, and think you will see the same B.S. The same, tired frat-boy jokes you heard years ago cut-and-pasted together. Not here. What starts as a laugh-out-loud farce, turns slightly dark. It starts with conversations of Orson Welles waistline expanding after Citizen Kane. Then it flows to an awkwardly funny car crash. All of which leads up to a climax that suits the previous events. Sure, some may say it is too neat and tidy. But it is fitting to the journey of the guys.
The characters of Seth (Jonah Hill) and Evan (Michael Cera) are so magically written. Some of you may carp about them being 'generic'. If that is the case, something has gone amiss. That is there are guys like Seth and Evan out there. Hell, you were probably best friends with them back in the day. To add to them, there is Fogell (Christopher Mintz-Plasse). Or 'McLovin', as he prefers to be known. He is the mirrored version of Seth and Evan. He knows that his attempts to be cool are embarrassing. Yet, that doesn't stop him.
What separates Superbad from the rest of the pack lies on one thing. Real Humour. It doesn't rely on canned laughter. Nor does it rely on forced one-liners. It uses humour in situations that could really happen. Fantastical daydream, or not.
4.5 out of 5 Superbad is one Gem of a movie. It may not be a work of 'art', like Citizen Kane (to which was so hilariously name-dropped here). But, if you want your laughs thick and fast, for 2 hours-straight, then here's your answer. As long as you go in with this warning. There will be too many fantastic quotes for you to remember.
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