Decent High School movie.

Rating: 7/10 (4 November 2017)

There was a surprising amount of heart in this irreverent and sometimes insensitive comedy. It was a little cheesy but kind of nice that Seth and Evan got the girls they were both hot for but didn't have sex with them. In other movies, I might have been annoyed by this, but I liked it here, maybe because it contrasted the tone of the rest of the movie. I could tell pretty early on that Seth would not be able to get with Jules like he wanted to. It just would have felt wrong if his plan had gone through because his motivation just seemed completely selfish and sex-driven. Evan and Becca's situation kept me in more suspense. It surprised me that she liked him and didn't need to be won over like I had suspected. The closing shot with the Seth and Evan watching each other go their separate ways was really a nice way to end it, even though it did feel a bit cute and cheesy.
It would be wrong to say that this movie is realistic, but there were a lot of things that I thought it did right to make it more true to life. Most of the time when shy high-school guy characters are featured in movies, they are shown as almost completely socially incompetent or awkward or shelled in (see the 2002 Spiderman, Freaks and Geeks, Sixteen Candles, or Perks of Being a Wallflower for examples). Seth and Evan seem to be somewhat in touch socially, though not as much as they would like to be, and are kind of mean at times which felt more realistic. This is the only time I've seen Michael Cera not be awkward on screen. Even Fogell, who is closer to the stereotypical nerdy guy, is more socially bold than I had expected. Yes, they are all awkward at multiple points, but Seth and Evan are both sort of friends with Jules and Becca prior to the events of the movie. Another thing that felt true to life was the mellowness of Jules' party. They didn't feel the need to make the party completely raucous and trash the house like in 10 Things I Hate About You, or Sixteen Candles, or 21 Jump Street.
This wasn't one of the funnier comedies I've seen, but that's a matter of taste. I laughed pretty frequently throughout and I can see how it could easily be certain people's favorite movie ever. As you might suspect, there's a lot of off-color jokes that you might not laugh at if your mom was watching it with you. One could argue that it's unnecessarily crude, but the crude jokes are at least pretty clever most of the time and not just thrown in as a cheap way to get laughs. Seth Roger and Bill Hader as the two cops were really fun to watch. I would say it's good if you like 21 Jump Street, but it's not as loud and doesn't have action. It's definitely nothing deep or anything you have to see, but it's not a bad view into the life and struggles of two teenage friends. Overall Rating: 7.5/10.