An accurately vulgar and hysterical representation of high school woes

Rating: 9/10 (20 August 2007)

After being disappointed by Knocked Up (only in terms of it not completely living up to the legacy I built up for The 40-Year-Old Virgin), I was a little hesitant to get as hyped up for Superbad. Yes, it looked downright hysterical, and yes, everywhere I looked someone was praising it for its comedic excellence. So rather than prep for another disappointment, I held hopes up at a moderate level (and excitement to see it even higher), and I came out finding what is probably the funniest comedy since Virgin.
Superbad tells the story of Seth (Jonah Hill) and Evan (Michael Cera). Both are in their dying days of high school, and have been best friends for as long as they can remember. With change on the horizon for both of them, they look to make the best of things, and attempt to make something of themselves with the girls they have been pining for. After hearing that Jules (Emma Stone) is planning a party for that very night, Seth and Evan are thrown into a day-long odyssey that will test more than just a few of their limits.
Yes, it does sound like every other high school comedy with the average kids wanting to lose their virginity before the inevitable trip to college, but there is something sweet and endearing at play here as opposed to the typical comedies of the American Pie form (and just about every 1980's sex comedy). Even though the characterization of anyone other than Seth, Evan and their sometimes friend Fogell (newcomer Christopher Mintz-Plasse, the one you may know as McLovin) is very one-dimensional, the film gets across the needed messages about friendship and morality. Yes, the trailer may suggest just one long party of a movie without any embedded implications or significances, but when it comes down to it, there is a certain maturity that runs through the movie that is completely lacking in any typical high school related comedy (exceptions including Dazed and Confused, Rebel Without a Cause, the heavily overrated American Graffiti, The Breakfast Club, Fast Times at Ridgemont High and not too many others). It helps itself to overcome the borders of the genre, and truly plunge itself into 'instant classic' territory.
What also sets it apart is the genuine authenticity of it all. Anyone who was not the most popular kid in high school can identify with the anxieties and desires of these characters, and if you were anything like me, can probably see a bit of themselves in them as well. Even when the film borders on being beyond raunchy, it still breathes an aura of reality and accuracy that is almost completely missing from the commonality of the genre.
What it does not share with those other mature offerings is its vulgar and witty attitude that runs non-stop throughout the film. For any Virgin or Knocked Up fan, you will be right at home with the vivaciously crude dialogue. And much like that movie, even the most offensive of jokes comes off as downright hysterical. There is not one moment in the film where I had more than a few moments to collect myself before laughing again. The punches come furiously, and often, within only mere seconds of each other. Whole pieces of dialogue flew by without me catching them because just about everyone was laughing too hard. Even at it's most genuinely passive or dramatic moments, the jokes keep flying out, and never seem to stop. And much like those two films, you will be quoting the movie endlessly right after watching it. I was a little frustrated with the fact that some of the very best lines in the movie were already in the trailer (and even more in the R-rated trailer), but thankfully there was plenty left just for the film.
What the film also shares with those Judd Apatow-produced productions is the general feeling of clunkiness right in-between the second and third acts. I noticed it after watching the Unrated Virgin, noticed it almost blatantly while watching Knocked Up, and noticed it rather subtly here. They all seem to share the problem that there needs to be a lull between these two acts where nothing seems to happen, and the whole film slows down as a result of it. Granted, it is far shorter an amount of time here than it was in the almost draggy Knocked Up, but it is here nonetheless, and takes away from the lasting effect of the film. Thankfully, the jokes continue to pop up during this time, so not everyone should get bored or antsy waiting for the movie to finally continue moving.
Acting wise, the film is solid. Hill and Cera play off each other brilliantly, and while they are not quite the odd couple, they do make a great mismatched pair. They handle the most lewd pieces of dialogue with class, and handle the deeply meaningful scenes so subtly that you can barely notice the fact that these kids are swearing at breakneck pace. Mintz-Plasse, although nowhere near as crafty as either of them, practically steals many of the scenes he is in. He has a very obvious easiness with the material, and I can see this guy becoming another potential wonder of the Apatow crew (granted he can overcome his almost instant cult stardom).
Supporting turns from Seth Rogen and Bill Hader as two unorthodox police officers weaving in and out of the boys' odyssey are fairly well done, if not slightly stretched out too far. I liked what they brought to the film, but I think they should have been in it a little less.
Despite a few minor problems, Superbad is the comedy of the summer, and possibly the best comedy since The 40-Year-Old Virgin. And even with its unrestrained dialogue, it can successfully enter among the greats as being one of the most legitimate depictions of life in high school.
9/10.