The clue is in the name ;o)

Rating: 7/10 (27 November 2018)

I first watched 'Superbad' and I didn't like it much. In short: totally forgettable. It was only as the years went by did I realise quite how much of a 'cult following' it had, so I decided to give it another go. I have to say that it gets better each time I watched it. I can only assume I was in the mood for something a little more serious and 'high-brow' when I initially sat down. However, now I know what I'm getting, I'm quite happy to watch and rewatch it every few years. Think 'American Pie' only less intellectual!
It's difficult not to mention the (sort of) 'ground breaking' 'American Pie' film when talking about 'Superbad.' Any story that centres around young High School-age lads who are on a quest to - er - 'get better acquainted' with members of the opposite s3x in a short period of time, will always draw comparisons with the 'Pie' franchise. Here, we have three boys (Jonah Hill as 'Seth,' Michael Cera as his best mate 'Evan' and Christopher Mintz-Plasse stealing every scene as 'Fogell' (or rather 'McLovin' I should say). They are the archetypal nerds who never really know what to say around girls and are reduced to working out ways to 'trick' the fairer s3x into liking them during a graduation party before they all leave for college (that's 'University' to us Brits!).
Naturally, their plot doesn't go to plan and what follows is everything from singing (badly!) in front of drug dealers, to throwing Molotov cocktails at police cars - so you typical night out when you were about 18. It's all in very bad taste and if you're in any way offended by s3xual-related gags, swearing and generally 'adult' situations and humour then you should stay well clear. However, if you're in the mood for something pretty low-brow then you'll definitely find it here.
I liked the relationship between Seth and Evan. Yes, it's hard to make stereotypical 'nerds' that different from any other depiction you've already seen, but they certainly have chemistry and you do feel as if they would be the type to hang out together in real life. They're flawed and not totally 'heroic,' but then aren't we all? In short - they're relatable. However, as I mentioned it's Christopher Mintz-Plasse who is the real star of the film. His character gets separated from the other two early on and has his own little adventure with a couple of... well, not exactly corrupt, but also hardly 'untouchable' police officers, played by Seth Rogan and Bill Hader. Somehow, everything about this completely mismatched pairing of cops and nerd works and is a true joy to behold. As I eluded to, it helped cement 'McLovin' as a term/name we all know and love.
Personally, for me 'Superbad' is up there with those few films that I really didn't like on first watch and yet I totally changed my opinion after time ('Anchorman' is another, curiously). I'm not sure if this experience resonates with anyone else, but all I can say is that it's dumb, rude and - yes - super 'bad' ('bad' being slang for good in today's youth - so I'm told).