Generation-defining comedy, tremendously written and utterly unstoppable when it's in a groove

Rating: 9/10 (18 April 2020)

Michael Cera and Jonah Hill are precisely in their element as a pair of hyper-awkward high school seniors, attempting to delicately navigate their way around virginity before college. Snide, sharp and effortlessly witty, it's an absolute howl, even for folks who may not have worked through the same problems at that age. Hill and Cera have great chemistry, bouncing insults and muttering puns at a machine-gun pace, and they get a ton of help from the supporting cast. Seth Rogen and Bill Hader damn near steal the show as a pair of irresponsible cops out for a joyride with Christopher Mintz-Plasse, who is himself unforgettable as the eccentric uber-geek "McLovin." I just wish it could've hovered in its zone of meaningless shenanigans the whole way through, because the last twenty minutes - when the plot suddenly realizes it needs to get going - are something of a chore to push through. Still, it's great enough that I'd call it a generation-defining comedy, tremendously written and utterly unstoppable when it's in a groove. Extra kudos for introducing the world to Emma Stone.