Superbad

Rating: 10/10 (25 August 2007)

Superbad is a new comedy about teenage best friends Seth and Evan who will be graduating high school in a couple days and later going their own separate ways seeing as they both got accepted to different schools. Seth and Evan are very awkward and shy with other students and in particular the girls. After hearing about a party on the last day of school they make a plan along with another friend named Fogell to buy alcohol with a fake ID and bring it to the party and to later hopefully end up with one of the girls they each fantasize about. On the way to the party things go terribly wrong and Seth and Evan end up having one of the most wild nights of their life and an end of a school year that they will never forget. Superbad is about teenagers and the way the film is marketed it will clearly draw in the teenage crowd even though this film is not suitable for anyone under 17 because of the graphic sexual language and situations featured in this movie. The film was written by Seth Rogan and Evan Goldberg who apparently wrote the film as teenagers themselves and now years later their script has been made into a movie. Superbad really worked for me for many reasons. First of all I found it very honest and accurate and depicting teenagers and their way of talking and behaving during the high school years. It was so precise in it's attempt to do this that in ways it reminded me of my school days and some of the people I knew and grew up. And as for anyone who doesn't think this is how teenagers talk or act, then they certainly didn't go to a public or high school like I did where this behaviour is so common that it's almost a cliché. I also liked how the film covered the awkward parts of school and social situations as well as dealing with the opposite sex. The way Seth and Evan were so close to each other and avoided all other people to be with each other is probably also more typical of teenagers than most people would realize as well. Some younger people watching the film might wonder if Seth and Evan are homosexuals, but they are not and the film just shows how close they are and as a result of being so socially awkward they have alienated themselves from other people and just focused on their friendship alone which I mentioned above is not all that uncommon. The acting and strong writing also made the movie great because it all played out like a classic comedy that one would (even though they probably shouldn't be) watching as a teenager and like many of the classic teen comedies from especially the '80s such as the John Hughes films or even Fast Times At Ridgemont High, Porky's or from the 90's Dazed And Confused. This film will instantly become a cult hit and a favourite for years to come because of it's great comedic performances, writing and downright hilarious situations these characters are put in. The dialogue while very crude and raunchy is also very well written and believable as well. Not to mention the fact that many films about teenagers cast people who don't even look like teenagers (usually because they are a lot older) and this film has perfect casting. Superbad made me laugh, kept me entertained throughout and reminded me of some of the pleasant yet awkward times of my own years at school. This film along with Hairspray and Knocked Up (featuring some of the same personnel as this film) is one of the most entertaining and fun times I've had so far this year at the movies. And it is one of the best films of the year and destined to become a cult classic and rightly so.