McLovin carries the film, but only so far

Rating: 4/10 (27 January 2010)

Coming into the movie, I thought I'd be watching a funny modern rendition of "Revenge of the Nerds" splashing over a plausible, probably-inspired-by-real-events buddy flick -- as so many of my friends had claimed it to be. Instead, what I got was a movie that had more foul language than meaningful dialog, misogynistic sex jokes that leave little for the female audience to appreciate, and several moments where the movie could have really soared, but instead fell flat. In essence, what I got was a poorly executed potential of a comedy.
McLovin was the saving grace. He was unabashedly geeky, and made it farthest with a girl -- which was a victory point for everyone, since he was the underdog amongst underdogs and also the most respectful of girls (despite him being mesmerized by his crush's thong). Every scene that had him in it, no matter how zany or fantastical, was hysterical.
Seth and Evan were boring, forgettable characters. Although knowing some people like them in real life, I could not relate to the characters at all, and was more than a little bit put off by them sexually objectifying all the women, even the moms.
So, as a comedy, it fell flat. However, as a social commentary, I think it's perfect. We live in an age where the police are considered villains or jokes, where spitting on people and making plans to date-rape is "cool", where best friends can't properly express their feelings towards each other without being labeled "gay", where criminals are allowed to get away, where pretty girls can be as insecure and unsure as the nerds, and where the adults are no more grown-up than the teenagers.
For that, I will cherish Superbad. Because as sinfully unfunny as it was, it's a wonderful documentary of life in high-school, 2007.