Great Movie This ONE!

Rating: 9/10 (28 May 2008)

Every teenage boy's fantasy is covered in this critic proof imbecile comedy that is crammed with gross-out humour, foul language and superbad taste. The fact that writers Seth Rogan and Evan Goldberg have created their two nerdy lead characters in their own image (by calling them Seth and Evan), alerts us that much of the mindset belongs to their own fantasies. Superbad is like a 113 minute wet dream. Apart from perpetual sketches of penises, firm breasts and uncontrollable male urges, there are irresponsible cops (Seth Rogan plays one of them) who delight in drinking on the job, dousing their car with alcohol and shooting at it after setting it alight. Whether or not this sends desirable signals to youngsters is debatable.
Superbad is like a downmarket, vulgar version of American Pie. It was eight years ago (in 1999) that the first American Pie movie was released, and it is not surprising that the tenor of the new gross-out teen movies in which virginity is something to be trashed before college, is presented in a more blatant and upfront manner. If the mostly young male audience at my screening is any guide, this is a hysterically funny experience.
Admittedly, it did not hit the mark where I was concerned, but I am not the target audience. Nevertheless, I question the validity of explicit language in search of a reaction and I wonder whether excessive alcohol, drug use and juvenile behaviour is especially funny.
What does work - and what is well done - is the portrayal of the friendship between fatty foul-mouthed Seth (Jonah Hill) and dorky, super-polite Evan (Michael Cera), who are about to be separated when they go to their respective colleges. Christopher Mintz-Plasse in his screen debut as super-nerd Fogell makes an entertaining wild card, whose unexpected collusion with the two cops, is a total surprise.
I thought I would put a little treat in too, you can watch the whole movie here www.moviestatus.com/movie-reviews/superbad-movie-review.html