By Kevin McCarthy

SUPERBAD probably caught more than a few people by surprise.  Producer Judd Apatow just released his own KNOCKED UP a few months ago, and I assumed that EVAN ALMIGHTY and HOT ROD would carry comedy through the waning summer onslaught.  Wrong on both counts.  But luckily, this teenage comedy penned by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg hit screens this weekend and somehow managed to top RUSH HOUR 3.  In a year of half-baked blockbuster sequels grossing nearly ten figures, I’m ecstatic to see a worthy film eek out the victory.  SUPERBAD is a hilarious and realistic look at the struggles of the adolescent as college looms in the future.  AMERICAN GRAFFITI this is not, but with time I think we can place it alongside FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH as that type of infinitely rewatchable comedy that reminds us in some way of ourselves at that uncertain age.  Apatow continues to attach himself to really special projects.  His films have a charm that comes from a talented bevy of actors and drama-centered scripts.  They’re good movies that happen to be piss-yourself funny.

Jonah Hill as Seth and Michael Cera as Evan are welcome revisions to the High School Geek.  Perhaps courtesy of their characters sharing names with the writers?  Two best friends nearing the ends of their high school careers, and different colleges lined up for the future, they make an AMERICAN PIE-style pact to cash in their V-cards before matriculating elsewhere.  SUPERBAD is essentially documenting the obstacles and travails that Seth and Evan encounter on their mission to live the dream.  Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Fogel, however, might be the iconic role in the film.  Mostly because we have all had the displeasure of knowing a Fogel.  Choosing “McLovin” as his alias on a fake ID, Fogel is a whiny poser and social outcast.  A hanger-on to the relatively cooler Seth and Evan, Fogel’s contribution to the film is really a sight to behold.  Where Hill and Cera nail the frustration that color many a high schooler’s struggle for beer, popularity, and – ultimately – girls, Mintz-Plasse amazes with a lack of self awareness that makes Fogel’s trajectory from unknown loser to legendary McLovin seem strangely deserved.  And don’t we all know that one nerd with the most outrageous glory stories?


Trying to get booze for hot girl Becca’s (Emma Stone) house party didn’t immediately strike me as a strong premise for a feature-length film, but Rogen and Goldberg deftly build the night into an errand of heroic proportions. And given our trio of desperate heroes, the story works.  Seth, Evan and Fogel are alternately sweet, crude and witty, charming and awkward, in every single scene.  The addition of Bill Hader and Rogen as police officers Slater and Michaels is pure comedy in the spirit of SUPER TROOPERS and RENO 911!  The cast, modest as the actors are, invites the audience along for the night to remember.  And the invitation is eagerly accepted.  I wasn’t five minutes into the movie before I decided I’d have to go see SUPERBAD again.  I was missing whole chunks of dialogue because the audience was still howling over the last joke.  And I’d be remiss not to mention that I often contributed to the peals of laughter.  Many of us are lucky enough to be beyond the days of preparing for weeks to get hammered in a friend’s kitchen while his parents are out of town, but we can remember how damn important it seemed at the time.  Here’s a chance to get back there.


SUPERBAD might be better than its title suggests, but the content definitely earns its rating.  Go into this film expecting explicit language and some sexual content.  They’re not trying to draw the HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL crowd with this one.  It’s a good old fashioned American R-rated comedy and the moviemakers are refreshingly unapologetic about the attitude of the film.  If that type of material appeals to you, I can guarantee you a good time.  Just don’t bring your grandmother or your children along. Unless of course you have a kick ass grandmother.