When you’re on a roll, it’s hard to slow down. For Judd Apatow, Seth Rogen and Co., there doesn’t look to be an end in sight. Rogen takes his first seat as co-writer and Apatow takes a backseat as producer for the latest Apatow Productions masterpiece, Superbad.
Superbad is every bit as successful as Knocked Up and The 40-Year-Old Virgin before it – even surging past them in certain ways. Undoubtedly, Superbad will draw the most comparison to Apatow and Rogan’s earlier summer success Knocked Up, which perfectly melded human emotion with vulgarity. Where Knocked Up was a comedy for the 20-somethings, Superbad’s target audience is firmly with teenagers, as our heroes, Evan (Michael Cera, Arrested Development) and Seth (Jonah Hill, Knocked Up) attempt to make their last high school party before they graduate a memorable one.
Seth and Evan are best friends, but they aren’t in with the in-crowd. They’ve never been invited to any parties with any of their high school classmates, so a night of fun for the underage duo involves hanging out and drinking a few beers with their only other friend Adam Fogell (newcomer Christopher Mintz-Plasse). With high school nearing an end, the three want a chance to finally go to a party and, in the process of drunken debauchery, finally lose their respective virginities. Even more important for Seth is that his friendship with Evan is nearing a halt, while Fogell may be taking his place. While Evan and Fogell both got into Dartmouth college and plan to be roommates, Seth didn’t and he appears to be the most affected by the change.
And so the film revolves around the trio’s quest and the characters they meet along the way one fateful night.
After befriending cherry-haired Jules (Emma Stone, TV’s Drive) in Home Economics class, Seth is invited to a party she’s having. There’s only one problem: Thanks to Seth’s excitement and Fogell’s plans to purchase a fake ID during lunch, Seth volunteers to purchase booze for the party. So what does Fogell choose for his new name and fake identity? Not John Smith. No, simply “McLovin.” Of course, Seth and Evan freak out and question Fogell’s idiotic choice for a fake identity. In what is likely to become one of the most oft-repeated phrases from the film, Fogell responds succinctly and confidently, “I am McLovin.” And with that, McLovin and the boys are off.
The rest of the plot unfolds as the group go in search of alcohol, encountering reckless cops, a post-college party and a whole lot of physical comedy.
Rogen and his long-time writing partner Evan Goldberg wrote the script, which travels at a breakneck pace. If you thought Apatow was perfect at writing a smart, sophisticated movie full of dirty jokes, just wait till you see what Rogen and Goldberg can do.
Not only does the team match Apatow’s sensibility and humor, but also (thanks partly thanks to the talent of the actors) Apatow’s knack for writing realistic dialogue. Seth and Evan feel like best friends from the moment they enter the screen.
Cera and Hill play one of the most believable pairs of best friends in recent memory. Cera’s awkward mannerisms and delivery perfectly meshes with Hill’s confident insecurities. Seth comes off as a cocky guy, but once someone pushes the right button, he escapes into an insecure shell, which Hill plays perfectly. Cera and Hill shoot out one-liners on the simplest topics left and right. Both actors establish their characters early on, making simple comments as the movie progresses all the funnier as you get to learn the characters.
If anything, Cera and Hill will be faulted for playing characters too close to home. Evan isn’t too far off from an older, cursing George-Michael Bluth from Arrested Development as well as Cera’s character from his recent web-only show Clark And Michael. Hill also play the brash, foul-mouthed, sex-obsessed character he’s hit on previously in Knocked Up and Grandma’s Boy.
The rest of the cast also excels, Mintz-Plasse is perfect for Fogell, both looking and acting the part of the lovable nerd. Beyond co-writing the script, Rogen portrays one of the cops the boys encounter throughout the night. Rogen and Saturday Night Live regular Bill Hader (Hot Rod) give hilarious performances as cops who aren’t exactly all about performing their civic duties.
Most of the humor stems from Seth and Evan’s conversations, which range from what pornography website each plans to subscribe to at college to the symbol Seth was obsessed with drawing in elementary school. There’s also bits of physical comedy and of course, the barrage of one-liners one expects from an Apatow production.
But similar to Knocked Up, Superbad is once again has a deeper purpose beyond just laughs. It’s a story about friendship and growing up. This is a movie to see with your own best friend as you will see so many parallels in Seth and Evan’s relationship and your own. Rogen and Goldberg manage to portray the intricacies of what keeps best friends together perfectly.
Outlandishly funny, fast-paced and sentimental Superbad is the perfect teen comedy. Sure, the story gets to be a little ridiculous, but the performances, the writing and the humor is so genuine it doesn’t matter. Knocked Up may be the funniest movie of the summer, but Superbad isn’t far behind. And for Apatow and Rogen, it couldn’t be a better situation.
Contact reporter Rudi Greenberg at rudi.greenberg@gmail.com.
