In 2007, a teen comedy film called Superbad was released starring the relatively unknown Jonah Hill and Michael Cera in what I would consider to be the start of producer Judd Apatow’s hot streak in comedy. Now reaching its 10th anniversary, let’s take a trip down memory lane with the raunchy and hormone-filled memorable adventure of two teenagers.
Superbad is loosely based on the teen years of the screenwriters Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, even naming the two leads after themselves. But more importantly, it is possibly inspired by the never-ending plight of millions of teenagers around the world — getting laid and drunk. That’s what makes it stand out: it is extremely relatable, and not to mention hilarious, even after all these years.
I also consider it a milestone as it launched, if not solidified even further, most of its stellar cast’s Hollywood careers. For Michael Cera, Jonah Hill, Emma Stone and Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Superbad is the stepping stone that put them on the map and made them household names by introducing them to a wide audience. Jonah Hill only played minor roles in comedies like The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Click before getting cast for the lead here. As for Stone and Mintz-Plasse, it was their big screen debut. Stone only starred in minor roles on various television sitcoms before making her debut in Superbad. Mintz-Plasse, on the other hand, was a total neophyte and only 17 years old during filming. Being a minor, he had to have his mother on set for his sex scenes. The cast have achieved great things since then; Emma Stone won an Oscar for Best Actress recently, for instance.
For those who haven’t seen it, Superbad follows best friends Seth and Evan who are basically inseparable, for the main reason that they’re both unpopular kids, but high school graduation is coming near and the two are faced with the problem of attending different colleges. Then the unthinkable happens: they are invited to a party by the it-girl Jules (Emma Stone) on the last day of high school. Though underage, Seth and Evan volunteer to bring the booze — which they believe that, by doing so, would lead to sex — by using the fake ID of their friend Fogell that claims he’s named “McLovin'” in one of the funniest scenes in the movie.
The humor of Superbad doesn’t come from its jokes or its familiar coming-of-age plot (though it gets ridiculous at times). No, its charm is rooted in the natural chemistry of its characters and the raucous delivery of organic dialogue. It gets raunchy and obscene early on just as most Seth Rogen and Judd Apatow-produced movies are, but it serves as an authentic portrayal of the way teenage boys talk, especially when they’re left to themselves. Just their several, failed attempts to get liquor are bizarre, and gets more over-the-top as they progress in the film. However, in the presence of girls, the foul-mouths of Seth and Evan disappear and the two become as awkward as they can be.
But it’s not just the effortlessly funny back-and-forth between Jonah Hill and Michael Cera that contribute to this movie’s overall comedy. In a trope-smashing development, Seth Rogen and Bill Hader play Officer Michaels and Officer Slater, respectively, two seemingly dumb cops that befriend Fogell, and the trio go on a night of adventure on their own. Before the night ends, the two cops admit that they knew all along that Fogell is not really 25 as his fake ID stated. They played along with him, wanting to prove that despite their position of authority, it does not mean they can’t have fun too. They cap things off by doing donuts on an empty parking lot, destroy their cop car with a Molotov cocktail, and let Fogell shoot it with Slater’s gun.
The crude sense of humor that this movie employs may obviously be too much for some, but it could also be considered one of its biggest draws. While it can be exaggerated at times, this is what runs in the minds of teenage boys. There is something pure and raw with its unapologetic treatment of adolescent sexual yearning. It just works, and when it gets right down to it, it’s really just a hilarious and honest comedy from start to finish.
To me, Superbad has reached that comedy status that defines a decade, or even a whole generation. Much like National Lampoon’s Animal House in the ’70s and the American Pie movies in the late ’90s, this movie is the R-rated comedy that most teenagers in the late 2000s related to, and most likely hid from their parents. It’s going to be the one I’d tell my future kids or grandchildren about a possible look at the adolescent craziness my generation were up to.
The Talking Screen 