Warning…This movie is not for young children
“Superbad” is a dangerous title for a movie, as it leaves you open to the obvious use of your name to describe the film itself. Fortunately, Superbad is not,…superbad. In fact, I think I laughed out loud more during this movie than anything I’ve seen this year. Superbad is a crass, foul teen movie in the spirit of Fast Times or American Pie (the first one). I read somewhere that this movie uses the word “fuck” more times than Scarface did, which is saying a lot, and if you are offended by foul language or crass sexual humor, you will not like this movie. However, if you are not stodgy about that sort of thing, and you remember anything about High School, you will probably like this movie.
Superbad is the story of three High School seniors, about three weeks from graduation. Ethan and Seth have been best friends forever, and are dealing with their hopes to finally get to a cool party, hang out with drunk chicks, and possibly get laid, all while dealing with the fact that they will soon be separated as they are going to different colleges. The third friend is named Fogle, but you will know him as McLovin. The guys find themselves in a desperate mess after they agree to buy the booze for an impromptu party thrown by the object of Seth’s desire. McLovin has the fake ID, Seth and Ethan have the motivation, and the mess ensues. The result is a wild night of car chases, bar fights, cops, bums, and half naked chicks.
Superbad has a really engaging script that doesn’t feel too “overwritten.” The characters tend to sound real, instead of like they’re reading off cue cards like in many teen comedies. There is a lot of foul language and sexual humor, but only a small amount of nudity or violence (much like a real teenager’s life). Ethan is the sensitive guy that the audience sympathizes with, Seth is the porky friend who just wants a chance to get with the girl of his dreams, and McLovin is the nerdy hero you might enjoy more than either of the main characters. Add in some super funny cops, and a whole cast of misfit characters, and Superbad is a very funny movie. I can’t stress enough the fact that this is not a movie for young children, and even pre-teens are probably too young, depending on your family. For everyone else, this is sure to be one of the summer favorites, and probably a teen cult classic for some time to come.