Superbad (2007)

Superbad (2007)
Directed by Greg Mottola
Written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg

The latest feature from the Judd Apatow factory of comedy, Superbad is a movie about getting drunk, trying to get laid, and the inevitability of losing friends after high school. The latter gets the least amount of screen time, while the former gets treated with D-Day-esque importance, which allows for the film's juvenile fantasy to play out in the most riotous way possible. Starring the reigning king of awkwardness Michael Cera, and archetypal fat, ugly stoner Jonah Hill as the two best friends who finally get their chance to go to a cool party and possibly score big, Superbad manages its fair share of potty mouth induced belly laughs. Christopher Mintz-Plasse stars as Fogell (aka McLovin), the dorkiest of dorks, and Apatow and company apparently discovered him on YouTube. Only with writer Seth Rogen and SNL-regular Bill Hader making an appearance as local police officers does this film lose it's true charm -- the cops are crazier and more ridiculous than anyone else in the film (hogging the spotlight, a bit). It rubbed me the wrong way, but Rogen and Hader are well known and established funnymen, making their joyriding with McLovin still pretty enjoyable. The real gold however, is the performances of Hill and Cera who consistently hit the right comedic notes (yet I worry that Cera's 5-year run using the same comedy style (read: 1 note) might run its course sooner than later. Hopefully not.) Time will tell if Superbad holds up as important and funny of a high school comedy as Fast Times or Dazed and Confused, but it beats the shit out of American Pie and every other high school comedy since then.

[114 minutes. Color. In English. Rated R.]