Superbad [MA]

Seth and Evan are two horny teenagers that are never invited to the cool parties. But that changes when Jules, the hottest girl in school, invites Seth to the one she’s throwing whilst her parents are away. But admission comes at a price and the boys are saddled with providing the party with booze. Enlisting the help of their friend Fogell or McLovin as his fake I.D claims, Seth and Evan embark on the wildest night of their high school years; getting drunk on booze, being chased by the cops, having fights, and shooting guns…and that’s before they get to the party. 

It’s by no means a great feat of cinematic achievement but Superbad does have its moments. I’m generally not one for these story-less and crude American comedies, but sometimes they’re just right for a mindless afternoon in bed drugged up on flu tablets. 

Seth and Evan are two horny teenagers that are never invited to the cool parties. But that changes when Jules, the hottest girl in school, invites Seth to the one she’s throwing whilst her parents are away. But admission comes at a price and the boys are saddled with providing the party with booze. Enlisting the help of their friend Fogell or McLovin as his fake I.D claims, Seth and Evan embark on the wildest night of their high school years; getting drunk on booze, being chased by the cops, having fights, and shooting guns…and that’s before they get to the party. 

As I mentioned before, this movie pretty much has no story line to speak of: just two underage teens saddled with the job of getting booze for a party and having adventures in the middle. The comic relief and general laughs of this movie come in the form of the way the script is written. The entire thing is positively gushing with sexual innuendo as well as riddled with visual gags such as slapstick humour and gross-out comedy. The odd bit of schadenfreude also creeps into the mix, which as we all know is a great way to get a laugh because the audience is just sitting there going “ha, glad that’s not me”. 

Running parallel to the general humour is a weaker story of friendship, which brings about some of the film’s drama as well as gives the audience a break from all the action and comedy. It’s not a strong story of friendship, it won’t bring a tear to anyone’s eye but it’s fine for what it is. 

Starring Jonah Hill, Michael Cera, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Emma Stone, Martha MacIsaac, Bill Hader, and Seth Rogen, Superbad is an apt and modern teenage flick packed with action, shenanigans, sex, friendship, and comedy. It’s nothing really to rave about, but it’s not without its moments.