Spring Break
'Superbad' is Superhilarious
Chris Kellerman
Issue date: 8/27/07 Section: La Vida
"Superbad," directed by Greg Mottola, has been raking in money at the box office lately, and it's no surprise: The ridiculously crude adventures of these high school boys make up one of the best teen comedies in recent memory.
Best buds Seth (Jonah Hill) and Evan (Michael Cera) are somewhat loser-ish high school seniors nearing graduation. The guys' plans to go to college together evaporate when Evan is accepted to Dartmouth, but Seth isn't - though they try to play it cool and pretend they won't miss each other. Instead of any deep conversations about the future, the guys revel in disgusting each other with sex jokes and insults, most of which revolve around the penis.
When Seth and Evan are invited to a party on a Friday night (the whole story takes place in one day), the guys solicit help from their nerdy friend Fogell (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) to buy booze, each hoping to use alcohol to woo the girls of their dreams. Fogell confidently buys a fake ID representing a 25-year-old Hawaiian named McLovin and enters the liquor store - only to be caught in the middle of a calamitous situation taking the boys on a wild ride through a night, which, scene after scene, worsens when it can't seem to get any worse.
And it gets bad - but not for the audience. I simply never have laughed in a theater as much as I did during "Superbad," and I tend to despise teen comedies. What makes this one better is the sharp script, written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg (the namesakes of the film's main characters), and a cast with perfect timing.
Hill, and especially Cera, do well as awkward friends with separation anxiety, but newcomer Mintz-Plasse is easily the best thing about "Superbad." Every teen movie has an annoying nerd, but Mintz-Plasse steals each of his scenes by refusing to descend into the cliché brainiac with a snorting laugh and no common sense or social skills.
Instead, Fogell is a lovable, scrawny teen who thinks he's the most suave guy in school. Mintz-Plasse's delivery is stunning, and his facial expressions are impeccable. You've got to see it to believe it.
Best buds Seth (Jonah Hill) and Evan (Michael Cera) are somewhat loser-ish high school seniors nearing graduation. The guys' plans to go to college together evaporate when Evan is accepted to Dartmouth, but Seth isn't - though they try to play it cool and pretend they won't miss each other. Instead of any deep conversations about the future, the guys revel in disgusting each other with sex jokes and insults, most of which revolve around the penis.
When Seth and Evan are invited to a party on a Friday night (the whole story takes place in one day), the guys solicit help from their nerdy friend Fogell (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) to buy booze, each hoping to use alcohol to woo the girls of their dreams. Fogell confidently buys a fake ID representing a 25-year-old Hawaiian named McLovin and enters the liquor store - only to be caught in the middle of a calamitous situation taking the boys on a wild ride through a night, which, scene after scene, worsens when it can't seem to get any worse.
And it gets bad - but not for the audience. I simply never have laughed in a theater as much as I did during "Superbad," and I tend to despise teen comedies. What makes this one better is the sharp script, written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg (the namesakes of the film's main characters), and a cast with perfect timing.
Hill, and especially Cera, do well as awkward friends with separation anxiety, but newcomer Mintz-Plasse is easily the best thing about "Superbad." Every teen movie has an annoying nerd, but Mintz-Plasse steals each of his scenes by refusing to descend into the cliché brainiac with a snorting laugh and no common sense or social skills.
Instead, Fogell is a lovable, scrawny teen who thinks he's the most suave guy in school. Mintz-Plasse's delivery is stunning, and his facial expressions are impeccable. You've got to see it to believe it.
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