Superbad

Director: Greg Mottola
Starring: Jonah Hill, Michael Cera, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Bill Hader, Seth Rogen, Martha MacIsaac, Emma Stone
Running Time: 114 min.
Rating: R

**** (out of ****)

It's sometimes not so easy to admit, but it can be tough going into a movie that's been hyped up to the level Superbad has. When I keep hearing from everyone that it's the funniest movie they've ever seen and television and the internet build it up to no end it's almost makes me afraid to see it. I mean no film can be THAT good….can it? It becomes harder to go in with a clear mind because there are "expectations." It's times like these where I wish I could lock myself in a room until the film opens so I don't have to hear anything about it. I can go in completely fresh without a single preconceived notion about the film's quality. In this media obsessed universe that notion is beyond impossible, but that's okay. I like to think (perhaps naively) that I can put all that other junk aside when the opening credits roll and judge for myself. A movie has to sink or swim on its own because hype and publicity can only take you so far. It has to, you know, actually be a good movie. It seems since the start of 2007 Superbad was crowned as the comedy event of the year and the word "McLovin" took its place in the pop culture lexicon long before the film actually ever opened.

So, is Superbad the teen sex comedy to end all teen sex comedies? I won't answer that because there have been many more before it and I'm sure they'll be even more after, but it is the first teen sex comedy in years to recapture the magic of something like Fast Times At Ridgemont High, Porky's or Dazed and Confused. There won't be another Superbad. You won't ever again see another Evan, Seth or Fogell unless we get a sequel. What you will probably get is rip-off versions of them in inferior comedies for years to come. When that happens we'll then really be able to look back and realize just how cleverly Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg wrote those characters. Those characters, by the way, are themselves and they co-wrote this film when they were only 14. And yes, it's hilarious. The f-bombs drop like crazy and the dick jokes fly like never before, but there's a lot more there. If it there wasn't it would still be a great comedy, but because there is, it becomes a great movie. It perfectly captures the awkwardness of being in high school and growing up in even the smallest moments, while at the same time nearly slaying you with its dirty humor. Like most comedies these days it probably could have been cut by about 15 minutes, but that's a minor complaint against a mostly perfect movie. After all, it's not often you can say you spent quality time with movie characters who act like real people and whose company you actually enjoy.

Like any teen comedy the plot concerns the two things that are most important in any high school guy's life: beer and girls. Not necessarily in that order either, but in this film they happen to be. Overweight, obnoxious Seth (Jonah Hill) and his awkward best friend, Evan (Michael Cera) are inseparable high school seniors facing impending separation when they go off to different colleges in the fall. Even if, up until now, the biggest problem in their universe was which type of porn to order. The opportunity of a lifetime presents itself when school hottie Jules (Emma Stone) organizes a party and Seth volunteers to provide the alcohol, actually giving him a chance to score while providing Evan the opportunity to close the deal with longtime crush Becca (Martha MacIsaac). It's a deal he has big problems closing since he's scared to death.

The potential keys to this kingdom reside with the only "friend" they know with a fake i.d, the socially inept geek Fogell (Christopher Mintz-Plasse). That i.d., much to Fogell's delight, misidentifies him as a 25 year-old organ donor from Hawaii named "McLovin." The film follows the three over a one-day period from when they arrive at school to Jules' big party later that night. Their mission to get the alcohol and arrive at the party in one piece is the fun of the movie. It doesn't seem like much on paper but director Greg Mottola (The Daytrippers) suggests the possibility of these kids scoring at the party is right up there with the discovery of the Holy Grail. If you think about it, when you're in high school, it really is.

There are about a dozen laughs a second in this, but if I had to pick some of the biggest for me they'd include a dream sequence (or rather three of them) in a liquor store, an unfortunate accident on Seth's leg at a party and a flashback involving his very unhealthy drawing obsession when he was younger. I'm not even scratching the surface though. There are many more, but what's most impressive is how the movie succeeds in the little scenes that shouldn't be funny but are because they so accurately capture that awkwardness of growing up. There's one scene in the hallway with Evan attempting to have a conversation with Becca, but he reacts just the wrong way to everything she says and is oblivious to her blatantly obvious cues that she likes him. Rogen and Goldberg's script just nails it. It also helps that Evan is played Michael Cera, who's basically transporting his small screen George Michael character from Arrested Development to the big screen with nothing lost in the translation. He has to be the king of the awkward pause and stammering delivery. Is he capable of playing any other character? I have no idea, but I'm not eager to find out since he does this one so well.

Unlike Evan, Seth is detestable, but what most seem to have missed is that he's annoying and vulgar because he's just projecting his own self-hatred. He doesn't think he stands a chance with any girl (must less a hot one) unless she's completely trashed so he hides behind his insults and sex jokes. Is he right? We find out at the end and the answer will surprise us and him. Even funnier is his extreme possessiveness of Seth, really the only friend he has, who he risks driving away with his insane behavior. If there's ever a live action South Park movie you can bet Jonah Hill's going to be the first to read for Cartman.

Fogell represents Seth's worst nightmare: a threat to his friendship with Evan and the ultimate deal killer for any slim chance he may have with a hot girl. He wouldn't even have him around if not for that fake id. and even with that he still treats him like crap. When Fogell first appears on screen and memorably delivers the line, "Hey Gangstas. What's up?" we know we're being treated to the birth of an iconic movie character and a star-making performance from Christopher Mintz-Plasse. He's a geek, but one you'll recognize from high school, not a cartoon. That's a delicate balance to strike, but Plasse finds it. A big deal has been made about the scene where Fogell, after being victimized in a liquor store robbery, is forced to reveal his fake identity to two bumbling police officers played by Rogen and Bill Hader. What's funnier though is the cops' reaction and how they deal with "McLovin" for the rest of the picture. It was something I didn't expect to work well at all and seems out of left field, but it clicks because of the chemistry that exists between Rogen, Hader and Plasse. At First glance, the cops seem just incompetent and stupid, but later we're given an explanation for their behavior that I was actually really happy with. It makes sense in a crazy sort of way, at least for this movie. These cops may be completely reckless and irresponsible, but they're not stupid. No one in this movie is stupid, just hilariously unique.

The film's epic running time (at least for a comedy) kind of works in its favor toward the end as the suspense of what will happen to these guys at the party becomes almost unbearable. Sure, lessons are learned and realizations are made but how it happens and what is actually learned couldn't be more surprising. It's not only an unusually strong ending for a comedy, but one that's entirely believable and makes sense. It's also the rare film that treats its female characters with respect and intelligence. Neither love interest here is the typical "popular bitch" stereotype prevalent in nearly every teen movie. They actually look and act like real high school girls, not actresses or supermodels. They're smart and have actual opinions and feelings about what these guys are doing, which is never clearer than in the final minutes. They're not just props and are just as important to the story as the guys are.

This movie pushes the envelope about as far as it can go in terms of language and crudeness, but it's not gratuitous. Anyone will tell you this is how high school kids talk…all the time. It's here where you realize how much it means to have Judd Apatow attached to this project as a producer. The man just gets it and it's clear he's operating at an entirely different level than anyone else in Hollywood when it comes to comedy. This may go down as the year Apatow saved comedy as we know it. Just the thought that there could many more movies starring this core group of talented actors and writers is reason enough alone to be excited about the future of the genre. John Hughes can stay in retirement. Comedies don't get much funnier or smarter than this. Any way you look at it, hype or no hype, Superbad qualifies as super great.