Superbad review by Jackass Tom

If you are a sick and twisted SOB like me and you like watching foul-mouthed high school geeks, squirm and squeal as they try to purchase alcohol under a horrible fake ID that has the single name "McLovin" on it, then there is only one movie for you this year: Enchantment. Ok, let me try that again. If you are looking for a movie that won’t make you think, but will make you crack up as bumbling, inept cops drink on the job with an under-aged nerd while shooting at a harmless stop sign, then the only movie you need to see this year is P.S. I Love You.. Danm, I can NEVER get these intros right. Sometimes I’d rather not write one at all. Ok, quick breath, quick breath….jump in the pool. The one single movie I would recommend from 2007 for the best end-to-end belly laughs since Old School and best pure overall enjoyment is the super crass, super funny, Superbad.

Most critics would probably would save their top suggestions for a classier movie; one in which one of the main characters did not compare a woman’s nipples to “little baby toes.” But movies cannot all be rated on the same scale. Levels of enjoyment can come through laughter, engagement of thought, or connection with the story. In the case of Superbad, it’s the hearty laughs and to some degree the association I had with the two main characters that really knocked in the winning run. Seeing those goofy dorks screw around one of their parents basements, chugging beers, and doing stupid harmless things brought me back a little bit to my own youth. Evan (Michael Cera) and Seth (Jonas Hill) are the best of friends in high school and have been best friends since they were 7. They really don’t know a life any different, but they also know they will be separated when it comes time to go to college so now is the time to enjoy life. They aren’t popular, but definitely not geeks either. They fall into high school caste limbo where you aren’t society’s lost cause but at the same time are also not exactly drawing looks and glances from the cheerleaders. They are my people; the kind of kids I would have hung out with in high school (with last names Reilly and Fuerst).

As mentioned above the usual Saturday or Friday night is spent not at a big high school kegger or house party but at each other’s house finding fun in the most menial activities. Along comes their nerdy buddy Fogel a.k.a. Fagel (later a.k.a McLovin) with talk of acquiring a fake I.D. and all of a sudden they are crawling up the scale of popularity. Seth vouches for Fogel’s ability to score alcohol for Jules party (Jules being an approachable hotty that the chunky yet comical Seth can somehow manage to charm). Suddenly the standard Friday night has turned into a three man quest to score liquor and be the party heroes.

Some might compare Superbad to American Pie in that its about a group of high schoolers who desperately want to lose their virginity before they head off to college. That is one of the themes, yes but Superbad is more about the bond of friendship between the two main characters than it is about a group of semi-close friends giving an oath to get laid by prom. Superbad a Hollywood-less approach to the characters. Cera and Hill are not only more high school looking but they are also less clean cut and a little more believable as misfit kids. In many ways I would rather compare Superbad to another enjoyable buddy saga Harold and Kumar. In both movies a pair (or trio) of friends band together for one crazy, unexpected night filled with hilarious side characters and stories that you would hope to tell your grandkids about…when they are much older.

The movie was written by real life school buds Seth Rogen (a.k.a. the guy that plays one of the cops along side Bill Hader) and Evan Goldberg. Rumor has it they started writing it when they were 13 but given most of the content I don’t see how that is even possible. Regardless of when it was written, the friendship between them can really be felt in the movie. As much as many of the moments are dirty for the sake of a good laugh (little kid compulsively drawing penises), many more are so genuine that they make you think most other Hollywood writers forgot what it was really like in high school (the late night sleeping bag sleep over). For that as much as anything I enjoyed the movie because it really did bring me back in a way. I felt (unlike American Pie that these kids really do exist somewhere in suburbia.

Its not good clean fun, but it’s a lot of fun and so far probably the most enjoyably funny movie of the year for me. Definitely lots of PG-13 to R-rated humor, so as long as you are the right age (or your "I.D." says you are) Superbad is a comedy worth checking out.




9 out of 10 Jackasses
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