Superbad

Superbad ****

Directed by Greg Mottola
Written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg

Starring:
Jonah Hill as Seth
Michael Cera as Evan
Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Fogell/McLovin'
Bill Hader as Officer Slater
Seth Rogen as Officer Michaels
Emma Stone as Jules
Martha MacIsaac as Becca
Aviva as Nicola

114 Minutes(Rated R for pervasive crude and sexual content, strong language, drinking, some drug use and a fantasy/comic violent image - all involving teens. )
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I was recommended "Superbad" last April when I declined the invitation to a special advanced screening. I gave the paper to a friend of mine who went and said that even though it was unfinished, it was hilarious. I then saw the trailer before "Grindhouse" and thought it looked as funny as she said it was. Only I was surprised by how popular and hyped it became before its released. I kind of thought this film would go in the direction of "Hot Rod" and not in the direction of "Knocked Up-" which I knew would be a strong success. After "Knocked Up" this is the second mainstream comedy of the summer, and is better than that film by a mile. I did give "Knocked Up" a three star rating, but looking back the film just didn't do it for me. More on that later. "Superbad" is very funny, directed fairly well, and the two leads-Michael Cera and Jonah Hill (who you can pinpoint in almost every teen comedy I can think of in recent memory-"40 Year Old Virgin," "Knocked Up," "Grandma's Boy-" have perfect chemistry with one another. They could have been actual friends for years and I probably would not tell the difference. And lastly it has a script-one of raunchy and dirty jokes and even a bit of poignancy that I felt I could relate to in a way. As a matter of fact, this film comes out at the perfect time in my life. But yet again, more on that later.

"Superbad" follows a day in the life of Evan and Seth (fitting because the film was written by Seth Rogan and Evan Goldberg, and if you know what Seth Rogan looks like, you'll probably be able to guess which character in the film he is, despite the same names.) The two of them have been friends for years, and were planning on going to college together until they did not get accepted in the same schools. And with three weeks left of school, Seth is planning a sex filled summer, to be prepared for when he goes to college. And that requires getting the cute Jules to become him girlfriend. And Evan has his eyes on Becca. The opportunity arrives when Jules decides to throw a party, and Seth proclaims that he has a fake ID and could bring booze to the party. He really intends on using the fake ID of their nerdy tag-a-long friend Fogell, until they feels that he blows it when his fake ID proclaims him "McLovin'"-a twenty five year old Hawaiian organ donor. Fogell decides to try and buy the booze anyway, and after the store gets robbed, the cops arrive, and Seth and Evan think their friend has been arrested. With sex and not getting jailed on the mind, the two of them flee. But the two cops-Officer Slater and Officer Michaels-actually think that Fogell is a twenty five year old Hawaiann organ donor named McLovin', and the three of them set out for a wild night. Meanwhile Seth and Evan go on a quest for booze to get their nights with their lady loves.

"Superbad" does not so much have a plot but has more situations. This is a long and continuous flowing movie, with one thing leading up to the next. Like a long sentence. As are some of the best nights. I could say that this is not only funnier than June's "Knocked Up," but it is simply a better movie. "Knocked Up" was directed by Judd Apatow, and if you revisit my review for the film, you will see that I don't find Apatow to be a good director. His films are strong by the actors and have nothing to do with the scripts he writes. They are also mostly improv giving this constant awkward and inconsistent feel to it. "Superbad" did not rely solely on the actors to make up witty lines on the spot, but rely on actually comedic situations. The scenes in this movie were well written and the situations these characters find themselves in were funny in themselves. Hill and Cera probably did make up lines off the top of their heads, but if they did I couldn't notice because it all seemed to flow and seem natural. It didn't seem edited down and odd like in "Knocked Up." I'm having a hard time seeing the strong love for that mediocre comedy. The dirty dialogue also didn't seem forced and obvious like in "Knocked Up," and I was able to accept that these characters talked that way just because that was who they were. They were actually believable, and spoke in a constant raunchy rhythm. Not a single line seemed out of place.

In addition to being very funny, there is also a sweet side to this one, even though it doesn't start to shine until the last scenes. At its heart, beyond all the fiflth and raunch, "Superbad" is a film about two friends that want to share this last night with one another. They have been friends for all their lives, and are all each other has, and now they are going to be leaving the protection of one another. Having graduated high school only two months ago, and also seeing all my friends go off to different places, I can relate to this, and its handled very well. The final shot is not only a symbol for the two breaking off into different directions, but also is handled where you know that it is not over. It ends on a very sweet note, and this is yet another film I've seen recently where I have been swept up by nostalgia.

And I've gone this far without discussing one of the films funniest characters-the irresistible McLovin'. played by Christopher Mintz-Plasse, who was only born a few days before I was, and was literally plucked off the streets for the role. And while I know that he will be haunted by this role for the rest of his life-I mean he was good, but I can't see him ever do any other movie, ever-this is a damn fine film to be known for the rest of your life that you were in. And his friendship with the two cops-one played by Rogan, and I wish the other were played by his co-writer-offers some of the best comedy moments. The clueless cops and just the fact that they called him McLovin' the whole time made me smile. And they get their own little poignant moment at the end as well. Nothing was wasted. "Superbad" is dirty, sometimes mean, sweet, and downright hilarious. The best comedy of the summer and one of the best movies of the year.