By Tanner Smith
I just freaking love “Superbad,” OK?!
I remember a time back when for me and my friends in high school, this was the must-see movie for us! One of us even had one of those shirts that said “I Am McLovin” (anyone else remember those?). We just HAD to see this movie, and when it was released on DVD, we watched it over and over and over again.
As I got older, some of the more outrageous comedy sort of wore out on me (while the rest of it still makes me laugh out loud). But I also saw something more within the movie too. “Superbad,” for all its talk of partying, drinking, and getting “lucky,” is subtly an anti-party movie. Really think about it–all Seth (Jonah Hill) and Evan (Michael Cera) want to do is get drunk, have sex with their crushes, and party all night. They go through great lengths to get liquor. On the way, they wind up at a rowdy adult party where partying gets nasty and unwelcoming. They finally get to the party where their crushes are, and Evan’s crush gets crazy-drunk while Seth ultimately strikes out by drinking and accidentally giving his girl (Emma Stone in one of her first roles) a shiner. Do you think these guys are going to want to act this way after that crazy night? I don’t think they would, especially after they’ve declared their shared platonic love to each other at the end of the night.
This makes “Superbad,” a movie I loved as a teen, somewhat more realistic and also a better film to watch as an adult. As funny as it is, I think it works as a cautionary tale too.
Of course, Fogell (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) doesn’t learn a single thing, but whatever–let the kid have a good time this night. (“BREAK YO’SELF, FOOL!”)
My favorite scene: Fogell reveals his fake ID to Seth and Evan, which has one name: McLovin! The dialogue here is so silly, you have to be a genius to write Fogell’s idiotic logic. (That’s one of the reasons I’m jealous of Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg’s writing.)
Like I said, some of “Superbad” doesn’t work as much for me–for example, what was the point of the multiple penis drawings, other than Rogen & Goldberg wanted to push the envelope? (I think I just answered my own question.) But a lot of it still does, and that’s what keeps me coming back to it every once in a while. It’s naughty, it’s hilarious, it’s even kind of sweet.
Smith's Verdict 
Leave a Reply