Superbad (2007)

The early years of the first decade of the 21st century were greatly defined by the films of Judd Apatow. Everyone who lived in those years, almost definitely saw Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, The 40 Year-Old Virgin, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby and Knocked Up and loved them and made Apatow’s name one known in every Hollywood studio. After the hit Knocked Up, he produced a comedy teen film directed by Greg Mottola (Who would later direct and write hit comedy Adventureland), a film that would forever resonate through history with one word; McLovin. Let’s talk about Superbad.

Our two heroes in this epic tale are Evan (Michael Cera) and Seth (Jonah Hill), two sex obsessed close friends who are living through the last days of high school. Chance encounters allow the two to converse with the girls they have fawned over during their high school years, Jules (Emma Stone) and Becca (Martha MacIssac), and soon they found out that Jules is throwing a party for the end of high school. After finding out, and bragging about, that their drinking buddy Fogell (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) is going to get a fake ID, Seth is ask to acquire the alcohol to fuel the party. Seth then comes up with a plan to use the alcohol to make him and Evan look ‘pimp’ and take advantage of their respective crushes’ intoxication so they can become experienced in sex before going off to college. The plan goes awry when Fogell, now under the guise of McLovin, is mugged and Seth and Evan interpret the police car outside as meaning McLovin’s ruse as been rumbled, and try and think new ideas to get booze so they can tap some ass.
It is here that the film divides into two plots; the main plot is Seth and Evan goal to get alcohol and get to the party; the other plot is McLovin’s journey with two strange cops Slater (Bill Hader) and Michaels (Seth Rogen). In the Evan and Seth plot, the two compatriots find themselves at a another party in order to steal the host’s alcohol and find themselves involved with the host’s menstruating girlfriend and Evan having to sing to the party’s cocaine, due to them confusing them with someone else. McLovin’s quest with the coppers who were rejected from Police Academy for being too zany, involving drinking, smoking, playing with guns and abusing their powers as officers of the law.

While it may be strange for a film’s goal, what drives the plot, to be taking advantage of drunk girls and it is what many people constitute rape, it’s genius in doing it because that is what most teenage boys plan and the only reason why many go to parties. Now, some of you may have just had a friendly game of tonsil tennis with the drunk person in question, but you may have pulled away because of ethics, allowed the person to keep their dignity or you have a feeling they may vomit during sex, but many still go through with the deed and while they may not have malice on their mind, it’s still a messed-up thing.

A lot of the humour comes from the interaction and chemistry between the characters in the two plots; Seth and Evan in plot A; McLovin, Michaels and Slater in plot B. Plot A has Jonah Hill and Michael Cera having extremely well on-screen chemistry, with conversations focused almost entirely on sex and they have a good contrast in their voices; Seth speaks loud and crass, while Evan is more quiet and polite. Plot B has Christopher Mintz-Plasse stealing the scenes whenever with Seth Rogen or Bill Hader. It’s just so funny to see the way these police guys act and while some may say they’re a little over the top and would probably be too quirky and over-the-top for Police Academy, I think that is what makes them so funny

Now, this just may be my ability to take something way out of context and usually put it in a homoerotic context, but there was quite a bit of latent homoeroticism in this film. It was very prevalent during the scenes near the end and the ending as well. In one scene, Seth has to carry an intoxicated Evan out of the party as so not to get caught by the police raiding the party and it was such homage to the famous final scene in An Officer and a Gentleman, I was humming 'Up Where We Belong'. In another scene, Evan and Seth are having a sleep over in Evan’s basement and while in their separate sleeping bags (symbolism?) proclaim their love for each other, although it might have been brotherly love, and they both share a warm and loving hug, that really reminded me of the penultimate scene in Y Tu Mama Tambien, where Luisa is pleasing Julio and Tenoch and during it, Julio and Tenoch kiss each other so passionately. Even the scene following afterwards, where they wake up sober and realising they kind of slept together, the reaction they have is very similar to how, in fiction and real life, straight friends react to realising they had a homoerotic moment together, with that mixture of awkwardness and memory of how good it was. The ending (SPOILER ALERT) show the two going separate ways with their respective girls and it was very similar to a painful and heartbreaking separation between two true lovers, especially when Seth stares at the fading Evan with near tear-filled eyes.

My only criticism to this film would probably have to be why did the film begin like the rest would emulate the aesthetics of ’70s and ’80s films? The film starts with the Columbia Pictures logo from the late ‘70s, the credits have this grainy look and the use of 'Too Hot to Stop' by The Bar-Keys made me think this could be a blaxploitation or a film emulating the genre and there is good use of funk music. But the film does nothing to emulate the ‘70s or ‘80s or even reminds me of films from those days, so it was a little confusing. I guess it reminded me of the classic teen coming-of-age films of that era, but it is a bit of a stretch.

Superbad is a really funny and entertaining film, the underlying plot of sex and alcohol reminding me of the classic National Lampoon’s Animal House, just a bit more grown-up and serious. Every character is eclectic and lovable from the get-go and while the plot may be simplistic and little bit upsetting, it’s fresh, well scripted and well acted. Don’t miss out on this humorous romp through the teen years.

I’m Random Internet Critic and I criticise it because I got somethin' that makes me wanna shout, I got somethin' that tells me what it's all about