Thoughts : Superbad (2007)
As a longtime fan of Judd Apatow’s brilliant Freaks and Geeks, I quickly learned that anything even remotely related to that show and Apatow’s circle needed to be on my radar. Many of the stars from the show became breakout stars in their own right, introducing Hollywood to an entirely new set of faces and directors. One of the early stakes claimed during their historic run was the instant comedy classic Superbad.
Seth (Jonah Hill) and Evan (Michael Cera) are high school seniors (and lifelong friends) on the verge of graduation. Evan will be attending Dartmouth the following Fall, while Seth will be relegated to the local college, and the friends are doing everything they can do to ignore the fact that their days of being inseparable are numbered. On what appears to be a normal day, word begins to spread of a house party being thrown by the popular Jules (Emma Stone). By a stroke of luck, Seth and Jules are paired in home economics shortly after their friend Fogell (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) informs them of plans to get a fake ID. Seth decides to step up and provide Jules with alcohol for her party, convincing Fogell to use his fake ID to do so and Evan to buy alcohol for his crush, Becca (Martha MacIsaac). Needless to say, the adventures unfold and hilarity ensues.
My favorite thing about this film is the way it is secretly a blaxplotation film masquerading as a high school comedy. Be it the opening credits, the musical choices, or even particular wardrobe choices for Seth and Fogell, the film embraces the nature of films in the vein of Cooley High. The film focuses on coming of age events for protagonists that are not your standard variety, but find themselves unafraid to embrace their offbeat personalities and quirks. The group finds themselves in a Murphy’s Law-style slippery slope of bad luck, with each obstacle presenting more danger than the previous one, and all so the group can ultimately get drunk and have some high school sex. The vocabulary and conversations mirror blaxplotation films as well, with the language being coarse, the humor blue and the moments heartfelt and real.
By that same blaxplotation rationale, Superbad turns many of the high-school film tropes on their ear, finding new ways to mine humor from the old. The rebellious spirit of films like Porky’s or Fast TImes at Ridgemont High is fully present, but taken to much deeper levels via the quick-witted and quick-thinking cast at Greg Mottola’s disposal. Line-o-rama is used to great effect throughout the film, resulting in some very real humor based on familiar scenarios (trying to score, outwitting police, going to a party full of strangers and so on). The police end up being two of the funniest characters in the film, connecting with Fogell in such a unique and wonderful way that it quickly becomes the B-story vying for position as the A-story.
Jonah Hill, Michael Cera and Emma Stone all had huge breakout success in the wake of Superbad, and that success was well deserved. Christopher Mintz-Plasse played his role so good that he basically typecast himself. Seth Rogen and Bill Hader stepped in and ramped the funny up to the point of no return, damn near stealing the show. Matha MacIsaac played her role very well, playing both cute and awkward in perfectly equal measure. Many, many, many Apatow-related regulars make brilliantly hilarious cameos throughout.
Superbad is one of those instant cult-classic films that is apparent from the moment you finish it. The humor is infectious, the story is believable despite its outrageous nature, and the friendship between Cera and Hill portrayed on the screen feels very real. If you have two hours to kill and need a nice, feel good roller-coaster, this film may be the way to go.