Written by Hombre Divertido
Superbad is two movies for the price of one! One is Super and the other is Bad.
In a concoction that combines the best of American Graffiti and Fast Times at Ridgemont High and the worst of Police Academy, the audience is treated to solid performances by Jonah Hill, Michael Cera, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse, as three high school boys out to score some liquor, hit the in-crowd party, and lose their virginity, all on one fateful night. Unfortunately the audience is also subjected to the totally ridiculous escapades of Seth Rogen and Bill Hader as two inept policemen caught up in the antics of the evening.
If you can focus on the well-established and thus enjoyable relationship between Seth (Hill), Evan (Cera), and Fogell (Mintz-Plasse), you will enjoy dialog worthy of Tarantino, relatable situations, and escapades that are sure to take you back to that period in your life. Mintz-Plase alone manages to create one of the most memorable characters since Napoleon Dynamite and just getting to experience all that is Fogell is worth the price of admission. The three characters grow throughout the film and a well-crafted message is delivered without getting sappy.
Writers Rogen and Evan Goldberg are obviously capable of creating quality material. The plot is simple, but highlighted with spot-on dialog that we can easily imagine all high school kids uttering, and not unlike films of the eighties such as The Breakfast Club or The Big Chill, this film is about relationships and how they grow.
Had Rogen and Goldberg been willing to trust in the quality of the story of our trio, and not felt the need to introduce the two bumbling police officers who take up far too much screen time and literally bring nothing to the party, a classic film would have been created. Instead we have some classic characters in a convoluted story within a mediocre film.
Recommendation: The scenes in which our heroes come close to having sex have the female leads delivering lines that are too graphic and thus seem a bit out of character. This seemed to make the audience uncomfortable. As previously stated: Getting to experience Fogel is worth the price of admission, though experiencing him on DVD when you can fast forward through the scenes with the police may increase the value.
Fogell Goes to College would make a great sequel, just don’t call the cops.
