Bad to the bone
First
there was Porky's, then there was American Pie;
and now in the great tradition of sexually charged teen comedies
comes Superbad. Despite its subject matter, and its title,
this movie actually isn't super-bad. Of course, the fact that
it refuses to even take itself seriously helps – as does
the fact that this comedy was produced by none other than Judd
Atapow, the current king of crude – but funny – comedy
(The 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up).
Co-written by Evan Goldberg and actor Seth Rogen
(who also appears in the film), the script has enough laughs to
keep you with the film for its 114 minutes running time, even
if the plot itself is paper thin. The task of keeping the whole
thing together falls to director Greg Mottola; whose last feature
film was the well-received indie The Daytrippers, but
who has been working in television for several years. He does
a pretty good job, even if the pace does flag a little in places.
The story concerns two friends Seth (Jonah Hill)
and Evan (Michael Cera) who are entering the final days of their
life at high school. Evan has gotten into the prestigious Dartmouth
College, something that clearly irks the less successful Seth.
But with school just about over, their sights are set on two things
– getting into a graduation party, and getting laid. Their
dream might just come true when the boys somehow manage to get
themselves invited to a party being held by Jules (Emma Stone).
This allows Evan a shot at winning the heart (or perhaps body)
of Becca (Martha MacIsaac). But there's a hitch – they need
to bring the alcohol to the party. Salvation arrives in the rather
awkward form of Fogell (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), who says he
can score a fake ID. When that ID arrives, it carries the bizarre
one-word name 'McLovin'. Despite their doubts, the boys decide
to use the ID to buy booze, but their attempt is interrupted by
a robbery at the liquor store, that brings police officers Slater
(Bill Hader) and Michaels (Seth Rogen) to the scene. And from
there, things get even worse.
At its heart, this is a coming-of-age story as Seth
and Evan come to terms with their diverging paths in life. Goldberg
and Rogen have however decided to wrap that story up in a series
of jokes involving body parts, bodily fluids (and lots of them)
and alcohol. It's all pretty juvenile, and I guess the question
is how you relate to that kind of humour.
Put
it this way, if you liked American Pie (and, let's face
it, the first of that series was really the only one worth watching),
then you'll have a good time with this film. It certainly doesn't
have either the insight or the wit of Knocked Up; but there are
some very funny moments here. Many of these are provided by the
secondary characters, particularly the two cops and 'McLovin'
as they go on a bizarre road trip around suburbia trying to figure
out how the hell they've lost their youth so quickly.
Mention should also be made of the retro soundtrack,
that includes everyone from Curtis Mayfield and Rick James to
Motorhead and Ted Nugent(!).
Jonah Hill, recently seen in both Knocked Up
and Evan Almighty, is once more very funny as Seth. Michael
Cera is more the straight man to Hill's character, but still manages
to make an impression. Seth Rogen and Bill Hader seem to have
a great time as the loose-cannon cops; but the film's best moments
belong to Christopher Mintz-Plasse as the gawky but hilarious
Fogell a.k.a. McLovin.
Superbad isn't the funniest movie you'll
see on DVD this year, and is let down by a few dead spots and
a couple of scenes that seem superfluous to requirements. But
there's enough here to keep your average 18 year old male well
satisfied. Not one to watch with your maiden aunt, but Superbad
is a more than passable comedy for those with a broad mind.
David Edwards
