Superbad
Raunchy teen comedy Superbad arrives in South Africa riding a giant wave of hype. The film has already been a massive success in the United States, making over $120 million at the box office and achieving much critical acclaim. It also comes from the same creative team behind hit sex comedies The 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up.
Unfortunately, Superbad actually doesn’t live up to the hype. It’s far from being “superbad” but it’s certainly no comedy masterpiece.
But then again, perhaps it’s just a case of this reviewer getting older and losing an appreciation of this specific comedy sub-genre. You see, there’s no question that Superbad will find an audience locally. The film’s chosen time of release is perfect – as Matric exams end, many childhood chums are going their different ways. This exact situation is what Superbad explores.
It’s 2 weeks before high school graduation, and geeky best friends, foul-mouthed Seth (Jonah Hill) and shy Evan (Michael Cera), are having to face up to the fact that they’re soon going to be separated as they head off to different universities. At the same time, the friends, desperate to lose their virginity before college, realise they’re running out of time to hook up with their dream girls.
When they, and super-dork Fogell (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), are tasked with using a fake ID to buy alcohol for a graduation party, events rapidly spiral out of control.
Most of the humour in Superbad stems from Seth’s use of sexually explicit language. While American Pie actually depicted sexual situations, in Superbad there’s very little sex. Instead, characters talk about it in graphic detail. You are warned: Superbad is not for the easily offended!
This isn’t to say that Superbad doesn’t have its laugh-out-loud moments – there’s a hilariously awkward, drunken sex scene, as well as various amusing sequences with Fogell and the 2 irresponsible police offers who befriend him.
A number of critics have raved about Superbad’s heartfelt treatment of young male friendship, and there's certainly a sense, especially towards the end of the film, that Superbad is ultimately Seth and Evan’s “love story.” It’s just that Superbad’s more serious scenes leap out at the audience from nowhere, and seem a bit disjointed and forced as a result.
Older teens will probably get a kick out of Superbad. More mature audiences, however, should probably seek out Clerks II on DVD for an equally foul-mouthed, but far more poignant and witty examination of how growing up changes friendships.
Unfortunately, Superbad actually doesn’t live up to the hype. It’s far from being “superbad” but it’s certainly no comedy masterpiece.
But then again, perhaps it’s just a case of this reviewer getting older and losing an appreciation of this specific comedy sub-genre. You see, there’s no question that Superbad will find an audience locally. The film’s chosen time of release is perfect – as Matric exams end, many childhood chums are going their different ways. This exact situation is what Superbad explores.
It’s 2 weeks before high school graduation, and geeky best friends, foul-mouthed Seth (Jonah Hill) and shy Evan (Michael Cera), are having to face up to the fact that they’re soon going to be separated as they head off to different universities. At the same time, the friends, desperate to lose their virginity before college, realise they’re running out of time to hook up with their dream girls.
When they, and super-dork Fogell (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), are tasked with using a fake ID to buy alcohol for a graduation party, events rapidly spiral out of control.
Most of the humour in Superbad stems from Seth’s use of sexually explicit language. While American Pie actually depicted sexual situations, in Superbad there’s very little sex. Instead, characters talk about it in graphic detail. You are warned: Superbad is not for the easily offended!
This isn’t to say that Superbad doesn’t have its laugh-out-loud moments – there’s a hilariously awkward, drunken sex scene, as well as various amusing sequences with Fogell and the 2 irresponsible police offers who befriend him.
A number of critics have raved about Superbad’s heartfelt treatment of young male friendship, and there's certainly a sense, especially towards the end of the film, that Superbad is ultimately Seth and Evan’s “love story.” It’s just that Superbad’s more serious scenes leap out at the audience from nowhere, and seem a bit disjointed and forced as a result.
Older teens will probably get a kick out of Superbad. More mature audiences, however, should probably seek out Clerks II on DVD for an equally foul-mouthed, but far more poignant and witty examination of how growing up changes friendships.
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P.S. Man that is a long comment. :p