"Superbad" - A Review

[Note: Thanks to the munificence of Mr. Javen Bohall and Mr. Paul Hoff, we were fortunate to see an advance screening of “Superbad” in Latham, NY last night. This movie does not enter theaters for another week. This review will not contain any spoilers beyond that which is has been provided for online viewing through YouTube.com; however, if you have not been exposed to this, you might want to stop reading here.]

Way back in the summer of 1999, when the country was gripped with pre-millenium angst and dot-coms ruled Wall Street, writer Adam Herz and directors Chris and Paul Weitz created a movie that reintroduced the concept of the R-rated teen comedy to American audiences. The name of the movie was “American Pie,” of course, and it reminded viewers that modern-era teenagers could be as raunchy and hilarious as their counterparts in films like “Porky’s” and “Fast Times At Ridgemont High” a generation prior. The key to the $100 million-plus success of “American Pie,” however, was its essential sweetness – the characters in this film all had redeeming qualities, even the bullies. In “American Pie,” a character like Seann William Scott’s Stifler could do something completely heinous like dose another character’s mocha-chino with laxative, but wound up being embraced as a friend by his peers (and the audience) by the time his story was completed.

The comedic minds behind two recent entries into the pantheon of rewatchably hilarious movies (that would be “The 40 Year Old Virgin” and “Knocked Up”) have dipped their pool into the R-rated teen comedy with the new release “Superbad.” The film comes with an impressive pedigree: while it’s the teen-film directing debut of Greg Mottola, he’s worked on cult television series like “Arrested Development” and “Undeclared.” Additionally, the film features behind-the-scenes input from the genius Judd Apatow (who produces) and newly-minted comedy star Seth Rogen (who co-wrote the movie as well as taking on a supporting part). While this is not any of these people’s first efforts at capturing the teenage dynamic (most of the above were involved in television shows like “Freaks and Geeks” and “Undeclared”), this is their first go-around in the realm of the teenage-themed motion picture.

Needless to say, “Superbad” scores on just about every level. The plot is simple: three high-school-senior losers – nervous, brainy Evan (Michael Cera), gregarious, talkative Seth (Jonah Hill), and insanely dweeby Fogell (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) hatch a plan to purchase alcohol with a fake identification card. Their hope is that, with this alcohol, they can get some girls drunk enough to want to have sex. That’s the main plot: get drunk, get laid. That’s just about it. It seems simple, but that’s pretty much all that they need for approximately 2 hours of hilarity, spurred on by early encounters in school with girls (led by Emma Stone and Martha McIsaac) and then heightened through interactions with two area policemen (Rogen and “Saturday Night Live” player Bill Hader). The simple plot of the movie succeeds because of the utter originality of Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s script, which avoids a great deal of teen-movie clichés and instead takes viewers on a completely original, absurd journey.

The actors are pitch-perfect in this film. Cera’s Evan character is a logical extension of his previous signature role, that of George-Michael Bluth in the late, lamented “Arrested Development” – he retains that character’s stuttery, low-key delivery but adds an edge that’s pretty much commensurate with any sex-and-booze obsessed teenager. As Seth, Jonah Hill is a revelation; he shouts and throws himself around with an abandon remiscent of the finest hours of the late Chris Farley. This movie marks the acting debut of Christopher Mintz-Plasse, who hits a home run – his Fogell is so hilarious and well-rounded that it’s already hard to see him topping this; it’s the kind of definitive role that may well completely define his entire acting career. Hader and Rogen are funny, but their absurdist antics ultimately take a backseat to the teens, who center this movie completely.

In an interesting touch, director Mottola decided to score the film with funk and soul nuggets (the score is performed by a band led by Bootsy Collins) rather than a more current soundtrack – it adds a quirky element to the film that’s somewhat endearing, although I could see some finding it off-putting. Mottola does generally fine work; this is not an auteur’s movie, and generally avoids subtlety for big laughs. The movie does suffer from a mid-way lapse of energy, but is otherwise fun.

Is this film a new “American Pie?” Ultimately, and thankfully, it is not. “American Pie” is suffused with the optimism and naivete of youth, where “Superbad” is infinitely more cynical – it’s a teen movie for people who have survived their own teenaged years and are ready to look back through an unimpeded, non-smoky lens. It’s very funny and well-done, and I highly recommend it.