Although the cop characters run out of steam a bit towards the end, the metrosexual relationship between the leads stays fresh all the way through. Brilliant.
Superbad (2007)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:195
Fresh:170
Rotten:25
Average Rating:7.4/10
Consensus: Deftly balancing vulgarity and sincerity while placing its protagonists in excessive situations, Superbad is an authentic take on friendship and the overarching awkwardness of the high school experience.
Rated: 15 [See Full Rating] for pervasive crude and sexual content, strong language, drinking, some drug use and a fantasy/comic violent image - all involving teens.
Runtime: 1 hr 59 mins
Genre: Comedies
Theatrical Release:14-09-2007
Synopsis: Produced by Judd Apatow and co-written by Seth Rogen--both of 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN and KNOCKED UP fame--SUPERBAD is the story of two horny teenage geeks looking to lose their virginity before... Produced by Judd Apatow and co-written by Seth Rogen--both of 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN and KNOCKED UP fame--SUPERBAD is the story of two horny teenage geeks looking to lose their virginity before college. Seth (Jonah Hill) and Evan (Michael Cera) are hoping to end high school on a high note, and when one of their crushes (Emma Hill) invites them to a graduation party, the boys are ecstatic. That is, until they become responsible for supplying the party with alcohol. They hurriedly concoct a scheme to use their friend Fogell's (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) horrendously fake ID, but trouble soon arises when Fogell becomes the victim of a liquor store robbery. The cops (Rogen and Bill Hader) show up, and the evening quickly disintegrates into a hilarious mess of misunderstandings, crackhead sing-alongs, and beer mixed with laundry detergent. Hill is a riot as the wild-haired and foul-mouthed Seth, and Mintz-Plasse is great fun as the uber-geek Fogell. But Michael Cera (formerly of ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT) steals the show as the sensitive and levelheaded Evan. His oddball line delivery and excellent comic timing make for some of the most bizarre but best moments of the film. The sexual humor can be pretty graphic at times, which is no doubt what earned the movie its R rating. Yet, despite gross-out jokes involving menstrual blood and penis drawings, SUPERBAD somehow manages to fly far above frat-boy, AMERICAN PIE-style humor. This is partly due to the comedic skill of the actors, but also because the characters--silly and absurd though they can be--are so well-written. Watching these bungling outcasts is a vivid reminder of the horrific lows and supreme highs of high school life, and their antics rather poignantly capture how age 18 can indeed be super bad, but also super good. [More]
Starring: Michael Cera, Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen, Kevin Corrigan
Starring: Michael Cera, Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen, Kevin Corrigan, Joe LoTruglio, Martha MacIsaac, Emma Stone, Christopher Mintz-Plasse
Director: Greg Mottola
Director: Greg Mottola
Screenwriter: Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg
Producer: Judd Apatow, Shauna Robertson
Composer: Lyle Workman
Studio: Columbia Pictures
Reviews for Superbad
If you can stand the predatory assumptions, which are that girls are mere sex objects to most teenage boys, there's much more to this movie than the usual teen comedy. You can't help laughing even as you wince.
Bawdy, demented and gloriously feel-good, Superbad is as super as comedies get.
The observation of their insecurity and antagonism is very accurate; my problem is that it's not all that funny.
The film proves only that a Hollywood fixated on the slapstick potential of teenage growing pains is finding it harder than ever to say, “Bye, bye, American Pie”.
It's a film that makes American Pie seem sophisticated, and it will have cultural critics shaking their heads and muttering about the death of Western civilization. I loved it.
It's pretty crass and pretty silly, but only a puritanical grump would deny it's funny.
There are some excruciatingly funny moments but there are perhaps not as many laughs as you would hope for given the script’s comedy pedigree.
It's not for the easily offended, but look past the fabulously crude dialogue, and Superbad is one of the most consistently funny and enjoyable teen comedies in years.
The funniest film since, um, Knocked Up. What it lacks in novelty it makes up for with consistency. Supergood.
Doesn't quite have the insight of a classic, but it'll have you smirking for weeks.
‘Superbad’ at its best goes right through knockabout to land in deliciously obscene places – notably a staggering succession of doodles in which tumescent cocks take on various extraordinary guises.
A genuinely hilarious teen comedy with a fantastic script and wonderful comic performances from its three leads.
Equally hilarious and heartfelt, this is the best teen movie since American Pie and should make stars of the fantastic Cera and Hill.
Effortlessly combines the outrageous adventure plot with some strikingly serious subtext about friends growing up and growing apart.
Latest News for Superbad
October 07, 2009:
Emma Stone talks Zombieland - RT Interview
After kicking off her movie career in Superbad as the high-school hottie throwing the cool party, Emma Stone is rapidly carving a niche for herself as a young actress with good... More...
January 09, 2009:
UK Critics Consensus: Indifference For Defiance, Whilst Slumdog Millionaire Shines
A trip to the cinema is a sure-fire way to beat the January blues, but which film should you be shelling out to see? Vying for your pennies this weekend we have Daniel Craig in... More...
September 12, 2008:
UK Critics Consensus: Pineapple Express is smoking hot; If in Eden Lake, DON’T Hug a Hoodie
This week we have the stoner action-comedy The Pineapple Express, with Seth Rogen, James Franco and new boy on the comedy block Danny McBride, plus My Little Eye writer James... More...
August 08, 2008:
Superbad/Pineapple Express Sequel Mashup Coming? ![]()
Interest has been expressed in sequels to both Superbad and Pineapple Express -- and, as James Franco tells MTV, they might both happen, in the form of one movie with two... More...
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