Who knew that a raunchy teen sex comedy could be one of the most rambunctious and glorious movies of the year?
Superbad (2007)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
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
While the film's preoccupation with sex and teens will immediately turn off many, there's no denying that a lot of this material is funny. Some of it is laugh-out-loud funny.
All this foul talk is packaging for a central, completely sweet Apatowian premise: Friendship is precious. So, too, is any piece of entertainment that reminds us that this thought is more than just some Hallmark slogan.
The point is that while Superbad is just as dumb as it looks in every way, there's also something fairly sophisticated going on, which is always a pleasant, and genuine, surprise.
A lot of wit and inventiveness went into this production -- too bad it couldn't have been used constructively.
What is required is a sense of humor. Bring that to the theater with you and you won't be disappointed.
Add Superbad to this list of films fit for weekend slackerdom, fraternity row pre-gaming and 30-somethings taking a drunken stumble down memory lane.
I don't think I've ever identified this much with a high school movie.
I've seen a few movies that were a little funnier, but I don't think I've ever seen so many individual performances that brought more laughs than these three do.
Captures the mysterious pit of erection-led shame that lies deep inside every self-conscious young man...the most truthful portrayal of uncut teenage thinking put to the screen since Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
If only every comedy that comes out these days could be tinkered with for 12 years before it's released into theaters.
Superbad maintains that delicate balance of sweetness, empathy and vulgar comedy. It's so packed with irreverent lowbrow wit that you scarcely notice how it quietly shifts from gross-out jokes to adult themes.
a very funny, raunchy comedy that should clean up what’s left of the summer box office
Superbad is a successful laugher, no doubt about it, but what lingers afterwards is the poignancy of childhoods reaching an end.
Their almost Tourette-ish stream of endless obscenities, vivid and imaginative as they are, are less an expression of their actual interests and intentions than they are a sort of terrified incantation to ward off their greatest fear: humiliation.
Superbad might be the most provocative teen sex comedy ever made; it is certainly one of the most convulsively funny.
The comic peaks of Superbad deal in specific characters rather than easily pegged stereotypes. Their most outlandish verbal riffs -- none of which can be quoted -- give the edgiest stuff in Knocked Up a run for its money.
Greg Mottola executes Superbad with his characteristically light touch, even if it's used in the service of filthy sight gags, endless profanity and an inordinate obsession with bodily fluids.
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...
More DVDs
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 15% 15% | The Ugly Truth |
| 98% 98% | Up |
| 36% 36% | G.I. Joe: The Rise of … |
| 52% 52% | The Taking of Pelham 1… |
| 45% 45% | Ice Age: Dawn of the D… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 45% 45% | Shorts |
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Sponsored Links
Fresh Links
Featured

Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.

Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.





