Film

What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases

Updates:

Superbad (2007)

Director: Greg Mottola

Time Out rating

Average user rating

58 reviews

Synopsis

A coming-of-age tale about two socially inept teenage boys about to graduate high school. Theirs is a ridiculously dependent friendship – but now, they've gotten into different colleges and are forced to contemplate life apart. Evan is sweet, smart, and generally terrified. Seth is foul-mouthed, volatile, and all-consumed with the opposite sex. This is the story of their misguided attempts to approach the objects of their affections in one panic-driven night.

Movie review

From Time Out London

After sex (‘The 40 Year Old Virgin’) and pregnancy (‘Knocked Up’), the new crowned kings of comedy – the broad, improvisatory ensemble of comics and filmmakers headed by Judd Apatow – turn to adolescence. ‘Superbad’ stars Michael Cera and Jonah Hill (the tubby one from ‘Knocked Up’) as two high school seniors preoccupied with alcohol, virginity, parties and the transition to college. Hardly an unprecedented set-up – ‘Dazed and Confused’ and ‘American Pie’ come most quickly to mind – but, like its stablemates, the picture is delivered with unusually high levels of both belly laughs and emotional affect. Gross-out is exploited – and how – but shaded with, and put to the service of, self-awareness, fellow-feeling and regret.

The film is produced by Apatow, co-written by ‘Knocked Up’ lead Seth Rogen and directed by Greg Mottola, whose TV work has included ‘Undeclared’ with Apatow and ‘Arrested Development’ with Cera. Working their pre-existing personae, Hill and Cera make a charmingly geeky odd couple, though third stooge Christopher Mintz-Plasse threatens to steal the movie as the über-nerd who falls in with a pair of puerile cops (including Rogen in a handlebar moustache) by dint of a preposterous fake ID identifying him simply as ‘McLovin’.

If these scenes set themselves a lower bar than the unassumingly deft character work of the main story, with its lively attention to adolescent anxieties, ‘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. Crafted with such deliriously pain-staking care as to defy offence, they stand for a film, a group of films, defining the difference between vulgarity and crassness.

Author: Ben Walters 2007-09-10 17:15:56

Time Out London Issue 1934: September 12-18 2007

Bookmark

User reviews of this film

Tina said...

Posted on Mar 27 2008 17:37 i thought it was really funny. But the big afro dude main character thing really started to annoy me. Couldnt they have picked better looking teens. i mean God!

Report as inappropriate
Technoguy said...

Posted on Mar 18 2008 00:59 A good amusing rollocking big dipper of the teen gross-out movie the Americans do so well.

Report as inappropriate
Rikki said...

Posted on Jan 26 2008 14:20 Excellent film, top rating, Film is soo funny and relates just like real teenagers.

Report as inappropriate
Rodge said...

Posted on Jan 07 2008 17:56 The best damn movie i have ever seen. It is easily one of the funniest in the past couple years.

Report as inappropriate
Marie said...

Posted on Dec 03 2007 13:46 Went to see this film as thought Knocked up was fantastic. This film however was rubbish, very predictably. Very disappointed.

Report as inappropriate
pooface said...

Posted on Nov 11 2007 13:23 if your going to comment then rate all except one of these comments say five star but people forget so it has a user rating of 3 please rate!!!!!

Report as inappropriate
dave lock said...

Posted on Nov 02 2007 19:36 if this film was any better, i wud f needed tissues...

Report as inappropriate
Lily said...

Posted on Oct 27 2007 19:46 This film is hilarious! A must see!
<33

Report as inappropriate
Emo said...

Posted on Oct 19 2007 12:15 Omg. Totally The Sh*t.
<33 Loved It.

Report as inappropriate
xxcherrypiexx said...

Posted on Oct 19 2007 10:02 best film in da world.10/10.gonna go see it again.can't wait till it comes out on dvd.fab!!!!!!:)

Report as inappropriate
Abigail said...

Posted on Oct 15 2007 14:24 I didnt really want to go watch this film but im so glad i did! it was the funniest film i had seen in ages i was non stop laughing!!

Report as inappropriate
Nicole said...

Posted on Oct 11 2007 23:45 u must see this film. Actually,it made me happy. perfect

Report as inappropriate
archemedies said...

Posted on Oct 11 2007 09:54 the title says it all.

Report as inappropriate
millie said...

Posted on Oct 10 2007 20:40 i cant wait to see it on my b-day

Report as inappropriate
tuesday said...

Posted on Oct 08 2007 15:11 an excellent film!
me and my mates agree that it is one of the funniest films we have ever seen in our lifetime.
:)

Report as inappropriate