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Written by Rick Bentley, MCT
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Tuesday, 14 August 2007 |
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SUPERBAD
Grade: C
Rated R for language, drug use. Stars Jonah Hill, Michael Cera, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Seth Rogan. Directed by Greg Motolla. Running time: 1 hour, 32 minutes.
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In the grand tradition of "Porky's," "Dazed and Confused" and "American Pie" comes "Superbad." The film joins the pantheon of cinematic offerings where young men only have two things on their mind.
They spend 60 percent of their time thinking about sex and 60 percent thinking about partying. (That adds up to more than 100 percent, but all of these movies show that young men often think about having sex while partying.)
The mantle of debauchery is passed to Jonah Hill, Michael Cera and newcomer Christopher Mintz-Plasse. They play Seth, Evan and Fogell, three high school buddies on the verge of graduation. That means only one thing: They need to lose their virginity.
This is a quest full of peril, mostly for Fogell. The ultra nerd is the only member of the group who has a fake ID. It's not that good a fake. Fogell tries to pass himself off as a Hawaii resident known only as McLovin.
The trio get separated at the liquor store. Seth and Evan end up on a short road trip that takes them to the party from Hell. Meanwhile Fogell, excuse me, McLoven, finds himself in the company of a couple of police officers (played by Seth Rogan and Bill Hader), who believe in the motto of "To serve drinks and protect themselves from prosecution."
It is at this juncture that "Superbad" begins to lose steam. Hill tries too hard to be the next Jack Black with his over-the-top antics, wild gyrations and constant mugging for the cameras. Cera is so hopelessly dull that he almost fades into the background.
The more interesting story is McLovin's adventures with the police officers. They introduce him to the virtues of carrying a gun, street fighting and free beer. It is the funnier half of the movie. This is Mintz-Plasse's first film. If he can repeat this kind of quality work, he has a bright future ahead.
Eventually, the two halves of the film weave back together. That's when the movie suddenly grows a conscious. There is a very heavy message about teenage drinking, responsible sexual activity and the fragile nature of friendship. This all seems tacked on as a way to apologize for the crass and crude humor that dominates the majority of the movie.
That's a surprise as "Superbad" was written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, the team behind the very funny "Knocked Up."
These kinds of movies aren't supposed to deliver deep social messages. The humor comes from the out-of-control drive by the young cast to drink as much as possible and to have as much sex as they can. There's nothing really funny about being responsible.
You do have to admire the filmmakers for having the nerve to call the movie "Superbad." But this film isn't super bad. It isn't super good. It's just half a funny movie. | Only registered users can write comments.
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