Sunday, August 19, 2007

Deflower Power

Movie Review: Superbad


½



I have to start out this review with a minor disclaimer – I am a woman. Being a female watching this movie means that there are probably some jokes I missed – but for those of you out there who were adolescent males and a little geeky, you will laugh your ass off at this movie even more than I did.

This flick is one long and loving script dedicated to the male anatomy. Don’t get me wrong, it should be honored, but this is one hysterical way to give the appendage screen time without ever showing a live one (it is depicted in other ways). Breasts are so often honored I feel it was about time that a movie reflected how much of a man’s life, and decisions, are driven by their other brains.

Judd Apatow is my new hero. This man can do just about anything these days and it will be a success (as long as it isn’t made for the small screen). While only a producer this time around, he understands what is funny and therefore lets Seth Rogan and Evan Goldberg run away with this script (including giving the 2 main characters their own names as an homage to themselves).

Best friends, super-nerds and high school seniors Seth (Jonah Hill) and Evan (Michael Cera) set out on a mission to get rid of their virginity before heading off to different colleges. Clearly having learned about sexual escapades from TV and movies, they dedicate one night to do the deed by getting a couple of chicks drunk at a party and nail 'em. Sorry guys, this ain't Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

In order to get themselves an invite to the cool kids’ party, they promise to provide the alcohol, enter Fogell (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), a fellow geek who just happens to have recently procured a fake ID. In his infinite wisdom, he chooses the moniker McLovin (no first name) and hilarity ensues.

Mintz-Plasse, a novice to the movie biz, steals the show. He takes this punchline of a name and uses it to full advantage while buying beer while underage, being robbed, cruising with keystone cops and truly having the night of his very young and naïve life. Seth Rogan (Knocked Up) and Bill Hader (Saturday Night Live) do an excellent job playing a couple of bungling cops helping the boys in their coming of age story - there is something so charming about these guys and their ability to turn crazy cops into sympathetic heroes.

While I would love to expound the virtues of some of the gags in this movie, I just don’t want to ruin it for you. Let’s just say that if you are not easily offended and you enjoy laughing at penis jokes, awkward teenage boys and overall mischief, this is the movie for you this summer. As a woman, this gave me more insight into the teenage male and it explained so much about the boys I went to high school with. That’s what I call entertainment.

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