Superbad (2007) Review
Superbad (2007) is a movie I had been wanting to write a #review for a long time. It’s a personal favorite of mine that falls into a coming-of-age category, reminiscent of Slackers or something John Hughes might’ve directed/produced. Unlike those movies, #Superbad is more like a crude version with puerile, vulgar humor and loves slinging one liners at you like a monkey hurling poop at some voyeurs outside of its cage. Yet I love this film because it’s got a fairly tight and almost believable script with very natural dialog that is quite quotable.
The two main characters are Evan (Michael Cera) and Seth (Jonah Hill), who play best friends in their last year of high school. As their year winds down, both are invited to a party hosted by Seth’s love interest Jules (Emma Stone). They have a dilemma though because part of the deal is to bring alcohol to the party, which Seth promises in the hopes of getting into Jules’ good graces. That rounds out the main cast with the entry of Fogell (aka McLovin played by Christopher Mintz-Plasse), who by all appearances and his entry into Dartmouth University seems like your typical awkward high school nerd type. Except Fogell lives with a kind of reality distortion field that makes him seem unaware of his own uncoolness.
The movie immediately establishes the flavor of this movie with a mid 2000s style dialog being exchanged as Seth goes to pick up Evan. Seth comes off as an unapologetic horny, foul mouthed teenager while Evan is more philosophical/bookish. But he does get off the punchline, “Well, at least you got to suck on your dad’s dick.” And off to the races we go!
Much of this first half is establishing the personalities of these three characters. With Evan, he has a forlorn crush on a girl named Becca (Martha MacIsaac) who seems like your perky girl-next-door type. However, Seth detests Becca for an incident that occurred early on in his life involving a picture of a dick he drew in his youth obsessed days of penises. That incident left him with therapy and the inability to ever consume “the best kind” of foods that according to Seth are all phallically shaped.
Regardless, as the pair debate how they’re going to obtain alcohol and thus get laid, they run into Fogell, who obtains a fake ID with the name McLovin. Naturally, both Seth and Evan are incredulous since his listed birthday makes Fogell 25 (despite having a nasally, almost pubescent voice here) and how it’s for Hawaii. It’s clear to the pair that the fake ID most likely won’t work which makes Seth rant on Fogell. To make matters worse, Seth’s car is towed because earlier he parked in a staff parking spot.
They go over to Evan’s home where he plays some Call of Duty type of game as Seth tries to obtain a change of clothes. None of Evan’s clothes fit (because Seth is overweight) and they turn to Evan’s father’s closet. Without a car, they have to use public transportation. As they step out of the bus, Seth shows that he’s got some odd country western outfit on, which simply makes him look even more ridiculous. They meet up with Fogell at a liquor store where he works. Fogell wears a vest which Evan comments that it makes him “look like Aladdin.” Nonetheless, because he works at the store, Fogell can’t be the one to obtain the liquor. So it’s up to Seth to handle the job.
Instead, Seth hallucinates various scenarios in his head and bitches out. Naturally, Fogell ridicules Seth as Seth deflects his cowardice by saying “there was a security breach.” In turn, Fogell returns his vest to his locker and they end up taking the bus again to find a different liquor store. Fogell starts to lose his nerve until Seth bullies him into sticking with the operation.
This splits the three up as Fogell begins his own adventure while Seth and Evan deal with obtaining booze. Fogell gets carded by the cashier but punched out by an unseen assailant. In the meantime, Evan and Seth debate on a condom and see some girl that they chase after to examine her shrunken but highly viable breasts. The one thing of note here is that Seth in particular is caught off guard when Evan mentions he brought a condom and lube. But it’s clear that Seth has no real idea how women work and that much of his plans really are an overworked imagination. This is critical because for the most part he puts up a front, which hides his deep insecurities.
The other thing to note is how Evan views women. Here, not only do we see how he’s concerned about potentially getting a girl pregnant at this party, he has knowledge of the girl they seek out on the street in how the girl had breast reduction surgery to be more comfortable. Even though Evan is socially awkward, he is a little more modern/forward thinking than Seth with his respect towards women.
Regardless, they see the police car outside the liquor store without context and go to check on Fogell’s status, making the assumption that Fogell got busted. In turn, we get to meet the two goofy police officers that make the other half of the story with Fogell in Officers Slater (Bill Hader) and Michaels (Seth Rogen). As the cops try to get information from the cashier, it’s clear that neither are all that serious about the crime and she ends up getting frustrated (partly because she’s got a school examine). But they turn their attention to Fogell and asks him for his id. It’s obvious that they know he’s not of legal age but decide to play along with his ruse and give him a ride.
In the meantime, Seth gets hit by a really bizarre guy who begs Seth off. Seth figures that at the very least he can get something out of the situation (especially since the police are nearby) and tries to con the guy into getting alcohol. The driver admits that he has a warrant out for a non-violent crime (pedophilia? Date rape?) so he offers to take the pair to a party so they can obtain their alcohol.
As we return to Fogell’s story, we get to learn more about the two officers. Michaels has only been on the force for 6 months apparently but both guys are complete goofs. They speed through lights using their sirens and do Yoda/Star Wars impersonations. When Fogell tries to get a word in edgewise regarding his assailant but the officers cut him off and go into a whole spiel about semen being everywhere and used to catch criminals. The dispatcher calls them for a small crime at a bar, even though McLovin tries to get them to drop him off. But it’s clear he’s in for a very long night.
In the meantime, the strange driver takes Seth and Evan to an adult party. Evan is creeped out while Seth is focused on continuing his mission of acquiring Jules’ alcohol. The crowd at this party are very shady as Seth and Evan try to blend in. Once Seth sees a large bucket of alcohol, he sees his chance at redemption since Fogell has apparently been arrested and lost their money/alcohol. Evan is much more levelheaded than Seth and tries to talk him down from his impractical idea.
However, the strange driver (Francis played by Joe Lo Truglio) is confronted by a guy named Mark (Kevin Corrigan) who is less than receptive while he calls his friends. We don’t know why Mark has an issue with Francis but they have a fight that attracts the attention of the drunk party goers. Seth uses the distraction to run back into the house to enact his plan while Evan loses his nerve after seeing Francis get nailed in the nutsack. This incident increases the growing tension between the two friends as Evan’s morality wins over his need for social validation while Seth’s priority is purely on Jules and his fantasy.
At the bar, the two cops bring McLovin to chase down a drunk bum. Neither Slater nor Michaels are effective in stopping the drunk but McLovin ends up get literally bum rushed into the kitchen. However, the drunk slips and knocks himself out but everyone in the bar thinks McLovin is the hero.
Back at the adult party, the party picks up as Seth tries to integrate himself alone now that Evan has abandoned him. He hones back in on the bucket of liquor but gets intercepted by a drunk woman who compliments his dancing and makes him momentarily forget his purpose. Outside, Evan has a troubled conversation with the Becca where his reception causes him to effectively and inadvertently cuss her out.
Inside, Seth continues dancing with the drunk woman, thinking he’s the bomb until she decides it’s over. He momentarily snaps back into reality and resumes his hunt for booze. The worker at the liquor store from earlier shows up with a huge box of booze while someone sitting on a couch notices a blood stain on Seth’s pants. Seth gradually has the epiphany that the drunk woman had her period on his leg, which freaks him out. He becomes the humiliated center of attention as everyone ridicules him while he panics and figures on cleaning himself up. No one at the party treats him with any politeness but he climbs down into the basement to discover a refrigerator filled with beer. Using two plastic detergent containers, he forms a new plan to obtain his sought out treasure.
At the bar again, McLovin enjoys a drink with the two officers while the bum lies knocked out cold besides them. The officers concoct some weird story about Slater’s first wife as some whore but receive another dispatch call with some officer screaming on the other end. They finish up their free beer as the bartender looks on disappointed then order more road beers with McLovin encouraging them.
Then we see Evan upstairs on the house’s normal phone as he gets into contact with Becca once more. However, some weird drugged out guys enter and begin talking about Mark, who apparently is the girl Seth danced with, and how he’s pissed and plotting to kill Seth. They spot Evan, who tries to appear inconspicuous but he’s mistaken for another guy named Jimmy and gets accused of being able to sing. McLovin continues to bond with the two police officers and gets to hold one of their pistols as they decide to have a shoot off. Then Seth is discovered by Mark, who is incensed over Seth dancing with his fiance.
Somehow Evan manages to convince the drugged out people he can sing but their mini gathering is interrupted as a fight between Seth and Mark is about to break out. Chaos ensues as the situation breaks down at the house while the drunks get into a massive brawl. The girlfriend accuses Seth of humiliating her and calls the police while the pair hightail it with Seth hauling the two laundry detergent containers. Then the two police officers shoot at some stop sign and are about to allow McLovin to fire their pistol when they hear sirens in the distant and storm off. Another dispatch call comes in (probably the one from the house party) and they charge as McLovin tells them, “Let’s show these fuckers how we roll!” to their collective laughter.
As Seth and Evan manage to escape, they slow down to have an argument about their real issues, which boils down to Seth’s insecurities and selfishness as well as his fear of losing his best friend when he goes away to college. Once again we see Seth as someone who lives in his own fantasy world where he’s objectified everyone for his own purposes. As things begin becoming physical between the two, the two officers ram into Seth as they try to blind each other with flashlights in the dark neighborhood.
Seeing that they really have screwed up especially by hitting a kid and having a cracked window, the two officers formulate a plan to try and get themselves off the hook. Slater has Evan and Seth lie on the ground as Michaels convinces McLovin to agree to their plot. When McLovin gets to see that the two people on the ground are his high school buds while Michaels and Slater discuss what to do next, Evan uses the opportunity to dash off. Michaels tries to chase him down but the younger Evan, who has been running track, is in far better condition and outdistances the drunk officer. At the same time, McLovin and Seth grab one of the bottles of detergent and head in a different direction. Betrayed, Slater kicks the remaining windshield down and hunts them down in the dark suburban landscape.
The three manage to rendezvous and take a bus to get closer to their destination. However, the bum from earlier has escaped and snatched up the other plastic detergent container and spots McLovin. They have a tussle where Becca’s special bottle of liquor is hurled into the air and Evan misses it, causing it to shatter. The bus driver tosses the kids off but they are only a few blocks away at the party.
As they near the party, McLovin declares victory as he still has the liquor. However, Evan is unhappy about Becca’s bottle and his relationship with Seth is strained. Fogell figures there’s some weird tension between the two as Seth admits what he knows about Fogell and Evan’s living arrangements at Dartmouth.
Armed with the alcohol, Seth enters the party like a hero. For now all the pain and suffering he endured earlier seems worth it as he becomes the person he imagined. Evan gets called to meet with a drunk Becca, who not only is flirtatious towards him but contrast everything he had hoped a date would go with her as she behaves promiscuously towards. With Fogell, his confidence has been boosted from his wild night and he approaches Nicola which contrast with his previous awkward response towards her.
Becca drags Evan to a private room (after he takes a moment to get himself drunk) so they can have sex. Fogell brings Nicola to another room while Seth and Jules converse outside. Evan’s approach to Becca is respectful where her advances isn’t what he expected at all and she ends up vomiting on Jules’ comforter, thus ending her night with him. Seth tries to force himself on Jules only to learn that she isn’t drunk and does currently have any feelings towards him because he is drunk, in spite of this weird story he concocted inside his mind. Fogell gets the closest to losing his virginity (maybe even arguably the only person of the three to) as he enters Nicola. However, his moment is broken up by the arrival of Slater and Michaels who halt the party.
Evan sits on a couch and drinks with some guy from his cooking class named Moroki and passes out. Seth accidentally bumps his head into Jules, leaving her with a black eye. In seeing the approaching cops, Seth decides to save Evan and scoops him then hauls him away. Nicola scrambles out from the bedroom while Michaels scolds Slater for cockblocking McLovin. They apologize to McLovin and take him out so he appears like a bad ass to everyone. One officer knocks out the guy with a bad mullet who spat on Seth earlier as McLovin and the two go off for the night. But it’s clear that eventually McLovin and Nicola will eventually get back together.
The offices have McLovin sign a waver to get them off from dealing with the damaged cop car. In turn, they decide to have some last minute fun where they go to a private spot so Slater can perform a move that wrecks the cop car a little more in accordance with the waver. McLovin gets to finally use the pistol as the cop car is lit up with the remaining alcohol to resolve the officers from the damages.
Evan wakes up and makes up with Seth as they go to his home to have some pizza bagels. They reveal their true bromantic feelings towards one another and declare a manly type of platonic love for one another as the night finishes off. The following day they go to the mall in preparation for the future where Evan looks for a comforter for college while Seth tries on some new pants (after bringing back Evan’s father’s bloodstained jeans). They encounter Becca and Jules and the two split up with their potential new girlfriends both also starting to have their new lives ahead of them.
Superbad to me is a really fun film to watch. It does have a few gross fratboy type of moments such as the parties and vomiting but there’s three interesting stories at work between the three main characters as they each seek the same thing in the same night with varying results. The character we least expect to get laid comes out nearly on top while Seth’s bombastic nature nearly ends him up with a heartache. Evan is the middle ground where his respectful albeit awkward demeanor creates a stronger bond once Becca’s drunken stupor ends.
Then we have the two main “adult” characters of Officers Slater and Michaels. While they did explicitly describe their roles in the movie at the end (in seeing themselves in McLovin), they are pretty much a version of the adult version of us who probably still wishes we can go back to high school and relive our youth. And while they have the typical dickish traits normally associated with cops in these types of roles, both Slater and Michaels are very likeable characters because they’re treated more humanly than the standard unfeeling, high moral ground police type (e.g. Crockett and Tubbs). We get two goofballs that make pop culture references, dick jokes, love beer and simply want a night of fun at the taxpayers’ expense. But because they’re likeable we forgive them a bit more than someone who is more hard nosed in a similar position.
The thing about the movie to me that really made me like it was the fluidity and naturalness of the dialog. Even if some of the things that Seth says can be construed as shocking, it comes off as something that you can hear people saying at that age. None of the characters to me are that outrageous and the plot is entirely possible even though it is exaggerated.
The true turning point of the movie for me occurred at the adult house party. Seth and Evan are completely out of place and it’s an eye opening experience for them as they encounter these really random characters who are unlike the more innocent (or tamer) types from their high school. In particular, Seth seems shocked more than Evan because he’s a big mouth type that gets drowned out by reality here. It seems that he grows up the most through this party with the period blood, dancing and his near fight being a major wake up call to his typical verbal bullshit he throws at Evan. On the other hand, despite how Evan is socially awkward, he handles his situation relatively well because he is intelligent and able to nearly get out of a desperate moment unscathed.
For Fogell, his main turning point occurs at the bar where the McLovin personality starts to take a life of its own. His confidence and maturity starts to skyrocket where he does more “mature” or “adult” related activities, which contrast Seth’s more fantasy oriented vision of himself. As a result, Fogell becomes the ultimate fantasy for a certain high school nerd type except in this movie he becomes a real person.
I think Seth probably is one of the more interesting characters in this movie, not just because he’s a crash loud mouthed but because he undergoes a large amount of personal change in the course of the movie through this experience in a single night. His second major turning point occurs when Jules rejects his sexual advances towards her. We have come to learn that Seth mostly is someone who lives in his head as seen during the imagined alcohol heist at Fogell’s liquor mart. The rejection is a major turning point because he’s been built up as this hero once he arrives at the party and he’s been bullshitting himself this entire time that he will be the guy of the three getting laid that night.
Yet I think Jules is more sophisticated than what Seth believes, which is why she agrees to talk with him privately outside. Once he shows his vulnerability towards her, Jules becomes more sympathetic, although we aren’t certain whether she’s completely willing to go out with him because he clobbers her accidentally on the head. At the mall though, his attitude has completely changed where he admits being a jerk but it allows Jules to setup an excuse to have him make it up for her by having him purchase something to cover up her bruise. So while he might not have been able to get his idealized night with Jules, there’s still some hope as she gives him the chance to hang out with her.
But the adult party is something I normally condemn as a common element you would see in many Hollywood movies. Here, the adult party works because I’ve been to those types of things around that age, which is partly why I’m partial to this movie. I remember going to a house party where my friends and I played in a band. Afterwards, a bunch of us took a few cars to hit up some private apartment complex to hang out by the poolside. Some of the people there were drunk (not me) but someone had heard the night watch on patrol. So we split, running through this dark maze of a complex, giggling and me panicking. I will say you can encounter those odd characters at these parties and deal with tense moments.
Now, I did read some jerk off criticize this movie for one reason or another. When I did look into this guy’s background, my only impression was that this person probably never had a single day of fun in his life, lives in some isolated ivory tower and probably grew up in a privileged sheltered existence. I think Superbad is the kind of movie similar to Napoleon Dynamite in having a nostalgic quality for adults like myself. These kinds of movies help us recall the more innocent aspects of our pre-adult lives where we’re reminded of what it’s like to be young again. Along with the great soundtrack, Superbad gives a certain vibe that provides an escape to a different time period.
For myself, I discovered this movie while in Japan. I don’t remember how exactly I came to hear of this movie but I couldn’t stop laughing once I saw it. I shared it with my friends who could speak English and we all enjoyed a great laugh over the crass and crude dialog as well as the outrageous plot. But I think again there’s a certain familiarity in the design of this film that makes it a fun watch.