Theatrical Review of Superbad

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You have to wonder about producers and studios who name their films things like "Superbad," knowing full well some intrepid critic will use the title to describe the production. In this case, it would be entirely appropriate to call "Superbad" well, superbad. What tries to be a throwback to the sex comedies of long ago turns into a vulgar high school sex tale no one should see.

Seth and Evan (Jonah Hill, Michael Cera) are best friends on the cusp of graduating high school. Doing everything together has caused them to miss out on other opportunities, namely getting laid. In a last ditch effort to lose their virginity, Seth promises the apple of his eye, Jules (Emma Stone), he´ll provide the drinks for her party. Hilarity supposedly ensues.

"Superbad" will be slathered with love by critics and the masses for two different reasons. The critics will love it because Judd Apatow, a supposed genius wonder kid, is behind the film. And the target audience will flock because, with enough curse words and sexual talk to compete with "Eddie Murphy Raw," the dialogue seems taboo. There´s nothing else here, though. Yes, there is a half hearted attempt to make Seth and Evan "real" by slapping a sentimental ending onto the picture. And there are signs screenwriters Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg wanted to include a buddy tale in the main body of the film. But by the time we´re told, via flashback, Seth had a fascination at a young age with drawing hairy penises on everything he could find, any semblance of reality-even movie reality-is lost.

The actors give the movie their all, fully investing in their characters no matter how ridiculous the situation they are thrown into turns out to be. Case in point: when the hope of alcohol seemingly dashed, Evan and Seth try to steal from another party. However, Seth starts dancing with a girl, who leaves blood on his pants. Not from a cut, but because of her menstrual cycle. (Somehow I never thought I´d ever write those words.) Even though it is a completely asinine situation, Hill appears to relish the chance to do something so offbeat in this scene, and through the rest of the film. He never shirks away from the dialogue or actions he´s given by the script. The same can be said for the rest of the cast, including a hilariously incompetent supporting part by Rogen as a cop firing all blanks.

Aside from being a straight up comedy with no ulterior motive, "Superbad" can also be seen as a homage to movies like "Porky´s" and "Animal House." Films not designed for the mass audience but for a devoted cult following. On that score, it succeeds beyond its wildest dreams. There is no pretension, no holier-than-thou message aside from having fun and enjoying life. These aren´t particularly deep characters or realistic people with any ambition outside of getting laid. It´s not necessarily a bad reason to make a movie; it´s just the moviegoer should be expecting more.

The supposed comedy in the movie panders to the lowest common denominator . . . or, more precisely, lower than the lowest common denominator, if that´s at all possible. Every other word being a curse doesn´t make a movie edgy or the comedy relevant; it´s just profane. Finding a myriad of ways for the main characters to talk about masturbation and sex without actually saying masturbation or sex might be an art form, but after 120 minutes (yes, "Superbad" is 2 hours long), you feel dirty for having had this experience. A cleaned up version of "Superbad" would look something like "Can´t Hardly Wait." Now that film isn´t a work of high art, but it´s "The Godfather" compared to this crapfest.

The MPAA gave this movie the right rating: an R. It´s not restricted because of violence or explicit sex; it´s the language. Why any writer would hamper his movie by purposely getting this rating is beyond me. How many people are going to see this compared to a comedy like "Rush Hour 3"? This isn´t a kids movie and most adults over the age of 40 will steer clear. Which leaves a very narrow movie-going segment of the population leftover. And even all of those people aren´t going to be in the market for this kind of movie.

I hesitate to use any hyperbole or adjective other than profane to describe "Superbad." There are portions which are gross and others which are mildly humorous. And the ending is sweet in the only way a movie like this can be. But on the whole it´s a one joke film…with that one joke continually being beaten like a dead horse. How many times can the quest to bring alcohol to this party be curtailed? Why do we see the adults in the film act like idiotic children at every turn? And how many times do characters really need to get hit by cars?

Ultimately, it´s pointless to even talk about the plot or the machinations behind the liquor and sex escapade. The characters are nothing but caricatures placed inside a story the creators feel is exciting and new. Which it isn´t. It´s just stupid. And it does a disservice to the audience by talking down to them instead of making the audience move to a somewhat higher level.

"Superbad" rates a godawful 3 out of 10. This is, however, the type of movie that is critic proof; meaning no matter what I or any other critic says, the target demo is going to flock to the theaters to see it opening weekend. It will be a flash in the pan, a film no one will remember in three days, let alone three months or three years. And that´s just as well. Our cinematic history doesn´t need to be sullied by the likes of the superbad "Superbad."

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