Superbad

Superbad
File:Superbadmp.jpg Promotional movie poster for the film
Directed by	Greg Mottola
Written by	Evan Goldberg Seth Rogen
Produced by	Judd Apatow Evan Goldberg Shauna Robertson Seth Rogen
Starring	Jonah Hill Michael Cera Bill Hader Seth Rogen Emma Stone Christopher Mintz-Plasse Martha MacIsaac
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release dates	August 17, 2007
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$18 million

Superbad is a 2007 comedy film written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. The film is directed by former television director Greg Mottola and is produced by Judd Apatow, previously known for producing The 40 Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up.

The film follows high school seniors Evan and Seth, two socially-awkward best friends who attempt to lose their virginity before the end of summer. When opportunity presents itself through a scheduled keg party, the two friends attempt to illegally obtain enough alcohol to satisfy the partygoers. Meanwhile, geeky teenager Mike Fogell spends the night with two wreckless police officers, convicing them he is twenty-five years old.

The film was a critical and financial success, inspiring comparisons to Apatow's previous film, Knocked Up.

Synopsis

Superbad tells the story of two socially inept friends. For their whole life, they have developed a grossly interdependent friendship. However, they've now been accepted into different colleges and are forced, for the first time in their lives, to contemplate life apart. Evan (Michael Cera), who was accepted into Dartmouth, is sweet, smart, and generally terrified. Seth (Jonah Hill), on the other hand, will be going to a state university and is foul-mouthed, volatile, and obsessed with sexuality. This is the story of their misguided attempts to reverse a lifelong losing streak with the ladies in one panic-driven night.

Plot

The movie focuses on Evan and Seth, two childhood friends who are graduating from high school. While attending their last Home Economics class, Seth gets paired up with Jules (Emma Stone), a girl he has a crush on. After making a tiramisu, Jules invites Seth to a party at her house. Before he accepts he confers with Evan who agrees that they should go. At this point Fogell (born June 3, 1981) (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) sees his friends in class and tells them that he is getting a fake ID at lunch. Seth and Evan invite Fogell to the party as long as he buys them alcohol. Seth tells Jules that he has a fake ID and that he can get alcohol for the party. Meanwhile Evan meets his crush, Becca (Martha MacIsaac) and finds out that she is going to the party as well. He promises to get her some GoldSlick (resembles Goldschläger) and meet her at the party.

After failing to find Fogell at lunch, the boys meet up with Fogell after school at the grocery store where Fogell works. Fogell shows them his fake ID, which is from Hawaii and shows him to be 25 years old—old enough to buy alcohol for the party, but also probably too old for the ID to be taken seriously. Seth is skeptical of the ID (especially since Fogell has choosen the name "McLovin"), and he enters the grocery store with the intention of stealing the booze himself, but he ends up leaving the store without doing so. The three friends then travel to the liquor store and give Fogell a list of alcohol to buy. Fogell is nervous but enters the store and convinces the clerk that he is 25. However just as he is about to leave a thief punches him and robs the store. The police officers that arrive on the scene shortly afterwards, Slater (Bill Hader) and Michaels (Seth Rogen), question the clerk and Fogell and ask to see his ID. Apparently convinced by the fake ID, they offer to give him a ride to Jules' party. Fogell spends the better part of the movie cruising around with the cops, engaging in a number of drunken exploits. Meanwhile Evan and Seth, thinking Fogell is busted, convince a loser to get them some booze at another party. At the party, Seth and Evan get separated after Evan gets wary about the party. Eventually Evan and Seth flee the party.

In an argument after their escape, Evan pushes Seth into the windshield of Slater and Michaels' car. The police question Evan and Seth until Fogell exits the car and sees his friends. All three flee the police with their beer and alcohol. Upon arriving at Jules's party, Seth expresses his frustration that Evan is leaving him behind and rooming with Fogell. Seth enters the party with the booze to a warm welcome. Meanwhile, Evan spots a drunken Becca, who is very happy to see him, and Fogell starts to dance with Nicola (Aviva), a girl he has a crush on. Nicola takes Fogell upstairs and they proceed to “get it on”. In the next room, Evan and Becca exchange kisses, though Evan spurns Becca's overt sexual advances, claiming that he doesn't want to take advantage of her while she is drunk. Becca eventually vomits on the bed, while Evan leaves and passes out on the couch. Downstairs, a drunken Seth tries to kiss Jules, who refuses, claiming that Seth is drunk. Seth eventually trips over himself and hits Jules in the face, giving her a black eye.

At this point the police officers arrive and break up the party. Seth sees Evan and rescues him off the couch and carries him to safety. The police officers barge in on Fogell and Nicola just as Fogell exclaims that he “put it in”. Nicola flees and the officers feel guilty about ruining Fogell's chance with Nicola. They confess that they knew he was underage but wanted to show him that cops can have fun too. Fogell drinks with Slater and Michaels one final time, joy riding in the police car, and eventually, they set the car on fire with a Molotov cocktail.

The movie ends with Evan and Seth making up for their earlier fight. While drunk they tell each other that they love each other and will miss each other in the fall. In the morning they go to the mall where they meet Jules and Becca. Seth goes with Jules to buy makeup, while Evan goes with Becca to buy a comforter, but as they depart both exchange a meaningful look with each other, realizing that their friendship will never be the same.

Cast

Actor	Role
Jonah Hill	Seth
Michael Cera	Evan
Christopher Mintz-Plasse	Fogell / McLovin
Bill Hader	Officer Slater
Seth Rogen	Officer Michaels
Martha MacIsaac	Becca
Emma Stone	Jules
Aviva	Nicola
Scott Gerbacia	Jesse

Reception

As of August 20, 2007, the film had a score of 87% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 131 reviews (114 fresh, 17 rotten) with the consensus that it was "an authentic take on the awkwardness of the high school experience." On Metacritic, the film had a score of 76% based on 36 reviews.

Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle called it 2007's most successful comedy. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 3 1/2 stars (out of 4) and said "The movie reminded me a little of National Lampoon's Animal House, except that it's more mature, as all movies are." Carina Chocano of the Los Angeles Times said "Physically, Hill and Cera recall the classic comic duos -- Laurel and Hardy, Abbott and Costello, Aykroyd and Belushi. But they are contemporary kids, sophisticated and sensitive to nuance" and also, "I hope it's not damning the movie with the wrong kind of praise to say that for a film so deliriously smutty, Superbad is supercute." Sean Burns of Philadelphia Weekly said "2007: the year Judd Apatow and Seth Rogen saved movie comedy", a reference to Knocked Up which was released in June.

The film opened at #1 at the U.S. box office, earning $33 million in its opening weekend.

External Links

• Superbad Official Site
• Superbad at IMDb
• Superbad at Rotten Tomatoes
• Superbad at Metacritic
• Superbad at Box Office Mojo
• Superbad Movie Premiere at Bill Hader Online