Director's Chair

Superbad anything but

By:

Posted: 8/30/07

From the masterminds behind the sleeper hit of the summer, Knocked Up, comes the comedy gem, Superbad.

Boasting an interesting storyline, Superbad is a coming-of-age story full of naturally funny gags and a full bag of potty humor.

The story follows the hi-jinks of Evan (Michael Cera) and Seth (Jonah Hill).

Nearing the end of their high school careers, the two best friends dwell over getting accepted into separate colleges.

Later on in the story, it is revealed that the two are still virgins; a fact that they both seemingly loathe. Re-inventing themselves, to be considered cool by the time they take to their respective colleges, becomes their primary focus.

Suddenly the boys have to become the life of every party and prove that they are as "in" as everyone else.

The not-so-dynamic duo continuously find themselves in and out of situations caused by their efforts to seduce girls into bed and to buy alcoholic beverages.

Through a series of hugely comical set-ups and seemingly impromptu rants about life and finally "scoring," the guys stumble onto greatness and have the summer of their lives.

A leading cast of relatively unknown actors deliver terrific performances. Cera and Hill are priceless as Evan and Seth, and are hugely relatable and easy to root for.

Though the film at its root is a comedy, there is a lot of reflection about friendship.

Another brilliant performance comes from Christopher Mintz-Plasse as the hilarious Fogell. Plasse plays the third-wheel in his attempt to buy alcohol with a fake ID under the alias name McLovin. He proves to be a comedic powerhouse in his sparsely sprinkled appearances.

Bottom line: Superbad gives strong comedy with enough emotion to balance the yucks.

Gregory Brand, Jr