With a funky psychedelic opening theme and trippy colors flying at you like an old style 70’s movie Superbad kicks on the screen. This movie came out back in 2007 staring Jonah Hill (Get him to the Greek, Knocked Up, Megamind, Forgetting Sarah Marshal), Michael Cera (Scott Pilgrim Vs the World, Nick and Nora’s Infinite playlist, Juno) Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Role Models, Kickass), Seth Rogen (Knocked Up, The 40 Year old Virgin, Pineapple Express), Bill Hader (SNL, Pineapple Express, Venture Bros.), Martha MacIsaac (Greek) and Emma Stone (Zombieland, Easy A). Right off the bat we are introduced to the best friends Seth and Evan (Hill and Cera), inseparable friends to the point where they start their conversation via cell phone, before even getting to Evan’s house to pick him up. Without skipping a beat, they are continuing their conversation while hanging up their phones. Despite the witty typical best friend back and forth banter. A common connecting point is Evan’s obsession with Becca (Martha MacIsaac) and Seth’s hatred for Becca, to which Evan instantly becomes defensive.
Seth (Jonah Hill) is your typical run of the mill sexually frustrated male who talks big but is really a scared child inside looking to make himself seem more awesome then he really is. Seth does come off as more willing to do anything to get what he wants out of woman then Evan does. He even goes so far as to steal beer from some maniac’s basement fridge. He is awkward and over the top with his seemingly confident persona. He breaks the rules and doesn’t care because like most seniors about to graduate he feels invincible. The problem Seth has with Evan’s love interest Becca stems to a problem he had in the fourth grade (for those of you who have only ever seen this movie on TV and not on DVD or in Theaters you never see this scene), Seth could not stop drawing male private parts. It was ultimately Becca who found out and told on him out to the principal, after that Seth labeled Becca a bitch and never forgave her. The counter balance to Seth is Evan.
Evan (Michael Cera) is the unconfident friend and less willing to do something big unless it involves him getting a chance with Becca. A fact which Seth uses more often than not to get his way with Evan when it seems like Evan is going to chicken out. Evan is the balance to Seth and the reason why they are such good best friends; they are opposite sides of the same coin. When they work together they accomplish the seemingly impossible. Evan likes to set the moral high ground and will do anything he can to appease all parties. This is brought to light when having to deal with Seth and Fogell (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) at the same time. Evan however is hiding a secret from Seth, a secret that will throw off the harmonious balance of the friendship. Evan will be rooming with Fogell in college, while Seth goes off to another school. GASP OHHH NOES, TEEN ANGST AND DRAMA *clicks remote back to the story*. Evan only hides this because he is afraid of how Seth will react, which we find out later on that he doesn’t really care.
The story itself is what you would expect of a high school comedy, it takes place in one day and one night, the misadventures of two friends with the help of hot girls, idiot cops and a party. The story starts off with the friendship of Evan and Seth and how they have to face the fact that they will be separated for the first time since they were eight years old. You add in their mutual friend Fogell or as Seth likes to call him Fagell. Fogell becomes the catalyst that sparks the explosion of comedy to ensue during the movie, when Seth and Evan find out that Fogell will be getting a fake I.D. Seth throws on his fake nice act to use Fogell to get alcohol for a party he and Evan will be going to, to get with the girls of their dreams. With only a few hick ups, the plan of Fogell’s fake I.D working nearly succeeds except for the fact that it may fail because of the name on the I.D. Fogell changes his name to McLovin no first name just McLovin. “You sound like a gay Irish rapper.” “Of all the names you could have picked, you just happen to land on McLovin!?”
With some debate on the validity of the plan, the trio meet up outside of Fogell’s place of work, which he will not use his fake ID for because they know. Does this stop Seth from going into the store to try his luck? No, it does not. The following scene is one of my favorites in the entire movie. You have Seth walking into the supermarket and walking straight to the liquor section where he proceeds to have three separate situations play out in his mind. 1.) He buys the liquor himself, telling the cashier he is twenty one with no question or asking to see an I.D and paying for all the booze with an eighty dollar bill. 2.) The old lady in the liquor section drops her purse and Seth offers to help her shop, to which the lady realizing what he wants, offers to buy his liquor. “Enjoy your remaining years!” “Have fun fucking Julies!” “I WILL!” 3.) Seth goes to pick up the Gold Slick Vodka for Evan to give to Becca, only to have the Security guard kill the old lady and then Seth himself. With a look of defeat Seth leaves the supermarket to take Evan and Fogell “McLovin” to the liquor store.
“If you don’t go in there, I will kill you, I will kill you and cut of your stupid face and where it as a mask and buy the alcohol myself.” After a few pokes and prods from Seth, McLovin goes into the liquor store albeit a tad nervous to buy the alcohol for the party. During this time the store is quickly robbed and McLovin punched out. Enter the bumbling idiots Officers Michaels and Slater. These two are the epitome of bad cops, not corrupt, not just bad. They make the most idiotic officer you ever met look smart. Not only can they make the most simple police task like taking down a description seem difficult, they cannot even restrain a drunken bum properly. But it is through these two where the most laughs come from, when not on the main characters. Teamed up with McLovin the side kick trio as I will affectionately call them. The hijinks they get into pre-party is comedy gold.
With that “brief” summary of the movie I will leave you with my final verdict of the movie. For a comedy it is good mindless fun, that if you do not take seriously you will enjoy. But besides for film critics who is going to into a comedy movie expecting to see a cinematic masterpiece. On a scale of one to ten this movie receives an eight. For its ability to keep the watchers enthralled and engaged in the characters, somewhat believable dialog in certain scenes. But do yourself a favor and rent the movie in the unrated version and do not DO NOT watch this film on a TV release, you will be disappointed otherwise.
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