I realize that I'm like the only person on the planet to think Superbad is pretty boring. So I feel the need to justify myself. As far as teen(ish) comedies go, I think it falls far behind Clueless, Animal House, Fast Times at Ridgmont High, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Sixteen Candles and Three O'Clock High; however, it is superior to Porky's and American Pie (and a whole slough of others that don't need mentioning).
First of all, I thought the setup for the film was lame--must get alcohol for party to impress girls. Secondly, the conflict that the two leads have--Cera's character admitting that he would be rooming with Fogle in college--was unbelievable. The only reason it had any heft was because tertiary characters kept drilling it into our brains. The first 20-or-so minutes were great. There were some truly inspired raunchy lines, but all of that got waylaid by the second act where the movie just dragged. The party that Joe LoTruglio takes them to was tedious and I don't think I laughed--even as Michael Cera sang "These Eyes". It felt forced and uninspired.
As for the B story line, with McLovin/Fogle and the cops, I dreaded each time the story would come back to them. This is the type of storyline that you can tell began with the stoned writers (Seth Rogan and Evan Goldberg) saying, "Wouldn't it be cool if . . ." There was nowhere to go with it, so they end it in an explosion with gunfire.
The resolution was apparent long before we get to the final reel, and it couldn't come fast enough for me.
My final quibble with the film comes from Jonah Hill's performance. It is mind-numbingly one-note. He goes from manic to manic and lacks any of the nuance that Cera has. To believe that any girl (especially one as gorgeous as Emma Stone) would find him even the least bit do-able is really hard to believe. Hill and Cera are an unbalanced comedy team with Cera responsible for most of the heavy lifting.
So, all that being said, I still think Superbad is good for a laugh or two and worthy of a Friday night rental. I just had to justify myself.
3 comments:
I had no plans to see it -- Now I know that is the right choice.
I found a couple parts funny, but I also wasn't a big fan.
The shocking thing is how it's being billed in trailers and by critics as a film that defines this generation of youth. I mean, this was a film about white hetero males trying to buy alcohol so they can get laid at a party. Wow, that's original. There's not even a female lead character. Yep, pretty "generation defining" stuff. More like lame. How is this a "hip" film?
I also dreaded the boring scenes with the police officers. Driving around in a cop car and shooting stuff? So many elements of the film just seem like really outdated male fantasies. I love how there's, like, people in the bedroom doing lines of coke, but there is hardly a joint to be seen throughout the film. I think I saw one bong. Any realistic party would have had decidedly more pot.
:-) i like your ranking of teenish movies.
this one had no appeal for me and so i skipped it. i don't usually go for movies like this...thanks for sharing your thoughts.
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