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Superbad

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 15, age appropriate for kids over 18; suggested age 16.

  • Is it any good?

    4.0
  • Common Sense says

    Super bawdy, super profane -- and super funny.

Why We Rated This iffy for Ages 16–18

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    The underlying message could seem to be that scoring alcohol for a party will grant even the nerdiest kid "cool" status for a night. But by the end of the film, it's clear that the film's real point is that true best friends love each other unconditionally, not selfishly.
  • Violence:

    McLovin gets pistol-whipped in the head by a robber; a fight breaks out at a party, where a few of the men suffer bloody wounds; a hobo kicks, punches, and pounds on various people at a bar; Seth accidentally punches Jules in the eye. In a daydream, Seth envisions a security guard slashing his throat. A woman's menstrual blood ends up on Seth's pants, causing a fight.
  • Sex:

    Sex (and various sex acts), virginity, and pornography are discussed in graphic detail throughout the entire movie. The near-constant conversation about oral sex and genitalia is finally matched by two short scenes of drunk, semi-clothed teenagers about to have sex -- although neither couple finalizes the act. There's also a scene that displays many drawings of penises, supposedly done by an 8-year-old.
  • Language:

    The dialogue is filled with nearly ubiquitous curse words, primarily the "F-bomb" and its derivatives. There are probably two short conversations in the entire film that don't feature constant swearing; otherwise, they're the most commonly used words -- including "s--t," "dick," "p---y," "ass," "tits," "bitch," etc.
  • Consumerism:

    Old Milwaukee beer, plus other liquor brands that sound familiar but aren't real, probably because real alcohol companies didn't give permission to be used in a movie about underage drinking.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    The plot revolves around buying alcohol for a high school party, so there's obviously a great deal of underage drinking. Teens also smoke cigarettes and are present at a party where adults are smoking marijuana and snorting cocaine. The main drug, of course, is alcohol -- from vodka to beer.

What Parents Need to Know

This review of Superbad was written by Sandie Angulo Chen

Parents need to know that this high school comedy has been marketed squarely at teens (the wide online circulation of an R-rated "red band" trailer helped a lot). Heralded as an instant-classic teen comedy on the level of Dazed and Confused or Fast Times at Ridgemont High, it seems destined to be a hit. But parents should know that, like many real teenagers, the characters are obsessed with losing their virginity and talking about sex. Sex and, to a lesser extent, booze fuel every conversation, with very graphic dialogue about genitalia, sex acts, and pornography. "F--k" (and many derivations thereof) is used almost nonstop, and there's also a lot of underage drinking and a scene of adults smoking marijuana and snorting cocaine. American Pie seems PG-rated by comparison.

Families Can Talk About

Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
  • Families can talk about what teens think of sex, how many of their friends they think are having sex, and what parents think of teens having sex. Do teens consider it a stigma to graduate from high school a virgin? This is a good opportunity for parents to answer teens' questions about sex, drinking, and the safe, responsible way to handle both. Parents may also want to put an over-the-top comedy like this in perspective. The movie's antics come at you fast and furiously, making some of the laughs mostly about the shock value. For example, do you think real cops would ever act like the two in the movie? What other movies and TV shows have a similar comedy style? Do you think there's danger here if a viewer doesn't understand the comedy on that level?
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More on Superbad

What’s the Story?

Judd Apatow's raunchy teen romp SUPERBAD centers around Seth (Jonah Hill), a potty-mouthed porn aficionado who, more than anything, wants to lose his virginity before college orientation. His BFF is Evan (Michael Cera), a mild-mannered, Dartmouth-bound guy who's equally interested in sex but not as brash about it. Thanks to a surprise pairing with his dream girl, Jules (Emma Stone), during Home Ec class, Seth gets invited to a hot graduation party. Filled with giddiness at the prospect of scoring with really drunk girls, Seth offers to buy all of the party's alcohol. He's counting on help from his and Evan's even nerdier friend, Fogell (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), who's just scored a fake ID with the singular name "McLovin." After the promise has been made, the film turns into an Odyssean quest for the booze and splits into two storylines -- Seth and Evan's alcohol-acquisition misadventures and McLovin's unexpected ride with two incredibly inept police officers (Rogen and Bill Hader). Ultimately, Superbad is about two inseparable best friends who are hopelessly lost without each other, even though they claim otherwise. Even if they don't get any -- they still have each other. And it's likely that in years to come, they'll have the constant adoration of teens everywhere to keep their hope for good sex and good friendship alive.

Is It Any Good?

Superbad is exactly what you'd expect from a Judd Apatow acolyte like Knocked Up star Seth Rogen and his childhood pal Evan Goldberg. It's raunchy, ridiculously quotable, and a frighteningly realistic view of what 18-year-old high-school graduates are obsessed with -- sex, booze, and best friends. While the bad cops are funny, albeit unbelievable, the film's at its best when it focuses on Seth and Evan.

Movie Details

Studio: Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Director: Greg Mottola
Run time: 104 minutes
Theatrical release: 08/16/2007, DVD release: 12/04/2007
MPAA Rating: R for pervasive crude and sexual content, strong language, drinking, some drug use and a fantasy/comic violent image -- all involving teens.

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Most Recent Reviews

  1. I rate this title iffy for age 14 and give it 5.0

    Love this movie!!!!

    This I movie is so dam funny! True there is lots of swearing and sexualy fueled conversations but that is nothing new to most teens. So if u do give this a little consideration try to trust your teen a little, believe me most teens don't want to imitate the outragous things in movies so let them watch it. It is so funny!

  2. Parent Reviewer
    I rate this title on for age 16 and give it 5.0
    • My highlights are:
    • Positive messages

    funnyyy funny funny!

    this is a very funny movie! it's what real teenagers do, why is it so bad for them to see, if it's what they do?

  3. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    Lives in Pennsylvania
    I rate this title on for age 12 and give it 5.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Negative message
    • Negative role models

    BEST MOVIE!!! it is not appropriate for kids but it is hilarious!! the hardest i laughed in a long time!

  4. Teen Reviewer Age 15
    Lives in Massachusetts
    I rate this title iffy for age 16 and give it 5.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Inappropriate language
    • Drinking, smoking, or drug use
    • Negative message
    • Negative role models
    • My highlights are:
    • Positive messages
    • Good role models

    Funny (Unrated Version)

    I will not even mention the sex in this movie, altho ther is a make out scene. and brief nudity twice. But everything else is all talk. The language is mainly f**k, but some times they say c*ck and other words. There is a scene where seth gets his thrat cut. And one of the pain plot poins is alchol and there is a scene with cocaine. The role models are bad, but near the end a major point is friendship.

  5. I rate this title on for age 13 and give it 5.0

    Superbad

    Super funny movie. One of the funniest i've seen in a long time.

  6. Adult Reviewer
    I rate this title iffy for age 17 and give it 5.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Inappropriate language
    • Drinking, smoking, or drug use
    • My highlights are:
    • Positive messages

    Good for the older crowd. Not for anyone under 17.

    WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?!? It was hilarious.. But letting ANYONE 15 watch it? Wow. This world is going to hell quick.. There is entirely too much sex in this for someone that age.. It's no wonder there is so much teenage pregnancy.. Parents dont monitor their kids anymore.

  7. Teen Reviewer Age 15
    Lives in Pennsylvania
    I rate this title on for age 15 and give it 5.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Inappropriate language
    • Drinking, smoking, or drug use
    • Negative message
    • Negative role models

    i'm MC.LOVIN this movie!

    wat a nice family movie right? there's beer, cops chasing bad drunks, gun shooting, profanity and breif nudity. NOT. other than that its a pretty decent movie for kids 15+. under aged kids wouldn't get the jokes.

  8. Kid Reviewer Age 11
    I rate this title off for age 14 and give it 4.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Inappropriate language
    • Drinking, smoking, or drug use
    • Negative message
    • Negative role models

    Watch it

    Hahaha, this movie is hilarious, omg i died of laughter. really well done comedy movie. watch it

  9. Teen Reviewer Age 17
    Lives in Colorado
    I rate this title on for age 15 and give it 4.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Inappropriate language
    • Drinking, smoking, or drug use
    • My highlights are:
    • Positive messages
    • Good role models

    This movie has very positive messages about friendship and respecting women, and it's one of the funniest things I have seen in quite a while. But don't be fooled: This is an R-rated film, and was never intended for children. The swearing is very strong and near-constant (most of it is sexual), characters drink, smoke, and snort cocaine, and sex jokes are explicit and much more than frequent. (There are no actual sex scenes.) However, this is a great movie for ages 15 and up; it's a very entertaining way to learn some valuable lessons about friendship and respect.

  10. Teen Reviewer Age 13
    I rate this title iffy for age 14 and give it 4.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Inappropriate language
    • Drinking, smoking, or drug use

    McLovin!! Hah this movie is funny! Definitely not for young kids though.

  11. Kid Reviewer Age 11
    I rate this title iffy for age 10 and give it 4.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Inappropriate language
    • Drinking, smoking, or drug use
    • Negative message
    • Negative role models

  12. I rate this title iffy for age 15 and give it 5.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Inappropriate language
    • Drinking, smoking, or drug use

    Loved It! Very Funny Movie

  13. Teen Reviewer Age 16
    I rate this title iffy for age 12 and give it 5.0

    appropriate for anyone in highschool

    you can say this movie is bad and profane but the truth is, this movie is realistic. The movie was about a couple of 17 year old kids trying to get laid. Any guy knows that when he was 17, he was trying to get laid. This movie was about teens who swear every five minutes. I'm a sophmore and we swore that much in sixth grade and still do now. This movie was about kids drinking. Well we drink. So what. It's only "underage" if the law says it is. In some counties the drinking age is 14. Plus, when you were in highschool, atleast 80 percent of you had atleast one drink. Really, condemning teens not to watch this movie is an insult to you because you're naive enough to believe they either A: haven't seen it or B:Haven't seen it and don't do everything in it.

  14. I rate this title on for age 12 and give it 5.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Inappropriate language
    • Excessive consumerism
    • Drinking, smoking, or drug use
    • Negative role models
    • My highlights are:
    • Positive messages
    • Good role models

    This is a Very Silly Movie!

    This movie is hilarious for all ages! Even adults, the kids and I both love watching it all the time! it's defenently not SUPERbad, but does contain some sexual situations suchas, looking at pornography (breasts and nipples are visible in this part), oral sex, menstrulation on a leg, sex scenes, a PALOOZA! of detailed drawn penises, condoms and spermicidal lube! and a barrage of F-words! but other than that this film is hilarious!

  15. I rate this title iffy for age 13 and give it 4.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Drinking, smoking, or drug use

  16. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    I rate this title iffy for age 13 and give it 1.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Inappropriate language
    • Drinking, smoking, or drug use
    • Negative role models

    This movie was superbad

    My friends and I rented it, and we didn't even make it halfway through. It was slightly repulsing, and I didn't really find it that funny. A few chuckles, but that's it. Noo younger kids please! VERY inappropriate.

  17. I rate this title off for age 17 and give it 1.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Inappropriate language
    • Drinking, smoking, or drug use

    superBAD! HELLOO!

    Adults only

  18. Kid Reviewer Age 10
    I rate this title iffy for age 14 and give it 3.0

    eventhough it had nasty parts to it.....i was laughing i like this movie

  19. I rate this title on for age 2 and give it 5.0
    • My highlights are:
    • Positive messages
    • Good role models

    Not Bad At All

  20. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    Lives in District of Columbia
    I rate this title iffy for age 13 and give it 3.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Drinking, smoking, or drug use
    • Negative message

    Not apporiate for tweens

    This was a very inapropriate movie... but crazy funny!

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