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What’s the Story?

Reviewed by Sandie Angulo Chen

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?

4

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.

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