Seems like we're getting back on an even keel with the rating viewings now. Quite liking the new pag...
Seems like we're getting back on an even keel with the rating viewings now. Quite liking the new pages in a way. Thanks for all your rates.
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In recent years, the cinema has seen a different type of comedy emerge: the stupid dork type comedy that pokes fun at minor stereotypes in America and takes the mickey out of itself. A small group of actors have huddled together in creating these films, off the back of such films as Zoolander and the Will Ferrel and Luke Wilson group, known as the Frat Pack. Superbad is an 'off-shoot', if you will, of this genre, and features the newer 'stupid comedians', such as writer and actor Seth Rogen, and his younger version, Jonah Hill.
The Plot
Seth, Evan and Fogell are best friends, but Seth and Evan have been virtually joined at the hip since they were at kindergarten. Now, the end of school is looming and college is beckoning. Seth doesn't manage to get into the same school as Evan, and panic sts in, though neither of them will admit it. The other problem is, neither of them have any experience with the ladies, and they don't want to go to college as virgins.
The girl Seth has fawned over his entire life, Jules, now seems like a possibility for a little action, and likewise for Evan, with
a girl named Becca, who blatantly likes him, but he is so paranoid in himself that he can't see it. Jules is holding a party while her parents are out of town, and it just so happens that the dorkiest guy on the planet, Fogell, is about to go and get some fake I.D.
Throw in a comedy of errors and a chain of events involving some wild cops, a holdup in a liquor store and a few sexual mishaps, and you have yourselves a comedy that you will either love or hate.
The Cast and Performances
The two leads in Seth and Evan are played by Jonah Hill and Michael Cera. Hill was in Knocked Up, the previous collaboration from this group of misfit actors, and Cera has given a brilliant performance in Arrested Development. The two combine brilliantly, particularly with the dialogue, written mainly by Seth Rogen, who plays rookie traffic cop Michaels alongside Officer Slater, played by the hilarious Bill Hader. The two cops are fantastic, and the majority of their conversations in the film are completely ad libbed.Martha MacIsaac plays Becca and Emma Stone plays Jules, and the two are perhaps the only normality in the film, with everyone else conforming completely to a stereotype in one way or another.
The star of the show has to be Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Fogell. Not only does he look the complete dork and everything you would associate with the sad sack of the class, but he acts it perfectly as well. The best part is, he tries to be bad ass, especially when attempting to buy alcohol. His performances had me in stitches!
My Opinion
I started watching this film with trepidation, not because I wasn't sure if I was going to like it or not, but because I never know how far these guys will push the boundaries with their comedy. Writers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg have created a very good tale of 'not growing up', and their sequencing with the comedy of errors one after another is brilliantly conceived. Behind the camera, director Greg Mottola does a good job in delivering the comedy to our screens, and ensures the characters are all where they are supposed to be when they are supposed to be there, but you do get the niggling feeling that he was not in complete control.
This is one of those films where you feel the cast had an absolute blast filming it. I am not sure how much they had to repeat scenes, but if you look below the apparent superficial surface, it is easy to see a group of intense perfectionists at work. It must be very hard to create something so stupidly funny that it works. There is one scene where semen is the topic of conversation, and the rumour is that they ad libbed the dialogue for over four minutes, and it had tobe edited down to two. This is typical of this type of film, and adds to the comic effect in my opinion.
On a negative note, this film will most definitely not appeal to a large portion of the public. The humour is coarse and sometimes graphic, and some will find it offensive, as a lot of it is sexual humour. The genre of film is no cinematographic masterpiece, and I am sure this is deliberate. It is a fun film for people who want a good laugh and for those who are fed up with the over-caution we sometimes see with political correctness. There is definitely nothing PC about this film.
Conclusion
A hilarious but crude comedy from the latest offshoot of the Frat Pack, made in a more un-PC mould than the likes of American Pie and Road Trip, but pulling its origins from this type of film. Will offend some people.
I rate this film at 4 stars out of 5 for my personal enjoyment, although I would not be surprised if the spectrum of rating goes from 1 to 5!
You can get the 2-disc extended edition from amazon.co.uk for £6.98 at the moment.
This review may also be posted on dooyoo.co.uk.
Thanks for reading.
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Superbad, for many, was the surprise hit of the year. Yet when you consider the comedy ... more
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![Superbad (Theatrical Cut) [DVD] [2007]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/77912280.jpg "Superbad (Theatrical Cut) [DVD] [2007]")
May 9th, 2008
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