Many thanks for all the reads, rates and comments - all are appreciated. An accountant by day and a ...
Many thanks for all the reads, rates and comments - all are appreciated. An accountant by day and a random reviewer by night I am not a professional writer, nor do I have any ambitions to be I guess I am just opinionated.
Member since:07.03.2007
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Written by Seth Rogan and Evan Goldberg, and directed by Greg Mottola, Superbad was released in September 2007.
****The storyline****
This film sees un-popular and geeky school friends Seth (Jonah Hill), Evan (Michael Cera) and Fogel (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) being rewarded with an invite to a party.
The boys see this as the best opportunity to hook up with the girls they have been after for a while, before they graduate from school and move away to college.
There is one condition of the invite in that it is the boys’ task to obtain the alcohol required for the party. Being under 21 presents a problem but the boys have a plan in mind, and letting their trousers rule their heads, they accept the challenge.
Whilst buying the alcohol, an unfortunate series of events sees Seth and Evan being driven to a different party with the promise of alcohol where things get even worse and they bite off more than they can chew.
In the meantime, Fogel has ended up befriending two ‘controversial’ policemen, Officer Michaels (Seth Rogan) and Office Slater (Bill Hader), and accompanies them on duty and experiences the dark side of policing.
The boys are reunited and go to the party where their respective belles are waiting for them, but nothing ever goes smoothly for our heroes and, once again, things take a turn for the worse.
Other than Seth, Evan, Fogel and the two police officers the only other characters with a substantial part in this film includes the love interests of our heroes, and include Becca (Martha Maclsaac)), Jules (Emma Stone) and Nicola (Aviva).
There is one funny scene with Becca, but other than that there are no memorable scenes involving the girls and none of their performances are memorable.
****My opinion****
There is nothing original about this film at all. The story replicates that of American Pie (released back in 1999) in that a group of virginal boys are attempting to become ‘men’ before they leave school. The storyline in American Pie had a lot more depth and there was a definite structure to the film in that it had a beginning, middle and definite end, whereby the audience knew what happened and didn’t come out of the cinema confused.
Superbad lacks depth and substance and when it finishes it is a definite “what happened there” moment. It may have been the writers’ intention to leave the ending open ended so that a sequel can be made in due course, and if this is the reason why then it has been managed poorly.
The characters are quite believable to some extent and their mannerisms and attitude reminded me of what I was like at high school, although I was not as foul mouthed and crude as they are.
A major criticism of this film is that the characters don’t develop in any way. I appreciate that the time scale of this film covers a couple of days but it appears that the characters are exactly the same at the end of the film as they were at the start. This is nonsensical as the experiences they endured would change them in some way.
The acting is not that bad, but then acting in teen comedies does not take the same level of acting skills required in other genres. This film does contain some funny scenes and memorable moments but they are few and far between. It seems that the writers have relied on excessive bad language, sexual references and alcohol to make this a ‘funny’ film and whilst it works on some levels it does get tiresome very quickly. I consider myself to be liberal and do not get offended but there are times when you can hear the F word too many times and this film is a prime example. If you are easily offended by such content then this film is not for you. It definitely isn’t one I would sit with my parents and watch.
Where American Pie was realistic, allowing the audience to relate to what was happening to the characters, Superbad is not. From start to finish the whole sequence of events and the conclusion is so far from life it is ridiculous.
I was very disappointed with this film. I think that Seth Rogan, Bill Hader and Jonah Hill are great, especially in knocked up, but they are not so good in this. Whilst there are some bits that made me laugh (not the side splitting laugh though) none of the actors gave memorable performances. Maybe this film required the magic of Judd Apatow (the writer/director of Knocked Up)? Maybe Seth Rogan should stick to just acting as opposed to acting and writing?
Would I recommend it? If there is absolutely nothing else available and you fancy a light hearted comedy then you may enjoy this, just don’t expect too much.
****Bonus features****
The film and the bonus features are all included on one disc so there aren’t as many as you get with other films. The bonus features include:
i) Deleted and extended scenes ii) Gag reel iii) Cop car confessions iv) Commentary with filmmakers and cast
I did not enjoy this film enough to endure the bonus features. The scenes that were actually included in the final film were bad enough and I am guessing that the deleted scenes are going to be absolute crap. Besides, I seldom watch the bonus features of any film as it just not my sort of thing.
****Other****
i) Certificate - 15 ii) Run time - 114 minutes iii) 2 Awards and 13 nominations (I am amazed at this) iv) At the time of writing £3.99 (excluding P&P) from Play.com. I would recommend to rent as opposed to buy since I do not believe it is a film to be watched over and over again.
(Originally posted on Dooyoo under the name of Yackers1)
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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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Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
![Superbad (Theatrical Cut) [DVD] [2007]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/77912280.jpg "Superbad (Theatrical Cut) [DVD] [2007]")
Mar 24th, 2009
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