Sunday, August 19, 2007

"Superbad" (2007) - Movie Review

Laughing at some activities appearing on screen against law and doing wrong almost makes me feel guilty. And “Superbad” has tons of those. The difference is that the characters that do those have some kind of weird attracting force which pulls us in. It is almost a fantasy still very realistic. But it is not a movie to think about the technicality of those which they bring in at the right moment though.

Evan (Michael Cera) and Seth (Jonah Hill) are those two goofy friends who can be seen always hanging out in the high school. They are inseparable. They talk about girls and every little vulgarity associated with it. As these kinds of movies have, Evan is the better one with some conscience while Seth is in denial and defense mechanism of talking out loud and crude. Anyways, this is not the place to discuss their characterization. Same old story of high school is getting over, time to be a “man” and hence comes the good old “wild night” filled with adventures. With that tag, “Superbad” convincingly and quite memorably fills the screen with laugh filled moments laid out nicely.

Judd Apatow who directed “The 40 Year Old Virgin” and “Knocked Up” produces this film with Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg penning the screenplay and Greg Mottola directing it. The two characters Seth and Evan are based on the writers themselves and their high school years. There is some sense of sincerity on these characters. This sincerity in fooling around makes it funnier. The dialogues are highly explicit which immediately makes us laugh but does not make us feel guilty for unknown reasons. Mottola very nicely borders it so that the fun ride has its moments to make us feel good. Suddenly there is a pause in the screenplay. The moment is snapped with good intensity and right away sweeps it from the shelf to bring the comedy back.

The peer pressure, teenage curiosity and also the feel of being known and insecurity makes these two kids take insane steps. Or at least Seth is up for anything so long it gives a drunken sex with his crush, Jules (Emma Stone). But he is vehemently against Evan’s crush Becca (Martha Maclsaac). We of course realize more than hating Becca it is the fear of Evan being taken away from him. Every one would have had a buddy with whom the dependency has been created so much to oppose anything and everything which poses a threat for separation. Mottola handles this too in this comic flick with nice touches.

No one can ever forget “McLovin” ever. Fogell (Christopher Mintz Plasse) along with the cops Officer Slater (Bill Hader) and Officer Michaels (Seth Rogen) are the riot of comic moments in the movie. The chemistry of these three sinks in perfectly. The cops are not any one ever want to run into who twist, tweak, stamp on and totally misuse the law in all way possible. Still they befriend Fogell convinced with his fake id (which poses him as “McLovin”), so to speak with a surprise then and later. This is the fantasy ride. There would have been worst nights for many and when there is a very solid chance of meeting the law for wrong reasons but what would have happened if the cop becomes the buddy and provides you the time of any one’s life? It might happen but still there will be an ending of sour taste. The movie carefully takes it as funny as possible and provides those with nice conviction too. Even though I would not approve of any wrong doing, the film made me to enjoy the ride with guilt free entertainment.

There is nothing unique in the story. The plot is still the same and the wild adventure is still there. The difference is that the movie does not concentrate on how much of “losers” the characters are. They do not create sympathy in a fashion the teenage movies tend to take upon and fail miserably. Here we see two dearly friends who just cannot deal with their step in to the big world individually. With that background, the humour of fantasy realism is good enough to stamp on the movie as a “bonafide Superbad” in all good and fun way possible.

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