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STORY STUDY - MEDIUM: FILM - “Superbad”

Jeffrey Tung
May 15, 2017
2 min read

How far would you go if there was the slightest chance of having sex with someone you’re attracted to?

That’s what these high school seniors are going to find out in one crazy day.

Directed by Greg Mottola, and written by Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg, Superbad is about two best friends, Seth and Evan, who are invited by Jules, Seth’s crush, to a party at her house. After discovering their friend, Fogell, is planning on getting a fake I.D., Seth gets the idea to use it to buy alcohol to bring to Jules’ party.

The three go with the plan since Evan and Fogell’s crushes, Becca and Nicola, will also be present at the party.

However, through some bad luck and misunderstandings, the three are split apart, and now has to improvise a way to get alcohol to the party. It’s going to be a long day.

Superbad was released a couple years after The 40 Year Old Virgin and was released the same year as Knocked Up, all three involving Judd Apatow as producer. On their surface, it seems like all they want to be are raunchy comedies about men who just want sex. Of course, there’s more to the story, and to these characters.

In this film’s case, ultimately it’s a story about Seth and Evan, and their friendship. When everything suddenly takes a turn for the worse, and their expectations shattered, they both lash out at each other about how Seth can’t live (or function) without Evan, while Evan says he missed out a lot of his teenage life because Seth was holding him back.

Normally, I wouldn’t think much about a film in this genre or story, but I was still curious because I found the trailer funny. After finally watching it, I found it to be a bit refreshing in its characters and plot points, specifically involving the two cops, played by Rogen and Bill Hader.

One element that I like, even though it really doesn’t make sense to use it, is the music and songs. From its opening credit sequence, you know it’s 1970s soul and funk… but it’s not set in that decade, it’s set in modern day. It’s not like Star-Lord who has a cassette filled with 70s music in Guardians of the Galaxy; it’s just the music happens to be 70s inspired. Regardless, it still sounds cool.

If you can get through this kind of humor, both visual and verbal, Superbad is a raunchy, very filthy comedy that, like with its characters, has more to offer when you look past the surface.