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Capone May Never Stop Watching SUPERBAD!!
Hey, everyone. Capone in Chicago here, with the 57th review of SUPERBAD this site has had in the last few months.
How did we get to be so lucky this summer?
While the big-budget action offerings and multiple sequels that have come out this season have been a mixed bag ranging from "pretty good" to "complete crap," this has been a particularly good year for comedies, especially those aimed at older audiences. We began the summer of right with Knocked Up, starring Seth Rogen and written and directed by Judd Apatow; and now we end it with SUPERBAD, a slightly raunchier but no less funny high school-based offering co-written by and starring Rogen (and longtime friend Evan Goldberg) and produced by Apatow. Since their work together on THE 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN, the Apatow/Rogen pairing has become something of a standard for R-rated comedies. There are no punches pulled as these films do anything and go anywhere for their laughs, but there is also a very naturalistic flow to the dialog and situations. Sometimes we feel we're listening in on private conversations, probably very similar to those we've had with only our closest friends. And the creative team behind these films also has a sincere desire to give us characters we genuinely like. They may be pigs at times, but that doesn't stop these boys/men from being likable, sometimes even lovable.
As directed by Greg Mottola (who helmed THE DAYTRIPPERS and several episodes of "Arrested Development" and "Undeclared"), SUPERBAD tells the story of two lifelong best friends (who just happen to be named after the writers, Seth and Evan) as the enter the final weeks of their lives in high school. This time wouldn't be nearly as important to the duo if Evan (Micahel Sera) wasn't leaving for college after the summer, thus separating the two for the first time in their lives. Seth (played by the inspired comic actor Jonah Hill; this guy could read directions on how to boil an egg and I would laugh) says it doesn't bother him to be separated from his best friend, but we know better. To celebrate what could be their last summer together, Seth and Evan set forth on a plan on getting summer girlfriends, which begins by getting these young women drunk at a party and hooking up with them. The fact that the two lovely women in question even speak to these numbskulls on a regular basis doesn't seem to clue them in that their tactics probably aren't necessary, but that doesn't stop them from spending most of the film trying to acquire alcohol for said party and having many ridiculous adventures along the way.
The third player in the story is Fogell (played by Christopher Mintz-Plasse), but thanks to a creative fake Hawaiian driver's license purchased by Fogell to buy booze, the name McLovin will go down in history as one of the great screen names in history. Seth and Evan get separated from McLovin early in the film after a botched attempt to buy alcohol. In the ultimate act of kindness to audiences, SUPERBAD actually becomes two extremely hilarious film as Seth and Evan try to find alternatives to McLovin's fake ID to get booze, and Fogell ends up befriending and rolling around town with two local cops (played by Rogen and "SNL's" Bill Hader, who was also very funny earlier this summer in HOT ROD). All of the kids in this film talk a tough game (especially when it comes to women), but as you'd suspect, they are all softies at heart. They aren't quite full-fledged outcasts, but they do exist on the fringe of their high school society, and the prospect of starting over at college is terrifying. And it's on this pivotal life-changing event that the filmmakers rightfully expect many of us who have lived through similar situations to identify.
To talk about individual events and gags in SUPERBAD is pointless. The film is pretty much top-to-bottom funny. Some situations will make you laugh more than others; some may make you gag (a scene involving Seth getting blood on his pants leg comes to mind); but the whole movie is a scream. What takes us slightly off guard is a thread of sweetness and honesty that weaves its way through the film. This has become Apatow's familiar trademark, and I don't think it's one that will ever get old. By making the characters in his movies legitimately nice people, their sometimes-rude behavior gets a pass. This may not seem fair or even right, but it works for me. There are no real bad guys in these movies, and in the end the characters only have their own immaturity and hang-ups to overcome in order to win over the girl or reach some milestone in their lives.
Good intentions aside, SUPERBAD will just plain make you laugh. Hill and Cera work together so effortlessly, it's as much a treat to see them rip each other apart as it is to experience them coming to grips with the prospect of being apart after high school. I would also imagine Superbad is the kind of film that will actually get better with repeated viewings; and to test my theory, I plan on watching this film repeatedly. I recommend beginning with one viewing and going from there.
Capone
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You guys are on a roll these days.
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And yeah, this movie is going to kick ass.
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Yes, I do.
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This movie just doesn't scream "must see this in the theater" to me!
I'd rather wait for the DVD. -
C´MON!
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...enough with the reviews folks... p-please, j-just...st..op....
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is because the movie is that good. I probably wouldn't have paid to see this in the theater, and got to see a fre screening, and ever since then, I have also been pimping this movie to whoever will listen. It is that good. You will laugh your balls off.
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Superbad is one of those rare movies that does what very few movies in this day and age do, and that is truly capture a moment in time for what it is like to be a 17 year old, less than popular, geek in high school. And they do it while making it one of the most hilarious movie experiences in recent memory. Sure the cell phones give away that this is 2007, but aside from that this could be any town USA in 1977, 1987, 1997, or 2007. They types of kids who are in high school, how they behave, the parties they go to, what they do at these parties, how they talk to each other, and the extreme lengths that a 18 year old guy will go to in order to 'get the girl'. This movie is incredibly vulgar, crude, and its totally hilarious! Not recommended for your younger kids, however this movie will resonate personally with anyone who has ever been a 17 or 18 year old boy. Cannot recommend enough!
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..that the BATMAN pictures came from Brazil.
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yeah, thats what I meant to say, except i'm retarded, so you said it better
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Alright, we get it.
SUPERBAD is hilarious and we should all go RIGHT NOW and see it.
How many more ravings do we need to hear? I'd didn't actually bother reading this one (No offense, Capone). -
I can't freaking wait to see this today.
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Each with a different opinion, then everyone else can hash it out in the talkback. Unless it's just because there isn't any other news today.
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you guys should be getting paid for all the marketing your doing. Move on to something else, already?
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"will go down in history as one of the greatest screen names in history." And yes, we're being beaten into the ground with reviews of this thing.
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seriously, it was way too damn good. hilariously fucking awesome
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It's NOT that funny. There's so much hype about this, it's puzzling!!
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I saw it a couple months ago at a free screening and thought it was one of the funniest movies ever made... right up there with Animal House and the like.
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She found it immature but I loved it. Saw it for free at a screening but I'll pay to see it again.
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I don't think it's possible to get his name more wrong.
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Seriously, I ran out first chance to see Knocked Up, and thought man 40 year old Virgin was a lot funnier. But that was probably because I really hadn't read anything about 40. After watching Knocked Up i wished I had made it to the free Pre Viewing a couple months earlier to I could have seen it with everyone else. Starting to feel the same way about Superbad. While their are other movies hardly talked about on this site, Sunshine, that no body saw and should've. I mean just read the first part of Massawyrm Sunshine review. That and I do not find Jonah Hill funny, there is nothing new there. But Michael Cera is why I'll be seeing this film. And the whole McLovin thing seemed lame to begin with and now its been beaten to death.
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And am now laughing at the idiot who was bragging because he saw it at midnight. Oh and it was free for me.
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Aug 17, 2007 1:04:52 PM CDT
Okay, the movies from/with Apatow, Rogen were so far...
by derlanghaarige
...not even half as funny as many people say. SUPERBAD is their last chance to convince me.
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Yoko (aka Mrs. Lennon) broke up THE BAND. And Superbad is a great movie. Nuff said.
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I haven't seen any trailers for it, nor any reviews on AICN, nor any advertisements on the internet or elsewhere. Doesn't ring a bell. Why don't you review DEATH SENTENCE, that's a movie I'd actually like to fucking hear about!!!
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but went too long and had a lame ending. I liked Knocked Up waaay better and this one looks funny as heck. And if your not watching 30 Rock, do youself a favor and check it out. "I'd like to take it behind the junior high and get it pregnant". Comedy Gold!!!!
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One with the intestinal fortitude to tell them that not every single scene needs to be in the final cut. Superbad was 15 minutes from being absolutely classic. But those 15 minutes really dragged it down.
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That Yoko ono did not breake up the beatles. There was a superb documentary on timewatch recently. The documentary was on a long lost piece of footage which captured the beatles last ever concert in Shea stadium. What was great about the documentary was that it told the story of the beatles final two years. They had spent from between 1964 and 1966 touring the US. When it came to touring the beatles were no different then any other band. What they didnt know however was that brian epstein alway flew first class or by private jet and that epstein booked the presidential suite while the beatles stayed in the cheap rooms. When the beatles did find out what epstein was up to they very angry indeed. but the pressure was starting to strain the band and the craics were beginning. One day after they got back from america, They decided to record what would be their last album. they had a secret meeting which was revealed in this documentary that they all vowed never to work together. Lennon had enough. in fact bey this stage thy hall hated each other. A story was framed around this that Yoko was to blame for the break up but in fact the reason is more complex than . the relentless touring, brian epstein's constant lying, fab macca's arrogance behind the scenes, the rows with lennon and lennons growing bitterness with fame. Why was pete best kicked out of the beatles the answer is paul mcCartney. Best was the ladies man in the line and Fab Macca hated this as he preceived himself as the ladies man. SO macca had him fired and lennon was furious about this. There was a bit of a barny between the two. Lennon viewed the band as his. that is what was at the centre of their fueds. Macca always saw life beyond the beatles. Lennon hated the image of the cuddly mop tops. Lennon said you have to be a bastard in the music business and we are the biggest bastard of all.
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McPLANTIN
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And it is! Hell, it is better than the trailer. Loved every second of it.
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Huh. I hadn't heard about it.
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Aug 17, 2007 3:53:28 PM CDT
this site, onion's av club, and slant to tiny extent
by clever_reference
are obviously being paid to hype this movie because no matter how funny it is, the hype this week is at star wars/comic franchise level hype for essentially a 1980s throwback film.
Let me also go on record that however many laughs I had at 40 year old virgin were offset by the fact that it was at least 40 minutes too long -- blazing saddles was under 2 hours. my point exactly.
i'm sick of the gross out comedies mixed with pathos. this all started with Something About Mary (which I hated except for the retard). Enough already. Just being funny. Wedding Crashers would have been incredibly funny had they run with the premise and cut out the rest of the crap.
animal house has no point, no pathos -- just humor and funny characters.
and i hated american pie too!
and hated porky's.
bottle rocket and lebowski are my comedy standards post-1980s.
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without bare breasts.
jesus christ, even pg-rated Sixteen Candles had nudity.
we have become a nation where maxim sells more than playboy -- where the tease is prevalent.
we are truely a nation of adolescents.
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we're adolescent because there isn't nudity? seems more adolescent to me to be complaining that there aren't any boobies to look at. *shrugs*
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And it's Michael Cera, not Sera
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You know it to be true. More funny shit and less wussy shit in this one. Still, I do agree this bunch needs a tighter editor, STAT. But, yeah, this is the shit, not Knocked Up, which was just okay.
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For those of you that think the penis drawing thing is as far as they go with it, stick around for the credits. I was laughing so hard I was crying. The final self portrait was brilliant. Oh, and the Cops and McLovin were the best part.
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(spoilers) but when I saw the Tiananmen Square one I lost it.
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to the hype. I haven't laughed that hard in a theater in a very very long time.
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Tight Jeans.
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this site has become kind of a tool. i dig apatow and co - enjoyed 40 year old virgin and knocked up. spent the last couple of days watching clark and michael's shows on-line (very funny). but this mess wasn't that great, really. this summer has been woefully short on comedies, so i can understand the craving - but let's all calm down for a minute. how many more times do any of us have to hear the word dick? how much more shocked can we get by much of anything (the bloody pant leg was tired before it started)? and what was the deal with the cop sub-plot? the interplay between the leads was charming, but did anyone really need rogen and hader mugging up the screen for 40 minutes? i know teens need this and i understand their enthusiasm - but why are a bunch of middle age proto nerds jumping all over this? Final thought - can't we find something better for women/girls to do in these vehicles? the cool/hot/understanding girlfriend role is kind of played.
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agree with the guys who wanted to hear about other movies on this site. there are independent and foreign flicks that don't get any play here lately because there just isn't enough space to discuss iron man and bat man and seth rogen. does jon favreau live there now? it smells. advertise - fine...but don't wallow.
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the whole gross out thing is weak. vomiting and dick jokes and vomiting and dick jokes and vomiting and dick jokes...tired. lets try banning dick jokes, car crashes and puke for a year and see what kind of funny we come up with.
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"haven't seen it yet - looks funny, hope it's good" or "can't wait to see this one" you need to take up a hobby or get a dog or find a friend or something - christ anything - better to do with your time.
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...okay, man. Are you trying to get yourself quoted on the movie cover? Go fuck yourself with your puns. You can shove them up your critics corner asshole.
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Can Superbad really be considered a teen flick? i think not. It's aimed at the same crowd as 40 Year old Virgin, Knocked Up, Blades of Glory, Ron Burgandy and other comedies of the same ilk. Not a bad thing, but i just wouldn't call it a teen comedy, it has teens in it, but it's not a flick aimed at teens. I liked the movie but please AICN stop overhyping it. It was funny, but not as funny as i thought it would be. Also the fat guy got annoying as the movie moved along, but I liked everything else about it.
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It was quite entertaining and a good comedy, but it's not a classic. I could sit here and point out the problems with the film but i won't. AICN kills me when they bash another flick but give certain ones a pass.
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Not as funny as the trailers and the hype led me to believe, but that initial disappointment will wash away and im sure i will be left thinking its a really good movie. But right off the bat, no, it did not live up to the hype.
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I didnt find the blood on the pant leg funny either. Am I a bad person?
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is that this site used to find the script of little movies and then back to the hilt. sometimes it worked and sometimes and sometimes it didnnt. This site along with others celebrated the Starwars phenomena. Harry used to regail us all with stories about the time he saw such and such and such movie, brought us set visits to New Zealand spoke with Peter Jackson etc. But the turning point came I when he was the first person to see The Pahantom Menace and that gave alot of kudos in the industry. He then ripped off the hand that fed him devouring, chewing and spitting out the Robberall movie. Fox turned on him. This site stood up and applauded and some talkbackers embraced harry as thier hero. There was a lot of Bile and it has continued. Comedy is subjective. Some love Knocked up. some dont. Some love Superbad some dont. are these good films or great or bad. I have no idea. Havent seen them yet. Getting behind a film is no bad thing just as long as the reviwes are honest and point out flaws along the way.
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Ummmmmm........George Bush?!?
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It seemed as if the entire film actually happened and the dialogue was recorded and then turned into a script. Everyone spoke exactly how they should have, and acted identical to how people like this act, and due to the immense authenticity, I loved it. Michael Cera losing at a video game and saying "Oh, that's fun. Why do they make it so you can't even--" is the perfect reaction to what someone like him would do when losing at a game.
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If you judge on laughs alone. It deserved to do way better. But I think it'll find it's audience on video. Superbad was way darker, more intense and emotional than I expected it to be. This is a good thing. It almost reminded me of Pulp Fiction or something with the suddenly shifting tone as they went from place to place. It was more Spanking The Monkey than say Old School. That whole sequence at the menacing house party is masterful.
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In fact I like Michael Cera in pretty much anything. I am trying to imagine the movie without him and I probably would have hated it. One thing I dont get is how people could be laughing so hard they were crying while watching it- what was so funny? To me, some of the subtle things made me laugh, like the video game comment that he makes. So what's rip roaring funny?
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Aug 18, 2007 11:03:19 AM CDT
You know though, I thought Dodgeball was funnier than..
by cotton mcknight
Anchorman, which came out the same year. So maybe that says something. There isn't an Apatow movie in existence that made me laugh so hard I cried- its usually the subtlety that makes me laugh. From Freaks and Geeks onward.
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It was one of those classic movie experiences that don't happen too much anymore. Everyone went apeshit with laughter. Truly this is another comedy gem from Apatow and company. Still batting a 1000.
Can't wait for the mock bio "Walk Hard" though. The preview had people laughing pretty hard. It's great that John C. Reilly is finally getting his just due with a major role.
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..."the name McLovin will go down in history as one of the great screen names in history".
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Hey. First timer here, but I've been reading for sometime now. First off, this site tends to go overboard with negative reviews and they tend to go overboard with gushing reviews too.
1. Superbad has good acting, especially by the three main character and the two main girls.
2. The two cops are tiresome and they quickly made me roll my eyes everytime they appeared. Their presence was forced and it made no sense.
3. This is not the best summer film this year. That label get thrown around too much. -
I dont know how you could give this a bad review. Unless you forgot how to laugh. I was iffy on Knocked Up and bored by 40 year old virgin but absolutely loved this one...their not plants when the movie is actually good...unlike Transformers.
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CRAP! Their is wrong...i meant "they are"
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if you don't know the kid from Superbad is in Clark and Michael, you are missing out. Here it is on youtube featured next to another great series Tragically Unemployed.
http://www.youtube.com/categories_portal?c=24&e=1
And Superbad is def in my top ten movies of all time. It is impossible to overhype this movie, nothing compares.
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