Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Superbad = Supergood
Something strange has been happening this summer. So far, The Wife and I have managed to see four (count 'em, FOUR) movies! First, there was Spider-man. Then there was Knocked Up. Then Harry Potter. Finally, we have Superbad. (On a side note, I also saw The Simpsons with my friends.) Not a bad one in the bunch, if you ask me.
Superbad is about two guys in high school who are best friends. They're dorks, but they manage to get invited to the last party of their senior year. The only problem is that they have to supply the booze. Both guys are looking to hook up with someone at the party. This could any one of a million teen movies. And all of them would have sucked. What makes Superbad different is that the party is almost an after-thought. The adventure is in how the guys GET to the party.
But what I like most about Superbad (and its fellow movies from the Seth Rogen/Judd Apatow team) is how the characters treat each other. It's a lot more realistic than any other movie I've ever seen. Or at least, it's a lot more like my reality. Basically, there are a group of friends and all they do is make fun of each other. Constantly. Non-stop. And the way they do it most is by making obscure references to say, Jusef Islam (nee Cat Stevens) or imitating Yoda without saying that they're imitating Yoda. In other words, they expect the audience to be as pop-culture obsessed as they are. I can't speak for everyone, but I certainly enjoy it. And judging by the box office receipts, I'm guessing I'm not alone.
Superbad is about two guys in high school who are best friends. They're dorks, but they manage to get invited to the last party of their senior year. The only problem is that they have to supply the booze. Both guys are looking to hook up with someone at the party. This could any one of a million teen movies. And all of them would have sucked. What makes Superbad different is that the party is almost an after-thought. The adventure is in how the guys GET to the party.
But what I like most about Superbad (and its fellow movies from the Seth Rogen/Judd Apatow team) is how the characters treat each other. It's a lot more realistic than any other movie I've ever seen. Or at least, it's a lot more like my reality. Basically, there are a group of friends and all they do is make fun of each other. Constantly. Non-stop. And the way they do it most is by making obscure references to say, Jusef Islam (nee Cat Stevens) or imitating Yoda without saying that they're imitating Yoda. In other words, they expect the audience to be as pop-culture obsessed as they are. I can't speak for everyone, but I certainly enjoy it. And judging by the box office receipts, I'm guessing I'm not alone.
