 "Photo: Sony Pictures")
Teen comedies have really been leaving me flat lately. It seems that Steve Carell and Vince Vaughn have a new movie out each week, and Will Ferrell keeps returning each summer with a new movie about the same subjects year after year.
So, it's no surprise that I was unenthused (and, to be honest, rather unamused) when I saw the trailer for "Superbad" - made by the good folks who brought you "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" and "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy."
My only hope lay in the reviews I had read before leaving for the theater, basically all of which were positive. Even Roger Ebert gave it 3.5/4 stars, practically unheard of for a teen comedy.
"Superbad" is about two high school seniors, Seth and Evan, who were never able to hang out with the "cool" crowd. On one of the last nights before their graduation, they are determined to finally party with their peers and get the girls they have been longing for, or lusting after, for all of high school.
In a movie that's filled with surprises, the humor is simply nonstop. The best part is that the humor is vastly different from its aforementioned movie peers.
The two stars' brilliant acting really carries the film. Jonah Hill and Michael Cera, as Seth and Evan, respectively, are some of the most believable young actors in recent history. Hill is genuine and funny, and Cera is a supremely talented actor, whose unique awkward and charming style is sure to be imitated for years to come.
Another original thing about the film's comedic sense is that it's actually intelligent. It was a breath of fresh air hearing jokes made about things that you wouldn't hear in most teen movies, for (likely justified) fear that they would lose their primary audience. During one of the first scenes of the film, there was a surprisingly clever Orson Welles joke, which left most of the theater un-amused.
This is not to say that the movie doesn't have its share of absurd, silly humor - it does. However, it's humor that people can relate to. When talking to people about the film, the most common response I get is people who are simply amazed at how true-to-life the dialogue was for kids of that age. Being rated R, many viewers may have gone through exact conversations that Seth and Evan do in the film, regarding such topics as life-saving waistbands, Web sites, fake IDs, and the ethics of drunken hook-ups.
Perhaps the best aspect of the movie, though, is that it makes the audience feel for the characters. No matter what kinds of ridiculous situations they get themselves into (like Evan being forced to sing "These Eyes" by The Guess Who - another reference that I'm afraid no one else in the theater got), we always feel as if we are in their shoes.
The main conflict between the two characters is their acceptance to different colleges and their fear to let go of one another. This is another thing that is easy to relate to, heading off to college by yourself and leaving your friends behind. This fear is even worse for Seth and Evan, as they only hang out with each other, aside from their geeky friend Fogell, otherwise known as "McLovin'." This plotline results in some genuinely tear-jerking scenes and an ending that will make you smile, but in a slightly sad way.
As I walked out of the theater, I felt a strange mixture of sadness and laughter, and wanted to see the movie again immediately. It was honestly shocking to me that I enjoyed the movie at all, never mind that I enjoyed it to the degree that I did.
So, if you're expecting a movie like "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby," you might want to pass on "Superbad." However, if you think you're up for a teen movie with not only a brain, but also a heart, you should probably check it out.
Anthony David Rueli is a Collegian correspondent. He can be reached at arueli@student.umass.edu.
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