Superbad (2007)

Having completely forgotten about this blog for 2 days short of 2 years, now is as good a time as any to start it up again. Having recently graduated from university and with the economy in the toilet (thanks, Dave), it seems that a lot of my time will be devoted to watching films. With that in mind, here's my first review. Well, it's more of a double review, actually. When I first began this blog, I wrote a review of Superbad, but didn't publish it for whatever reason. Having recently watched Superbad for the second time a short while ago, I thought it would be interesting to publish my initial review alongside what I think of it having seen it again.

Here's my initial review:

A few days ago I settled down to watch Superbad. Having heard nothing but good things about it, and having enjoyed two of Judd Apatow's other films (The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up) I figured it would be a good way to ease myself in to the world of blog reviews.

The film stars Michael Cera and Jonah Hill as Evan and Seth, two best friends in their final year of High School. With both of them about to graduate and go to different universities, they decide to try and lose their virginity with their respective crushes: Becca and Jules. Their plan revolves around getting their friend Fogell (played by Christopher Mintz-Plasse) to use his new fake I.D. buy all the alcohol for the party at Jules' house, and get the two girls drunk enough to sleep with them. However, when Fogell reveals his fake I.D. lists him as a 25-year-old Hawaiian named "McLovin", things start going downhill. When Fogell appears to be busted by the police and Evan and Seth enlist the help of an ex-con to secure the booze, things hit rock bottom.

As it turns out, I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. Not once did I have to stop the film because I was laughing too much. In fact, I didn't really laugh that much at all. The funniest part of the film is probably the moment the stain on Seth's jeans is revealed to have originated from a rather "intimate" dance he had with a drunk girl earlier on.

Yes, McLovin is a classic character and Christopher Mintz-Plasse was superb, but the trailers for Superbad seemed to be nothing but McLovin clips. Having seen the trailer ad nauseum when it was on TV back in 2007, the film suffered from that classic problem of "putting the funniest bits in the trailer". McLovin being interrupted in bed with a girl? Seen it. McLovin revealing his fake I.D. lists his name as just McLovin? Seen it. McLovin saying "I am McLovin"? Seen it. McLovin tackling someone in a kitchen? Seen it.

That feeling of familiarity carries on throughout most of the film. Guys desperate to lose their virginity before they all go off to college? Where have we seen that before?

Resemblances to American Pie aside, the film was a fairly easy watch. The first hour or so seemed to breeze by. McLovin is a brilliant character; Cera and Hill have real chemistry as the two leads and Seth Rogen is his usual brash self. However, once the trio reunited and got to the party, it began to drag. Apatow and co-writer Evan Goldberg don't seem to quite know how to end the film and it meanders to a very predictable conclusion.

7 out of 10.

And here are my thoughts from almost two years later, having seen it recently for a second time:

I enjoyed it much more than the first time I watched it. Yes, the same feeling of familiarity with other films was there, but I laughed more and the ending is better than I gave it credit for. Rather than having the trio lose their virginities, the film has a much more authentic ending: they don't. Mintz-Plasse is superb and Cera and Hill have great chemistry. Emma Stone also shines out as not only very sharp and funny but one of the most beautiful young actresses in Hollywood today and it's tantamount to her considerable talent that she has gone on to give such good performances in a wide variety of films.

Yes, it's familiar and yes, it meanders at the end but it's warm, realistic, very funny and features some marvellous performances from four fantastic young actors.

8 out of 10.