Superbad (film)
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''Superbad'' is a 2007 American
coming-of-age Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can ...
teen Adolescence () is a transitional stage of physical and psychological development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age of majority). Adolescence is usually associated with the te ...
buddy Buddy may refer to: People *Buddy (nickname) *Buddy (rapper), real name Simmie Sims III (1993–Present) *Buddy Rogers (wrestler), ring name of American professional wrestler Herman Gustav Rohde, Jr. (1921–1992) *Buddy Boeheim (born 1999), Amer ...
comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...
directed by
Greg Mottola Gregory J. Mottola (born July 11, 1964) is an American film director, screenwriter, and television director. Life and career Mottola grew up in Dix Hills, New York, in a Catholic family of Italian and Irish descent. He received his BFA in art f ...
and produced by
Judd Apatow Judd Apatow (; born December 6, 1967) is an American comedian, director, producer, and screenwriter, best known for his work in comedy and drama films. He is the founder of Apatow Productions, through which he produced and directed the films '' ...
. The film stars
Jonah Hill Jonah Hill Feldstein (born December 20, 1983) is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He is known for his comedic roles in films including ''Superbad'' (2007), '' Knocked Up'' (2007), '' 21 Jump Street'' (2012), '' This Is the End'' (201 ...
and
Michael Cera Michael Austin Cera (; ; born June 7, 1988) is a Canadian actor and musician. He started his career as a child actor, voicing the character of Brother Bear on the children's television show ''The Berenstain Bears (2003 TV series), The Berenstain ...
as Seth and Evan, two teenagers about to graduate from
high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
. Before graduating, the boys want to party and lose their
virginity Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...
, but their plan proves harder than expected. Written by
Seth Rogen Seth Aaron Rogen (; born April 15, 1982) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian and filmmaker. Originally a stand-up comedian in Vancouver, he moved to Los Angeles for a part in Judd Apatow's series ''Freaks and Geeks'', and then got a part on ...
and
Evan Goldberg Evan D. Goldberg (born September 15, 1982) is a Canadian-American filmmaker and comedian. He has collaborated with his childhood friend Seth Rogen on the films '' Superbad'', ''Pineapple Express'', ''This Is the End'', '' The Interview'', and '' ...
, the script began development when they were 13 years old, and was loosely based on their experience in Grade 12 at
Point Grey Secondary School Point Grey stəywəte:n̓ Secondary School, previously called Point Grey Secondary School, is a public secondary school located in the Kerrisdale and Shaughnessy neighbourhoods of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. History Designed by Fred T ...
in
Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
during the 1990s. The main characters have the same
given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a fa ...
s as the two writers. Rogen was also initially intended to play Seth, but due to age and physical size this was changed, and Hill went on to portray Seth, while Rogen portrayed the irresponsible Officer Michaels, opposite ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...
'' star
Bill Hader William Thomas Hader Jr.''Finding Your Roots'', January 26, 2016, PBS. (born June 7, 1978) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He is the creator, producer, writer, director, and star of the HBO dark comedy series ''Barry'' (201 ...
as Officer Slater. ''Superbad'' premiered at
Grauman's Chinese Theatre Grauman's Chinese Theatre (branded as TCL Chinese Theatre for naming rights reasons) is a movie palace on the historic Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6925 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States. The original Chines ...
on August 13, 2007. Upon release, the film received positive reviews, with critics praising the dialogue and the chemistry between the two leads as well as the performances of the supporting cast. The film also proved financially successful, grossing over $170 million on a $17.5–20 million budget. Since the film's release, it has garnered acclaim as one of the best comedies of the 2000s and as one of the best high school movies of all time. It has been hailed as one of the defining movies of the
Millennial generation Millennials, also known as Generation Y or Gen Y, are the Western demographic cohort following Generation X and preceding Generation Z. Researchers and popular media use the early 1980s as starting birth years and the mid-1990s to early 20 ...
.


Plot

Seth and Evan are high school seniors who have been best friends since childhood. They are about to go off to different colleges. When Seth is paired with Jules during
home economics Home economics, also called domestic science or family and consumer sciences, is a subject concerning human development, personal and family finances, consumer issues, housing and interior design, nutrition and food preparation, as well as texti ...
class, she invites him to a party at her house that night. Their friend Fogell reveals his plans to obtain a fake ID, so Seth promises to buy alcohol for the party with money she gives him. Evan runs into his love interest Becca and he offers to get her a specific bottle of vodka for the party. Despite Fogell's fake ID having only one name, "McLovin", he successfully buys the liquor, but is knocked out at the last second by a robber. When police officers Slater and Michaels arrive, Seth and Evan believe that Fogell is being arrested. In reality, the officers have agreed to give him a ride to the party. Outside, Seth is hit by a car. In exchange for Seth and Evan not telling the police, the driver, Francis, promises to take them to another party where they can get alcohol. Meanwhile, Slater and Michaels take Fogell on a ride-along and then bond with him. Despite being on duty, they start drinking, use their sirens improperly, and shoot at a stop sign. At the party, Seth fills laundry detergent bottles from the basement with alcohol he finds in the fridge and dances with drunk Jacinda. She stains his leg with menstrual blood, while some men high on cocaine make Evan sing "
These Eyes "These Eyes" is a song by the Canadian rock band The Guess Who. The song was co-written by the group's lead guitarist Randy Bachman and lead singer Burton Cummings and originally included on the band's 1969 album '' Wheatfield Soul''. It was firs ...
" for them. About to leave, Seth is confronted by the host for dancing with his fiancée. A brawl ensues, Jacinda calls the police, while Seth and Evan escape. Evan and Seth are arguing about Evan going to a different college from Seth, before the latter is again hit by a car – the police cruiser driven by Slater and Michaels. They plan to pin the blame of the crash on Seth himself and arrest them, but when Fogell comes out of the car, Evan makes a run for it, while Seth and Fogell escape with the alcohol. Eventually all three make their way to Jules' party. Arriving at the party, Fogell inadvertently reveals that he and Evan will be rooming together at college, further adding to Seth's discontent towards Evan. Seth's stories of the night make him popular. Becca wants to have sex with Evan, but he respects her too much to go through with it while she is drunk. Meanwhile, Fogell impresses Nicola, a student in school he was attracted to, and goes upstairs to have sex with her. Seth drunkenly attempts to kiss Jules, but she turns him down because she neither drinks nor wants Seth while he is drunk. He believes he has ruined any chance of anything with her and passes out, accidentally headbutting her and giving her a black eye. Slater and Michaels bust the party. Seth wakes up and escapes, carrying an intoxicated Evan. Slater interrupts Fogell and Nicola as they are having sex, causing her to run off. Officer Slater is angry at Fogell for ditching them, but Michaels points out they have just interrupted him, and they apologize, reconcile, and reveal they knew all along that Fogell was not 25 as the ID said; They played along, wanting to show cops can have fun too. To make it up to him, they pretend to arrest Fogell outside to make him look "badass." They resume their bonding, eventually destroying their car with a
Molotov cocktail A Molotov cocktail (among several other names – ''see other names'') is a hand thrown incendiary weapon constructed from a frangible container filled with flammable substances equipped with a fuse (typically a glass bottle filled with flamma ...
while Fogell shoots it with Slater's gun. Seth and Evan return to Evan's, where Seth reveals to Evan that due to seeing housing forms at his house three weeks earlier, he learned that Evan and Fogell were rooming together the whole time. Evan admits he does not want to room with Fogell at college next year but is afraid to live with strangers. They apologize to each other before reconciling. The next day, they go to the mall where they run into Jules and Becca. Becca and Seth both apologize for their drunken behavior the previous night, and the boys pair off with the girls. Seth takes Jules to buy
concealer A concealer or color corrector is a type of cosmetic that is used to mask imperfections on the skin. These imperfections can include dark circles under the eyes, blemishes, and hyperpigmentation. Concealer is similar to, and can be used in conju ...
for her black eye, while Evan and Becca leave to buy comforters, one to replace the one she ruined by vomiting on it.


Cast

*
Jonah Hill Jonah Hill Feldstein (born December 20, 1983) is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He is known for his comedic roles in films including ''Superbad'' (2007), '' Knocked Up'' (2007), '' 21 Jump Street'' (2012), '' This Is the End'' (201 ...
as Seth ** Casey Margolis as Young Seth *
Michael Cera Michael Austin Cera (; ; born June 7, 1988) is a Canadian actor and musician. He started his career as a child actor, voicing the character of Brother Bear on the children's television show ''The Berenstain Bears (2003 TV series), The Berenstain ...
as Evan *
Christopher Mintz-Plasse Christopher Charles Mintz-Plasse (; born June 20, 1989) is an American actor and comedian. He has performed roles such as Fogell (McLovin) in '' Superbad'' (2007), Augie Farcques in '' Role Models'' (2008), and Chris D'Amico in '' Kick-Ass'' (20 ...
as Fogell / McLovin *
Bill Hader William Thomas Hader Jr.''Finding Your Roots'', January 26, 2016, PBS. (born June 7, 1978) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He is the creator, producer, writer, director, and star of the HBO dark comedy series ''Barry'' (201 ...
as Officer Slater *
Seth Rogen Seth Aaron Rogen (; born April 15, 1982) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian and filmmaker. Originally a stand-up comedian in Vancouver, he moved to Los Angeles for a part in Judd Apatow's series ''Freaks and Geeks'', and then got a part on ...
as Officer Michaels * Emma Stone as Jules *
Martha MacIsaac Martha MacIsaac (born October 11, 1984) is a Canadian actress. She has appeared in several feature films, including ''Superbad (film), Superbad'' (2007), ''The Last House on the Left (2009 film), The Last House on the Left'' (2009), ''Dead Before ...
as Becca **
Laura Marano Laura Marie Marano (born November 29, 1995) is an American actress and singer. She is known for her role in the Disney Channel series '' Austin & Ally'' as Ally Dawson. Marano was one of the five original classmates in '' Are You Smarter than a ...
as Young Becca *
Aviva Baumann Aviva Baumann ( Farber; born July 10, 1984) is an American actress. She is known for playing Nicola in the comedy film ''Superbad'' (2007), young Shannon Gibbs on the military police procedural series '' NCIS'', and Mandy on the sitcom ''Party D ...
as Nicola *
Joe Lo Truglio Joseph Vincent Lo Truglio (; born December 2, 1970) is an American actor, comedian, writer and producer. Best known for his role as Charles Boyle on the Fox/NBC sitcom '' Brooklyn Nine-Nine'', he also was a cast member on the television series ' ...
as Francis *
Kevin Corrigan Kevin Corrigan (born ) is an American character actor. He has appeared mostly in independent films and television since the 1990s, including as Uncle Eddie on the sitcom ''Grounded for Life'' (2001–2005). His film appearances include support ...
as Mark *
Dave Franco David John Franco (born June 12, 1985) is an American actor. He began his career with small roles in films such as ''Superbad'' (2007) and '' Charlie St. Cloud'' (2010). Following a starring role in the ninth season of the comedy series '' Scru ...
as Greg * Laura Seay as Shirley * Marcella Lentz-Pope as Gaby *
Stacy Edwards Stacy Edwards (born March 4, 1965) is an American actress. She appeared in a number of B movies before her breakthrough role in the 1997 black comedy film '' In the Company of Men'', for which she received Independent Spirit Award for Best Female ...
as Jane *
David Krumholtz David Krumholtz (born May 15, 1978) is an American actor and comedian. He played Mr. Universe in '' Serenity'', Charlie Eppes in the CBS drama series ''Numb3rs'', and starred in the ''Harold & Kumar'' and ''The Santa Clause'' film franchises. Ear ...
as Benji Austin *
Martin Starr Martin James Pflieger Schienle (born July 30, 1982), professionally known as Martin Starr, is an American actor and comedian. He is known for the television roles of Bill Haverchuck on the short-lived comedy drama '' Freaks and Geeks'' (1999–2 ...
as James Masslin *
Ben Best Benjamin Terrell Best (September 11, 1974 – September 10, 2021) was an American actor, writer, musician, and producer. Best attended the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, North Carolina with frequent collaborator ...
as Quince Danbury *
Lauren Miller Lauren Anne Miller Rogen (née Miller; born July 24, 1982) is an American actress, comedian, screenwriter, and director. She has appeared in the films '' Superbad'' (2007), ''Zack and Miri Make a Porno'' (2008), and '' 50/50'' (2011). In 2012, ...
as Scarlett Brighton *
Steve Bannos Steve Bannos (born August 5, 1960) is an American television and film actor, writer and photo dealer. As an actor, he often had cameos in Judd Apatow and Paul Feig films, and is also known for his portrayal of Frank Kowchevski on the short-lived ...
as Math Teacher *
Carla Gallo Carla Paolina Gallo (born 1975) is an American actress. Gallo has had recurring roles in the television series '' Undeclared'', ''Carnivàle'', '' Bones'', '' Californication'', and a number of film roles. Since her role on ''Undeclared'', she ...
as a Period Blood Girl (Jacinda) *
Clark Duke Clark Duke (born May 5, 1985) is an American actor, comedian, and director known for his roles in the films '' Kick-Ass'', ''Sex Drive'', and ''Hot Tub Time Machine'', as well as playing Clark Green in the TV series ''The Office'', Dale Kettlew ...
as a Party Teenager *
Danny McBride Daniel Richard McBride (born December 29, 1976) is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter and producer. He starred in the HBO television series ''Eastbound & Down'', '' Vice Principals'', and ''The Righteous Gemstones'', also co-creating th ...
as Buddy at Party (uncredited) *
Cortney Palm Cortney Palm (born February 20, 1987) is an American actress and author known for '' Zombeavers'', '' The Dark Tapes'' and '' Sushi Girl''. Career Palm's career began after she was cast in the titular role of '' Sushi Girl''. She played Zoe i ...
as Party Guest (uncredited) * Clement Blake as Homeless Guy * Erica Vittina Phillips as Mindy


Production


Development

''Superbad'' was written by Goldberg and Rogen during their teen years. It is loosely based on their own experience as seniors in Vancouver in the late 1990s, hence the character names Seth and Evan. Other characters and references were influenced by Goldberg and Rogen's adolescence, such as Steven Glanzberg, their peer at Point Grey Secondary School, characterized in the film as a loner. According to an interview at an event panel in 2009, Fogell was also a real friend of Rogen and Goldberg. Rogen was initially slated to play Hill's character Seth, but due to his physical size and age, he played one of the police officers. When asked where he wants to be dropped off, Fogell tells the officers to take him to 13th and Granville, a nod to Rogen and Goldberg's favorite all-you-can-eat sushi restaurant in Vancouver. ''Superbad'' took seven years to complete from early scripting in 2000 and filming from 2006 to 2007. Among the films that served as inspiration for ''Superbad'' were '' Dazed and Confused'', ''
Fast Times at Ridgemont High ''Fast Times at Ridgemont High'' is a 1982 American coming-of-age comedy film directed by Amy Heckerling (in her feature directorial debut), from a screenplay by Cameron Crowe, based on his 1981 book ''Fast Times at Ridgemont High: A True Story ...
'', and ''
American Graffiti ''American Graffiti'' is a 1973 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film directed by George Lucas, produced by Francis Ford Coppola, written by Willard Huyck, Gloria Katz and Lucas, and starring Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard (billed as Ronn ...
''.


Filming

The film was primarily shot in Los Angeles in 2006. Exterior shots of the high school were filmed at
El Segundo High School El Segundo High School, or ESHS, is a four-year public high school located in El Segundo, California. It is the only secondary school incorporated by El Segundo Unified School District. First built in 1927, the school campus contains 5 main build ...
. The mall scenes were shot at the
Fox Hills Mall Westfield Culver City (formerly known as the Fox Hills Mall), is a shopping mall in Culver City, California, owned by the Westfield Group. Its anchor stores are JCPenney and Macy's. Junior anchors are Best Buy, Nordstrom Rack, Target, Forever 21 ...
in
Culver City, California Culver City is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,779. Founded in 1917 as a "whites only" sundown town, it is now an ethnically diverse city with what was called the "third-most d ...
. Other filming locations include the convenience store at the beginning of the film, also in Culver City, the liquor store where "McLovin" gets IDed in
Glendale, California Glendale is a city in the San Fernando Valley and Verdugo Mountains regions of Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census the population was 196,543, up from ...
, and the bar where the cops take McLovin for a drink is neighboring
Los Angeles International Airport Los Angeles International Airport , commonly referred to as LAX (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary international airport serving Los Angeles, California and its surrounding metropolitan area. LAX is located in the W ...
(LAX). The scene where McLovin and the cops do donuts in the cop car was filmed in a parking lot on the
California State University, Northridge California State University, Northridge (CSUN or Cal State Northridge) is a public university in the Northridge neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. With a total enrollment of 38,551 students (as of Fall 2021), it has the second largest un ...
campus. Mintz-Plasse was 17 at the time of filming ''Superbad'', and as a result, his mother was required to be present on set during the filming of his sex scene.


Reception


Box office

''Superbad'' opened at number one at the United States box office, grossing US$33,052,411 in its opening weekend from 2,948 theaters for an average of US$11,212 per theater. The film stayed at the second week, grossing US$18,044,369. The film grossed US$121.5 million in the United States and Canada and US$48.4 million in other countries, for a total of US$169.9 million worldwide. Compared to the budget of $17.5–20 million, the film earned a huge financial profit, making it the highest domestic grossing high school comedy at the time (it was surpassed by ''
21 Jump Street ''21 Jump Street'' is an American police procedural television series that aired on the Fox network and in first run syndication from April 12, 1987, to April 27, 1991, with a total of 103 episodes. The series focuses on a squad of youthful-loo ...
'', a film also starring Hill, in 2012).


Critical response

On
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
the film has an approval rating of 87% based on reviews from 207 critics, with an average rating of 7.40/10. The website's consensus reads, "Deftly balancing vulgarity and sincerity while placing its protagonists in excessive situations, ''Superbad'' is an authentic take on friendship and the overarching awkwardness of the high school experience." On
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, the film has a score of 76/100 based on 36 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews." Audiences surveyed by
CinemaScore CinemaScore is a market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts based on the data. Background Ed Mintz founded Ci ...
gave the film a grade A− on scale of A to F. Mick LaSalle of the ''
San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. de ...
'' called it 2007's most successful comedy.
Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...
of the ''
Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the ''Chicago T ...
'' had the headline of his review read "McLovin It," and gave the film 3 out of 4 stars, and said "The movie reminded me a little of ''
National Lampoon's Animal House ''National Lampoon's Animal House'' is a 1978 American comedy film directed by John Landis and written by Harold Ramis, Douglas Kenney and Chris Miller. It stars John Belushi, Peter Riegert, Tim Matheson, John Vernon, Verna Bloom, Thomas Hu ...
'', except that it's more mature, as all movies are." Carina Chocano of the ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'' said "Physically, Hill and Cera recall the classic comic duos—
Laurel and Hardy Laurel and Hardy were a British-American Double act, comedy duo act during the early Classical Hollywood cinema, Classical Hollywood era of American cinema, consisting of Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and American Oliver Hardy (1892–19 ...
,
Abbott and Costello Abbott may refer to: People *Abbott (surname) *Abbott Handerson Thayer (1849–1921), American painter and naturalist * Abbott and Costello, famous American vaudeville act Places Argentina * Abbott, Buenos Aires United States * Abbott, Arkansas ...
,
Aykroyd Aykroyd is an English surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Dan Aykroyd (born 1952), Canadian comedian, actor, screenwriter and musician; brother of Peter * James P. Aykroyd (1810−1835), early American composer, music teacher, mus ...
and
Belushi Belushi or Balushi may refer to: * Belushi (surname) * '' Belushi: A Biography'', a 2005 biography of John Belushi * ''Belushi'' (film), a 2020 documentary film on John Belushi See also * Balushi (disambiguation) * Belisha (disambiguation) * Be ...
. But they are contemporary kids, sophisticated and sensitive to nuance"; she added, "I hope it's not damning the movie with the wrong kind of praise to say that for a film so deliriously smutty, ''Superbad'' is supercute." Sean Burns of ''
Philadelphia Weekly ''Philadelphia Weekly'' (''PW'') is a website based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded as a newspaper in 1971 as ''The Welcomat'', a sister publication to the ''South Philadelphia Press''. In 1995, the paper became ''Philadelphia Weekl ...
'' said "2007: the year Judd Apatow and Seth Rogen saved movie comedy", a reference to ''
Knocked Up ''Knocked Up'' is a 2007 American romantic comedy film written, co-produced and directed by Judd Apatow, and starring Seth Rogen, Katherine Heigl, Paul Rudd, and Leslie Mann. It follows the repercussions of a drunken one-night stand between a sl ...
'' which was released in June. Devin Gordon of ''
Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis (businessman), Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print m ...
'' said "As a ''
Revenge of the Nerds ''Revenge of the Nerds'' is a 1984 American comedy film directed by Jeff Kanew and starring Robert Carradine, Anthony Edwards, Ted McGinley, and Bernie Casey. The film's plot chronicles a group of nerds at the fictional Adams College trying ...
'' redux, ''Superbad'' isn't perfect. But it's super close." In a more critical vein, Stephen Farber of ''
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'', compared the film to other films with a single-day structure, such as ''
American Graffiti ''American Graffiti'' is a 1973 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film directed by George Lucas, produced by Francis Ford Coppola, written by Willard Huyck, Gloria Katz and Lucas, and starring Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard (billed as Ronn ...
'' and '' Dazed and Confused'', but said that Superbad "doesn't have the smarts or the depths of those ensemble comedies." ''The Hollywood Reporter'' review was referenced in the film's DVD audio commentary, particularly the review's suggestion that the two main characters have a
homoerotic Homoeroticism is sexual attraction between members of the same sex, either male–male or female–female. The concept differs from the concept of homosexuality: it refers specifically to the desire itself, which can be temporary, whereas "homose ...
experience similar to the film ''
Y Tu Mamá También Y, or y, is the twenty-fifth and penultimate letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. According to some authorities, it is the sixth (or sevent ...
''. Roger Moore of the ''
Orlando Sentinel The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is the primary newspaper of Orlando, Florida, and the Central Florida region. It was founded in 1876 and is currently owned by Tribune Publishing Company. The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is owned by parent company, '' Tribune P ...
'' called the film a "super-derivative, super-raunchy sack of laughs" and a "great vulgarian send-off to the summer of ''Knocked Up''" that plays like "''
Freaks and Geeks ''Freaks and Geeks'' is an American teen drama, teen comedy-drama television series created by Paul Feig and executive producer, executive-produced by Judd Apatow that aired on NBC during the 1999–2000 United States network television schedul ...
: Uncensored''." Moore concluded, "The energy flags as it overstays its welcome. The Apatow Rule, 'If it gets a laugh, don't cut it,' doesn't do movies under his banner any favors. Still, there are plenty of those laughs, from the ruder-than-rude opening to the ironic-sentimental ending."
Wesley Morris Wesley Morris (born 1975) is an American film critic and podcast host. He is currently critic-at-large for ''The New York Times'', as well as co-host, with Jenna Wortham, of the ''New York Times'' podcast '' Still Processing.'' Previously, Mor ...
of ''
The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...
'' said the film "has a degree more sophistication than ''Revenge of the Nerds'' and '' American Pie'', and less than the underrated ''
House Party A house party is a type of party where people gather at the residence of the party's host. Organization A house party might be organized several months or just a few hours in advance. News of a party may be spread by personal invitations, ...
''." Morris also said, "the few smart observations could have come from an episode of one of Apatow's TV shows" and "I wanted to find this as funny as audiences did."


Accolades

The film was listed as on ''
Empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...
''s 500 Greatest films of all time. ;Won *
Canadian Comedy Awards The Canadian Comedy Awards (CCA) is an annual ceremony that awards the Beaver for achievements in Canadian comedy in live performance, radio, film, television, and Internet media. The awards were founded and produced by Tim Progosh in 2000. T ...
2008 – Seth Rogen – Best Writing. Rogen could not attend the awards ceremony but recorded a special thank you message. *
Canadian Comedy Awards The Canadian Comedy Awards (CCA) is an annual ceremony that awards the Beaver for achievements in Canadian comedy in live performance, radio, film, television, and Internet media. The awards were founded and produced by Tim Progosh in 2000. T ...
2008 – Michael Cera – Best Male Performance *
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards 2007 20th CFCA Awards December 13, 2007 ---- Best Film: No Country for Old Men The 20th Chicago Film Critics Association Awards, given by the CFCA on December 13, 2007, honored the best in film for 2007. Winners and nominees Best Actor ...
– Michael Cera – Most Promising Performer *
Austin Film Critics Association Awards 2007 3rd AFCA Awards ---- Best Film: ''There Will Be Blood'' The 3rd Austin Film Critics Association Awards, honoring the best in filmmaking for 2007, were announced on December 20, 2007. Top 10 Films # ''There Will Be Blood'' # ''No Country for O ...
– Michael Cera – Breakthrough Artist Award * Young Hollywood Awards 2008 – Emma Stone – Exciting New Face ;Nominated * 2008 MTV Movie Awards – Best Movie * 2008 MTV Movie Awards – Michael Cera, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse – Breakthrough * 2008 Peabody Award – Best New Comedy Performance * 2008 MTV Movie Awards – Jonah Hill – Best Comedic Performance * Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards 2007Best Comedy Movie * Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards 2007 – Michael Cera – Best Young Actor * Empire Awards 2007 – Best Comedy *
Teen Choice Awards The Teen Choice Awards is an annual awards show that airs on the Fox television network. The awards honor the year's biggest achievements in music, film, sports, television, fashion, social media, and more, voted by viewers living in the United S ...
2007 – Choice Summer Movie – Comedy/Musical


Home media

''Superbad'' was released via
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...
, UMD and
Blu-ray The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of sto ...
on December 4, 2007, in two versions: theatrical (113 minutes) and unrated (118 minutes). Special features include
deleted scene A deleted scene is footage that has been removed from the final version of a film or television show. There are various reasons why these scenes are deleted, which include time constraints, relevance, quality or a dropped story thread. A similar o ...
s, an
audio commentary An audio commentary is an additional audio track, usually digital, consisting of a lecture or comments by one or more speakers, that plays in real time with a video. Commentaries can be serious or entertaining in nature, and can add informatio ...
with cast and crew, line-o-ramas (a feature most associated with Apatow films), a making-of, and a number of short featurettes.


Books

Two tie-in books to the film were published by
Newmarket Press Newmarket Publishing and Communications Company, and its publishing arm Newmarket Press, was founded in 1981 by President and Publisher Esther Margolis. Newmarket published about 20-30 mainly non-fiction books a year, primarily in the areas of chi ...
: * ''Superbad: The Illustrated Moviebook'' () was published on December 4, 2007, to coincide with the release of the film on DVD. This official companion book includes an introduction by producer
Judd Apatow Judd Apatow (; born December 6, 1967) is an American comedian, director, producer, and screenwriter, best known for his work in comedy and drama films. He is the founder of Apatow Productions, through which he produced and directed the films '' ...
; the complete script by
Seth Rogen Seth Aaron Rogen (; born April 15, 1982) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian and filmmaker. Originally a stand-up comedian in Vancouver, he moved to Los Angeles for a part in Judd Apatow's series ''Freaks and Geeks'', and then got a part on ...
and
Evan Goldberg Evan D. Goldberg (born September 15, 1982) is a Canadian-American filmmaker and comedian. He has collaborated with his childhood friend Seth Rogen on the films '' Superbad'', ''Pineapple Express'', ''This Is the End'', '' The Interview'', and '' ...
; commentaries by Apatow, Rogen and Goldberg, and journalists from ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'', ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', and ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
''; 56 film stills; "Mr. Vagtastic Guide to Buying Porn;" and 24 "phallographic" drawings by David Goldberg that viewers will recognize from the film's end credits. * ''Superbad: The Drawings'' () was published on February 14, 2008. This gift hardcover art book contains 82 "phallographic" drawings created by David Goldberg (
Evan Goldberg Evan D. Goldberg (born September 15, 1982) is a Canadian-American filmmaker and comedian. He has collaborated with his childhood friend Seth Rogen on the films '' Superbad'', ''Pineapple Express'', ''This Is the End'', '' The Interview'', and '' ...
's brother) for the film.


Soundtrack


References


External links

* –
Sony Pictures Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Sony Pictures or SPE, and formerly known as Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc.) is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment studio Conglomerate (company), conglom ...
Movies * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Superbad 2000s buddy comedy films 2000s coming-of-age comedy films 2000s high school films 2000s sex comedy films 2000s teen comedy films 2007 films American buddy comedy films American coming-of-age comedy films American high school films American sex comedy films American teen comedy films Teen buddy films Apatow Productions films Columbia Pictures films 2000s English-language films Films about alcoholism Films about parties Films about virginity Films directed by Greg Mottola Films produced by Judd Apatow Films shot in Los Angeles Films with screenplays by Seth Rogen 2000s teen sex comedy films 2007 comedy films Films with screenplays by Evan Goldberg Films scored by Lyle Workman 2000s American films