superbad
SUPERBAD (dir. Greg Mottola, 2007):
Pretty hilarious. And that's just how it is. Of course, I did only graduate two years back, so part of this comedy has a quasi-nostalgic feel for me. Ask me again in 10 years and I'll probably have another take on this.
It's pretty much the standard Apatow & Co. formula (as everyone's been saying): raunch+humanity = comedy that makes you feel really good at the end. But there are certain things that got to me. One being that it was probably 20 minutes too long. As great as it is to have this many jokes and character moments, it reached the point where I was aware of how long scenes were playing out, and within the realm of entertainment cinema, that's a bad thing.
And the other thing is Seth Rogen's whole "unattractive loser going noplace must end up with the superbabe" is annoying me. And it's only the second movie where he's done this. The great thing about the Steve Carrell/Catherine Keener pairing in the 40 year old Virgin was that they were believable as a couple. But Rogen is pushing the idea. Maybe it'll inspire hot girls to go for guys who seem to be going nowhere, because a sense of humor can undo being a loser. But I guess that's probably my old film history nerve kicking in too. I've come to expect either a believable pairing of airheads or a sophisticated pair of equals (much more entertaining). In Virgin it was nice because they weren't the most attractive people around, but they were right for each other and they weren't stupid. But Rogen is leaning heavily on the idea that opposites attract (as far opposed as they may be).
Superbad is a conventional teen movie, but the Apatow "heart" and Mottola's slightly apparent style (a few fancy camera flourishes, nice grainy HD) take it a step above the rest. Plus, thank god Michael Cera is getting larger roles. Right now, he may be may favorite screen comedian. I wasn't crazy about McLovin, but he was funny. Rogen and his mini-me (Jonah Hill), were hilarious, but...there's just something about them that keeps me from flat out adoration. And Bill Hader was great. So hilarious.
So, as it's known to do...comedy saves the day and gets the grade.
Final Grade: B+
Pretty hilarious. And that's just how it is. Of course, I did only graduate two years back, so part of this comedy has a quasi-nostalgic feel for me. Ask me again in 10 years and I'll probably have another take on this.
It's pretty much the standard Apatow & Co. formula (as everyone's been saying): raunch+humanity = comedy that makes you feel really good at the end. But there are certain things that got to me. One being that it was probably 20 minutes too long. As great as it is to have this many jokes and character moments, it reached the point where I was aware of how long scenes were playing out, and within the realm of entertainment cinema, that's a bad thing.
And the other thing is Seth Rogen's whole "unattractive loser going noplace must end up with the superbabe" is annoying me. And it's only the second movie where he's done this. The great thing about the Steve Carrell/Catherine Keener pairing in the 40 year old Virgin was that they were believable as a couple. But Rogen is pushing the idea. Maybe it'll inspire hot girls to go for guys who seem to be going nowhere, because a sense of humor can undo being a loser. But I guess that's probably my old film history nerve kicking in too. I've come to expect either a believable pairing of airheads or a sophisticated pair of equals (much more entertaining). In Virgin it was nice because they weren't the most attractive people around, but they were right for each other and they weren't stupid. But Rogen is leaning heavily on the idea that opposites attract (as far opposed as they may be).
Superbad is a conventional teen movie, but the Apatow "heart" and Mottola's slightly apparent style (a few fancy camera flourishes, nice grainy HD) take it a step above the rest. Plus, thank god Michael Cera is getting larger roles. Right now, he may be may favorite screen comedian. I wasn't crazy about McLovin, but he was funny. Rogen and his mini-me (Jonah Hill), were hilarious, but...there's just something about them that keeps me from flat out adoration. And Bill Hader was great. So hilarious.
So, as it's known to do...comedy saves the day and gets the grade.
Final Grade: B+
posted by js munoz at
11:09 AM
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