I feel bad for Jason Biggs. And Eddie Kaye Thomas. Well, really, the entire cast and crew of American Pie. Sure, Pie was a big hit and got some good reviews some 10 years ago, but nowhere near the love that Superbad and the King Midas-like Judd Apatow are feeling right now. Don't get me wrong - this isn't to say that I think Superbad is a bad film or a cheap knockoff - not in the least. However, there sure are a lot of similarities between that first pastry-influenced film and the latest hit from the Apatow family. For starters, the Sherminator has offered to kick McLovin's ass.All that said, I enjoyed Superbad quite a bit. As DC Girl @ the Movies pointed out in her review, much like John Hughes, Apatow's films (mind you, Superbad was directed by Greg Mottola and not Apatow, but he produced and has his hands all over the project) have a specific feel or brand all their own. In the near future, the specifics of that brand (raunchy, crass humor mixed with heart) may have to be tweaked in order to resist against an audience tiring of seeing (essentially) the same movie over and over, but there's no denying that the last three (this, along with Knocked Up and The 40 Year Old Virgin) have been substantial critical and commercial hits.
If you're not familiar with the general story here, allow me to sum it up: high school buddies want to use booze to get girls drunk and take advantage of their lowered inhibitions. Wackiness ensues. It doesn't sound like anything all that original or thrilling, but the appeal of this (and KU and 40YOV) is in its stars. Jonah Hill and Michael Cera immerse themselves in the friendship between their characters beyond the point of homoeroticism, all to hilarious results. Though Hill is probably best served in small doses, Cera has an uncanny ability to take any and every line and turn it into an awkward, stumbling, nervous (and funny) joke.
In the end, there really isn't much else to say about Superbad, and it's probably best not to over think it. It's a dick and fart joke movie, minus the fart jokes, with some other ones in their place. Throw in some "heart" and you've got yourself a funny, sometimes tender love letter between two BFFs.
Fletch's Film Rating:
"It's in the hole!"
3 people have chosen wisely: on "Fletch's Film Review: Superbad"
I feel bad for Jason Biggs for other reasons.
But hey, Shannon Elizabeth got naked in American Pie and you can never take that way. No matter how weathered her skin will look in the (probably near) future because of sitting in those smokey casinos, we still have the original American Pie.
I hope raunchy, adolescent humor never goes out of style. That and Saturday morning cartoons -- they're the only things that keep me young at heart.
Aww, I thought Hill was hilarious in all sorts of doses, though admittedly not quite as endearing as Michael Cera (so speaketh Capt. Obvious). It's funny isn't it, how impossible it is to write or talk about this movie without mentioning Apatow... I don't even remember the name of the director half the time!
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