Superbad

[Gold Trumpet]

Spoiilers

I read everything over and I'm still not convinced with what the other side is saying. For instance, the movie has nothing to say about the two girls. We know Jules is nice and doesn't drink, but so what. A lot of girls do that and they still wouldn't give these guys the time of day. We know Becca likes Evan, but not why. He's nice to her, but that's nothing. She just likes him all the way through. She shouldn't because he manages to show absolutely no confidence to her at all.

Sure the dynamics between Evan and Seth are a little more honest. Films like 40 Year Old Virgin and Beerfest have been inching toward the dependency men have with other men in friendships. When life is suppose to be just about women, these movies have showed that's really far from the case. Does Superbad go a little further? Sure, because it relates some experiences of high school back to the audience. Beerfest is total fiction and 40 Year Old Virgin is pretty good, but the situations in that movie don't happen to anyone ever. Superbad has a few moments that happen to people.

That being said, American Pie had more real life experience so it wins out. I don't care that Superbad is about a more interesting context of male friendship. It had ridiculous moments all the way through out the story that happen to no one. The stuff of fiction. For these movies to be truly relatable and honest they have to be about experience. I can count the honest scenes in Superbad on one hand. Just because those few scenes are reminiscent of something I had in high school doesn't take away from the majority of the film being stupid. Superbad excuses itself because its stupid is funny.

I also don't think Evan and Seth's journey to the party speaks well about them as characters. Yes, it says they want to get laid in the worst way, but everything they go through is comedy formula. That shit doesn't happen and Seth would have broken bones if the police car hitting him actually happened. To make meaning out of all those scenes is to rationalize all their bad qualities.

Still, look at other movies. Corey Haim goes through a lot in License to Drive to get a license and car to take the hot girl in school out. The things he goes through are more re latable to people everywhere because the girl puking in your dad's nice car from drinking too much really happens. Superbad couldn't care less about small incidents like that. It has to have cop cars hitting the characters. Was License to Drive good? No! It's not good because it isn't funny. Superbad is funny. It would be considered shit if it wasn't funny and still had those four or five honest scenes.

Movies like Diner and Beautiful Girls either make you reflect totally on your past experience or at least question them. Their main subject is that. Superbad's main subject is humor. The characters and their experience are flavor to satisfy the people who want to see themselves in the characters of a movie. Every movie has dribbles of honest moments to get people to cling to bad and generic stories.

[Stefen]

Superbad is becoming the most overrated movie of the summer.

It's a great comedy, but people are acting like it's The Last fucking Emperor in terms of coming of age.

It's the timeless tale about three high school dudes (a sweet one, an abrasive, vulgar one, and an awkward one) trying to get laid before they go to college that we've seen a million time. It's a comedy about getting laid, not a drama about getting laid like The Last Temptation Of Christ.

[modage]

it's no Knocked Up.

[SiliasRuby]

Spoiilers

I read everything over and I'm still not convinced with what the other side is saying. For instance, the movie has nothing to say about the two girls. We know Jules is nice and doesn't drink, but so what. A lot of girls do that and they still wouldn't give these guys the time of day. We know Becca likes Evan, but not why. He's nice to her, but that's nothing. She just likes him all the way through. She shouldn't because he manages to show absolutely no confidence to her at all.

Sure the dynamics between Evan and Seth are a little more honest. Films like 40 Year Old Virgin and Beerfest have been inching toward the dependency men have with other men in friendships. When life is suppose to be just about women, these movies have showed that's really far from the case. Does Superbad go a little further? Sure, because it relates some experiences of high school back to the audience. Beerfest is total fiction and 40 Year Old Virgin is pretty good, but the situations in that movie don't happen to anyone ever. Superbad has a few moments that happen to people.

That being said, American Pie had more real life experience so it wins out. I don't care that Superbad is about a more interesting context of male friendship. It had ridiculous moments all the way through out the story that happen to no one. The stuff of fiction. For these movies to be truly relatable and honest they have to be about experience. I can count the honest scenes in Superbad on one hand. Just because those few scenes are reminiscent of something I had in high school doesn't take away from the majority of the film being stupid. Superbad excuses itself because its stupid is funny.

I also don't think Evan and Seth's journey to the party speaks well about them as characters. Yes, it says they want to get laid in the worst way, but everything they go through is comedy formula. That shit doesn't happen and Seth would have broken bones if the police car hitting him actually happened. To make meaning out of all those scenes is to rationalize all their bad qualities.

Still, look at other movies. Corey Haim goes through a lot in License to Drive to get a license and car to take the hot girl in school out. The things he goes through are more re latable to people everywhere because the girl puking in your dad's nice car from drinking too much really happens. Superbad couldn't care less about small incidents like that. It has to have cop cars hitting the characters. Was License to Drive good? No! It's not good because it isn't funny. Superbad is funny. It would be considered shit if it wasn't funny and still had those four or five honest scenes.

Movies like Diner and Beautiful Girls either make you reflect totally on your past experience or at least question them. Their main subject is that. Superbad's main subject is humor. The characters and their experience are flavor to satisfy the people who want to see themselves in the characters of a movie. Every movie has dribbles of honest moments to get people to cling to bad and generic stories.

Yeah.......but are you going to buy the DVD?

[Gold Trumpet]

doubtful.

[Ravi]

Its not the Citizen Kane of teen movies (to pull out that old cliche) but Superbad was exaggerated and contrived in a way that was more interesting to me than a lot of the teen films I've seen.

That being said, American Pie had more real life experience so it wins out. I don't care that Superbad is about a more interesting context of male friendship. It had ridiculous moments all the way through out the story that happen to no one. The stuff of fiction. For these movies to be truly relatable and honest they have to be about experience. I can count the honest scenes in Superbad on one hand. Just because those few scenes are reminiscent of something I had in high school doesn't take away from the majority of the film being stupid. Superbad excuses itself because its stupid is funny.

American Pie over Superbad, really?  I have never been even close to fucking a pie or doing a striptease with a hot girl over a webcam, but I've been to a couple of bad parties that I wanted to get out of.  Nothing as hellish as in Superbad, though. Except for the McLovin scenes with the cops, the film was mostly exaggerated versions of things that could happen in real life.

[©brad]

gt what the hell are you talking about. superbad was written by seth rogen and the other dude when they were tweens. it's based on many of their own high school experiences, and the film feels totally honest and authentic. american pie reads like the high school fantasy of some clueless baby boomer. it's completely unrealistic.

[Neil]

I just don't really see calling the film sincere and honest(emotionally) a huge step at all, or a big deal.  Certainly, if i only liked things which linked to my personal experiences, i would not like most films.  I don't really see it being about "how many broken bones Seth would have" or if this mclovin shit could happen. The setup for every situation is real because they are all real life situations, what happens as it progresses, the detail and shit is why i go to a movie. It was fun, and entertaining, but the point is at the same time the movie doesn't try to be anything it isn't. It's lighthearted, sure, but there are serious moments in the film.  They put the end "i love you" thing in there for a reason, it is the a measure of high school, and how alot of kids handle shit.  The joke seth makes at the end saying a cliche unfunny bit about his moms boobs speaks loud as hell.  Watch his face when he says it.  Nothing to dwell on, or contemplate though, shit happens in high school, and then you just kind of find yourself in the middle of it, i know for sure that I've had intense events occur in high school where i probably felt as weird as these kids did.


Basically, this movie is fucking hilarious, but how it hits home is really not up really a concern of mine. The jokes are fresh in the way that alot of comedies are using these days, it must've been every inside joke Seth rogen and his pal ever had...that's what really stands out to me, and the lighthearted shit is dead on, I just hope rogen didn't use up every joke he had, because this movie had enough "funny" in it to make two or three terrible romantic teen comedies.

[Gold Trumpet]

the film was mostly exaggerated versions of things that could happen in real life.

Best way I've heard it put.

gt what the hell are you talking about. superbad was written by seth rogen and the other dude when they were tweens. it's based on many of their own high school experiences, and the film feels totally honest and authentic. american pie reads like the high school fantasy of some clueless baby boomer. it's completely unrealistic.

American Pie was written by the directors and set in their own high school and if I remember correctly, also based on their high school experience. Every bad high school movie is written by some screenwriter and based on his/her high school experience. That doesn't make one better than the other. American Pie isn't authentic, but it had more moments that reminded me of my youth than Superbad did.

As Ravi said, everything is exaggerrated. If the film would have calmed down the scenes I would be agreeing with everyone. I still like Superbad more and later experience may change my mind about it. That's how things go for movies. But I don't give a shit to really argue this movie. I rather enjoy it.

[Ravi]

Things are exaggerated.  I wasn't saying that's a bad thing.

[Neil]

I can't wait to see hot topic rake from this movie for the next five years...

[cine]

i dont get the big blowup here of disagreements.. it's not american pie, its not knocked up, its not fuckin' last temptation of christ.. if anything, its gen Y's Dazed and Confused.

[Pubrick]

if anything, its gen Y's Dazed and Confused.

oh, so it's overrated.

[Kal]

i loved this... im not going to start comparing to other movies... it was different when i saw american pie, or fast times and ridgemont high... it also depends on how old YOU are when you see this movies and what you expect to see. there are so many things you find funny and then eventually they are not as funny as you remember (in my case, happens a lot with the simpsons).

i thought the characters were as real as they were ridiculous... the cops, mclovin were great, but the two main characters are amazing. the movie is not pretencious, its just funny and sincere.

[Pubrick]

not as funny as you remember (in my case, happens a lot with the simpsons).

you mean from the last 8 years? they were never funny.