Review - Superbad.

Yes, yes, yes, my little sucklings, I have returned. It's been way too long since my last movie review, but things have been hectic as usual and I just haven't been able to get out to the theaters that much. My work schedule hasn't even allowed me to keep up with my Netflix movies, that Kid Dynamite documentary has been sitting on my desk for over a month. Sorry kids, but when it comes to priorities, I have to put Michael Bolton and LeAnn Rimes over movie reviews. And while I enjoyed both Transformers and The Simpsons Movie, I just didn't feel like writing about them. But don't worry, I've returned yet again to give you my half-baked, wholly misguided musings about the world of film.

So let's just dive into this. There has been one genre of film that has always had a special place in my heart, but has unfortunately been met by critics with mostly scorn. The potential has been huge for a teenage sex comedy to rise above its mainstream expectations and actually say something genuine to go along with the toilet humor, but more often than not, the filmmakers go the tomato route and focus mostly on the toilet humor and bouncing breasts. It's too bad, in fact, it's "superbad"! WOCKA WOCKA WOCKA! Anyways, it's too bad because the teenage sex comedy, if done well, can be a movie that can appeal to nearly everyone. If we aren't young, we've all been there at one point and can relate to the trials and tribulations of that weirdly awkward phase where we have all these raging hormones and don't know what to do with them. Teenage sex comedies are a lot like pizza, everybody makes them, but only a select few recipes are worth trying. With every Mom and Pop cornerstore slice (Superbad), you're bound to come across at least 20-30 Domino's (American Wedding). Sure, just focusing on the superficial elements of the genre can occasionally churn out some entertaining results like Eurotrip, but we need some character and heart, not just fart jokes!

The plot to Superbad is retardedly simple, one could get it confused with Porky's, only without the strip club and elaborate revenge scheme (and the racist overtones). It's two misfits kids trying to get laid. That's it. Two kids trying to get laid. Wait a minute, shouldn't they get into some kind of sticky situation involving the assistant principal's Ferrari or the farmer's daughter? No, they're just trying to get laid. But shouldn't they have to raise a ridiculous amount of money in an incredibly small amount of time in order to save their youth center? Please, stop calling me. No, they are just some nerdy kids who are trying to have sex with a woman. Probably the best thing is that the film is so straightforward with its intentions. It's a teen movie, and a good one. Much like how Sixteen Candles was a wacky odyssey colliding all the crazy characters together, so is Superbad. Our heroes get into several crazy situations while on their mission to find their mecca, only in this case mecca is a woman's vagina, and for them the key is copious amounts of alcohol. Sounds sexist as hell, I know, but believe when I say the film has a whole lot of heart. I'll just leave it at that as I try my best to not give away too much of the film in these reviews. But seriously, Superbad is a teen movie in which the characters are genuine and the obvious scenarios don't always pop up. But of course, the tried and true themes are explored here, such as the value of friendship and the impending separation of such friendship. It would be so cliched if it wasn't just so damn true. Jonah Hill and Michael Cera have natural comedic ability, even though during the scene where Cera was finally hooking up with the girl o' his dreams, I wanted to shout "George Michael, you belong with Maeby!" But it's good to see that he's been able to get a good career started after the premature demise of Arrested Development. A television actor moving to film? Insane.

So there, I liked the hell out of Superbad. Let me end this review by just saying I am furiously jealous of Seth Rogen. He is the man, he is making movies, he's writing them, he's funny and talented as all hell, and he's my same age and is about as physically attractive as I am! When will I get my time? It's not fair!

Okay, okay, no sour grapes. Let's sign off with a !!VIDEO PICK OF THE WEEK!! *cue trumpets, sound of lion mauling a human to death* I've been on a Kevin Smith kick recently, and there's no reason why you shouldn't be either. Go revisit Mallrats! Time has been good to this film. It was probably a bad idea to follow up Clerks with this, but after so many years people have realized that it's just a plain good 20something slacker comedy. Maybe it's just the grotesque decline in movie standards, but that's really all you can ask for.