Reflections on the SUPERBAD

by: bamf 1 year, 1 month, 3 weeks, 3 days, 9 hours, 51 minutes ago

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Bamf here rematerializing from the void..

It was quick, had some uncomfortable moments, and was deliciously funny; and no I am not talking about the first time I had sex.  The Apatow crew bookends the summer with another hit that made more in the first weekend then the total cost of the film.  Superbad brings the superfunk—and took me back to high school in more than one way.

There are many praises to be sung about the film from performances, to writing.  Superbad is a film that hits the ball out of the park, without the aid of steroids or star power (but methinks it is apparent that the Apatow crew is going to be around for some time to come).  SB is made to have legs, from the title to the music; the story has a certain timeless air to it that will have it finding new fans over the years to come.  I would put it on the same lines of Animal House—which did not use the pop music of the day and focused on the nuances of what one would like to think college would be like.  The Goonies would be another example of what I am talking about, pop references aside, it is the sort of adventure any kid would want to be apart of.  Superbad invokes in me the experiences I had all throughout my time in high school; they just didn’t happen all in one night.  But the pining for a girl, the need to find alcohol, the chance to look great among the ones who otherwise dismissed my presence—it’s the experience any high school student would want to have, or the sentimental would like to reflect upon. 

I love the choice of music in this.  Instead of going for the hot track of the day, you get a 70’s infusion that makes the time it exists in abstract in presentation.  Save the mention of internet porn, the story stays pretty neutral.  Since this is a “night in the life of” type story, I couldn’t help but to become gitty at the nice call back to another sort of tale, Linklater’s Dazed and Confused.  When Seth and Evan arrive at the house party to procure some provisions, the entrance is staged nearly identically to when Mike and Tony arrive at the moon tower party.  Just no Nicky Katt.

There is so much fun to be had in watching these guys go through their night.  It’s like watching License to Drive meets American Pie, but with far more honest dialogue.  This really is a film for guys; the jokes about sex are crass and real.  Men may never admit they talk like that, but they do…sometimes .  I always harp on the point that the circumstances in which you see a film will sway your opinion of it.  The night I saw Superbad, a long time friend, well actually, my first girlfriend ever, had been visiting me for a couple days.  We have stayed in contact over the years even after a sad breakup and parting of the ways.  Now though, ten years later, we found ourselves in each other’s company.  It was a surreal experience sitting next to her watching events we had in some way or another experienced together years before.  And for a moment, I was 17 again on our second date.  I say this all because full disclosure is a must, I loved this film, but I also loved who I was able to see it with in a time when I haven’t actually been to a movie with another person in quite a while.  So instead of recanting my favorite moments, and glowing on about cameos and one liners, I’ll wrap this one up.  The best writing comes from personal experience, and this story is certainly full of it and in turn made it as great as having sex in the morning. 

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