| Superbad | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Greg Mottola |
| Written by | |
| Produced by | |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Russ Alsobrook |
| Edited by | William Kerr |
| Music by | Lyle Workman |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Sony Pictures Releasing |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 113 minutes[2] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $17.5–20 million[3][4] |
| Box office | $170.8 million[4] |
Superbad is a 2007 Americancoming-of-ageteenbuddycomedy film directed byGreg Mottola, written bySeth Rogen andEvan Goldberg, and produced byJudd Apatow. It starsJonah Hill andMichael Cera as Seth and Evan, two teenagers about to graduate fromhigh school. Before graduating, the boys want to party and lose theirvirginity, but their plan proves harder than expected.Christopher Mintz-Plasse (in his film debut), Rogen,Bill Hader,Martha MacIsaac, andEmma Stone (in her film debut) provide supporting roles.
Rogen and Goldberg wrote the script during their teenage years. It is loosely based on their experience in Grade 12 atPoint Grey Secondary School inVancouver during the 1990s. The main characters have the samegiven names as the two writers. Rogen was also initially intended to play Seth, but due to age and physical size this was changed, and Hill went on to portray Seth, while Rogen portrayed the irresponsible Officer Michaels, oppositeSaturday Night Live star Hader as Officer Slater.
Superbad premiered atGrauman's Chinese Theatre on August 13, 2007, and was theatrically released in the United States four days later on August 17, 2007. The film received positive reviews, with critics praising the dialogue and the chemistry between the two leads as well as the performances of the supporting cast. The film also proved financially successful, grossing $170.8 million on a $17.5–20 million budget. The film has since become acult classic, considered among thebest comedy films of all time.
Seth and Evan are unpopular high school seniors who have been best friends since childhood, and hope to lose their virginities before going to different colleges. Jules, a girl Seth is attracted to, invites him to a party at her house. Seth and Evan's friend Fogell has a fake ID, so Seth promises to buy Jules alcohol. Evan runs into Becca, with whom he is infatuated, and offers to get her alcohol as well.
Fogell attempts to buy the alcohol at a liquor store with his fake ID under themononym "McLovin". His attempt seems to work as the clerk accepts his fake ID and starts to ring up the transaction, but mid-transaction, Fogell is knocked down by a robber before he can purchase the alcohol. When police officers Slater and Michaels arrive, Seth and Evan, who are outside, believe that Fogell is being arrested. While waiting outside the liquor store, Seth is hit by a motorist. In exchange for their not reporting him, the motorist promises to take them to another party where they can get alcohol. Meanwhile, after getting his statement, the officers agree to drive Fogell to the party. Despite being on duty, they start drinking. Bonding with Fogell, they engage in various shenanigans.
At the party, Seth plans to steal alcohol while Evan is hesitant to stay. The motorist is kicked out by the party host and a fight ensues; Evan decides to leave despite Seth's insistence he stay. Seth then dances with a drunk Jacinda, who stains his leg withmenstrual blood. Seth is confronted by the party's host for dancing with his fiancée, and a brawl ensues. The police are called, and Seth and Evan reunite outside and escape. Seth chastises Evan for bailing on him, reminding him that they had lifelong plans to attend college together. Evan retorts that Seth is selfish and holds him back. Evan shoves Seth, who is struck by the police cruiser driven by a distracted Slater. The officers plan to blame the crash on Seth and Evan, but as Fogell emerges from the car, all three flee. Reunited, the trio make their way to Jules' party.
At the party, Fogell inadvertently reveals that he and Evan will be living together at college, upsetting Seth. He then delivers the alcohol to Jules and begins drinking heavily. Meanwhile, Becca attempts to seduce Evan to take her virginity, but he declines as they are both drunk and may regret it. Meanwhile, Fogell impresses classmate Nicola, so she takes him upstairs to have sex. Seth drunkenly attempts to kiss Jules, but she declines because she does not want to kiss him while he is drunk. Believing he has ruined his chance, Seth becomes upset and falls down in a drunken stupor, accidentally headbutting Jules and giving her a black eye.
Slater and Michaels bust the party. Seth wakes up and escapes, carrying an intoxicated Evan away from the house. Slater busts in on Fogell and Nicola, causing her to run off. Slater and Michaels reveal they knew all along that Fogell was underage but played along, wanting to show him that cops can have fun too. To make it up to him, they make a fake spectacle ofperp-walking him to their cruiser in front of his classmates. They then destroy the damaged police cruiser together.
Seth sleeps over at Evan's, where he reveals he discovered weeks earlier that Evan and Fogell planned to live together at college. They apologize to each other and reconcile. The next day, Seth and Evan visit the mall and run into Jules and Becca. Becca and Seth apologize for their drunken behavior, and the boys head their separate ways with their respective love interests.
Superbad was written by Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen during their teen years. It is loosely based on their own experience as seniors in Vancouver in the late 1990s, hence the character names Seth and Evan. Other characters and references were influenced by Goldberg and Rogen's adolescence, such as Steven Glanzberg, their peer at Point Grey Secondary School, characterized in the film as a loner.[5] According to an interview at an event panel in 2009, Fogell was also a real friend of Rogen and Goldberg. Rogen was initially slated to play Jonah Hill's character Seth. Still, due to his physical size and age, he played one of the police officers.[6] When asked where he wants to be dropped off, Fogell tells the officers to take him to 13th and Granville, a nod to Rogen and Goldberg's favorite all-you-can-eat sushi restaurant in Vancouver.[7]Superbad took seven years to complete from early scripting in 2000 and filming from 2006 to 2007.[citation needed] Among the films that served as inspiration forSuperbad wereDazed and Confused,Fast Times at Ridgemont High, andAmerican Graffiti.[6]
The film was primarily shot in Los Angeles in the fall of 2006.[8] Exterior shots of the high school were filmed atEl Segundo High School.[9] The mall scenes were shot at theFox Hills Mall inCulver City, California.[10]
Other filming locations include the convenience store at the beginning of the film, also in Culver City,[11] the liquor store where "McLovin" gets IDed inGlendale, California,[12] and the bar where the cops take McLovin for a drink is neighboringLos Angeles International Airport (LAX).[13] The scene where McLovin and the cops do donuts in the cop car was filmed in a parking lot on theCalifornia State University, Northridge campus.
Christopher Mintz-Plasse was 17 at the time of filmingSuperbad, and as a result, his mother was required to be present on set during the filming of his sex scene.[14][15]
Superbad opened at number one at the United States box office, grossing US$33,052,411 in its opening weekend from 2,948 theaters for an average of US$11,212 per theater.[16] The film stayed at#1 the second week, grossing US$18,044,369.[16]
The film grossed US$121.5 million in the United States and Canada and US$48.4 million in other countries, for a total of US$169.9 million worldwide. Compared to the budget of $17.5–20 million, the film earned a huge financial profit,[3][4] making it the highest domestic grossing high school comedy at the time (it was surpassed by21 Jump Street, a film also starring Hill, in 2012).[17]
OnRotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 88% based on reviews from 207 critics, with an average rating of 7.40/10. The website's summary reads: "Deftly balancing vulgarity and sincerity while placing its protagonists in excessive situations,Superbad is an authentic take on friendship and the overarching awkwardness of the high school experience."[18] OnMetacritic, the film has a score of 76/100 based on 36 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[19] Audiences surveyed byCinemaScore gave the film a grade A− on scale of A to F.[20][21]
Mick LaSalle of theSan Francisco Chronicle called it 2007's most successful comedy.[22]Roger Ebert of theChicago Sun-Times had the headline of his review read "McLovin It", and gave the film 31⁄2 out of 4 stars, and said: "The movie reminded me a little ofNational Lampoon's Animal House, except that it's more mature, as all movies are."[23] Carina Chocano of theLos Angeles Times said: "Physically, Hill and Cera recall the classic comic duos—Laurel and Hardy,Abbott and Costello,Aykroyd andBelushi. But they are contemporary kids, sophisticated and sensitive to nuance"; she added: "I hope it's not damning the movie with the wrong kind of praise to say that for a film so deliriously smutty,Superbad is supercute."[24] Sean Burns ofPhiladelphia Weekly said "2007: the year Judd Apatow and Seth Rogen saved movie comedy", a reference toKnocked Up which was released in June.[25] Devin Gordon ofNewsweek said: "As aRevenge of the Nerds redux,Superbad isn't perfect. But it's super close."[26]
In a more critical vein, Stephen Farber ofThe Hollywood Reporter, compared the film to other films with a single-day structure, such asAmerican Graffiti andDazed and Confused, but said thatSuperbad "doesn't have the smarts or the depths of those ensemble comedies."[27]The Hollywood Reporter review was referenced in the film's DVD audio commentary, particularly the review's suggestion that the two main characters have ahomoerotic experience similar to the filmY Tu Mamá También.[28] Roger Moore of theOrlando Sentinel called the film a "super-derivative, super-raunchy sack of laughs" and a "great vulgarian send-off to the summer ofKnocked Up" that plays like "Freaks and Geeks: Uncensored."[29] Moore concluded, "The energy flags as it overstays its welcome. The Apatow Rule, 'If it gets a laugh, don't cut it,' doesn't do movies under his banner any favors. Still, there are plenty of those laughs, from the ruder-than-rude opening to the ironic-sentimental ending."[29]Wesley Morris ofThe Boston Globe said the film "has a degree more sophistication thanRevenge of the Nerds andAmerican Pie, and less than the underratedHouse Party." Morris also said, "the few smart observations could have come from an episode of one of Apatow's TV shows" and "I wanted to find this as funny as audiences did."[30]
The film was listed as#487 onEmpire's 500 Greatest films of all time.[31] In 2025, it ranked number 100 onThe New York Times' list of "The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century" and number 53 on the "Readers' Choice" edition of the list.[32][33]
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Austin Film Critics Association Awards | Breakthrough Artist | Michael Cera | Won | |
| Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards | Best Comedy Movie | Superbad | Nominated | ||
| Best Young Actor | Michael Cera | Nominated | |||
| Chicago Film Critics Association Awards | Most Promising Performer | Michael Cera | Won | ||
| Empire Awards | Best Comedy | Superbad | Nominated | ||
| Teen Choice Awards | Choice Summer Movie – Comedy/Musical | Superbad | Nominated | ||
| 2008 | Canadian Comedy Awards | Best Writing | Seth Rogen | Won | |
| Best Male Performance | Michael Cera | Won | |||
| MTV Movie Awards | Best Comedic Performance | Jonah Hill | Nominated | ||
| Best Movie | Superbad | Nominated | |||
| Breakthrough Performance | Michael Cera | Nominated | |||
| Jonah Hill | Nominated | ||||
| Christopher Mintz-Plasse | Nominated | ||||
| Peabody Awards | Best New Comedy Performance | Superbad | Nominated | ||
| Young Hollywood Awards | Exciting New Face | Emma Stone | Won |
Superbad was released onDVD,UMD andBlu-ray on December 4, 2007, bySony Pictures Home Entertainment.[3][34] Thespecial edition DVD, which included the fake McLovin ID, sparked controversy inHawaii, due to the fake ID resembling the real-life state's driver's license, which resultedWalmart removing it from the shelves in the state.[35][36]
Retrospectively since its release, it has garnered acclaim as one of the best comedies of the 2000s and as one of the best high school films of all time. It has been hailed as one of the defining films of theMillennial generation.[37][38]
Two tie-in books to the film were published byNewmarket Press:
respondents awarded the film an A-minus overall.
