Let me get this out of the way right at the beginning. “Superbad” is full of profanity and adult situations. It is rated R and it is well warranted. It feels like it features an almost “South Park” movie level of profanity and that, if you don’t know, is a lot of profanity.

That being said, the hype you have heard for this movie is correct. “Superbad” is probably the funniest movie of the year. The full house I saw this film with last week laughed from start to finish and I’m sure there will be a lot of people going to see this again because snippets of dialogue were missed due to people laughing so hard.

“Superbad” is about two uncool seniors in high school, Evan and Seth, who get invited to a party a few weeks before graduation. Seth claims that they will be able to use a friend’s fake ID and procure alcohol for the party but things don’t go as planned and the wild night in the suburbs begins. Once school lets out, “Superbad” begins to feel like a rowdy, more streamlined version of “Dazed and Confused,” or even a teen version of “After Hours.” Evan and Seth encounter an assortment of weirdos as they try to get their hands on some booze and their friend, Fogell, aka McLovin, rides along with two of the worst police officers in history.

The film is from the people who brought you “The 40 Year Old Virgin” and “Knocked Up” and there are similarities, namely a good sized heart, a story about characters coming to terms with their maturity and a sizable potty mouth, but “Superbad” is more about fun and less about growing up. Unfortunately, the situations are so adult, I can’t really talk about them in a family newspaper.

“Superbad” does a lot right. The script by Seth Rogen (the star of “Knocked Up” and one of the cops) and his friend Evan Goldberg is terrific. It is funny and fast-paced and the ending is actually quite warm considering the craziness that came before it. Michael Cera (“Arrested Development”) and Jonah Hill are great as the film versions of Evan and Seth. Cera is a deadpan comedic genius with impeccable delivery and Hill is like a live action version of South Park’s Eric Cartman, a volatile, foul-mouthed jerk, who is only acting out because of his insecurities. The side story about McLovin and the cops also works really well with some big laughs and even more nuttiness than what the main characters are encountering during their night from hell.

“Superbad” feels like an instant classic to me. I can’t wait to see it again and it will definitely be in my DVD collection when it is released. If you liked “The 40 Year Old Virgin” and “Knocked Up,” you will probably like this movie. It may not be as mature (and I guess that term can be used loosely) but it is funny and worth the price of admission.

****

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