Reviewed by Max Foizey.

Release Date: August 17, 2007
Directed By: Greg Mottola
Starring: Michael Cera, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse
Rating: R

This is going to be simple. If you enjoyed "The Forty Year-Old Virgin" and "Knocked UP" or were a fan of the short-lived television series "Freaks and Geeks," then watch "Superbad" and laugh yourself silly. What's that? You DIDN'T see those movies? You've never heard of that TV Show? Hmm. Maybe I do need to review this film then.

I mention those projects because a comedic genius named Judd Apatow has had a hand in all of them, creating a comedy landscape we haven't seen since the late seventies.

You might think "Superbad" is a period piece when it opens with 1970's graphics, music, and dancing (the opening credits made me smile all on their own), but soon a cell phone appears, telling you this is indeed set in the present day.

The plot, as thin as it is, concerns Seth and Evan (Jonah Hill and Michael Cera), two best pals faced with the parting of their friendship as high school ends and the ominous FUTURE hits them square between the eyes.

I was reminded of a similar subject handled with much more grace (and from the female POV) in Terry Zwigoff's "Ghost World," but the creators of "Superbad" are only concerned with the next dick joke, and so grace is left out in the cold.

Not that this is a (super) bad thing, on the contrary it works wonders for the film, which is one of the funniest I've seen all year.

When Seth and Evan are invited to a big time party (yeah that didn't happen in high school to me either), it's only under the impression that they're bringing alcohol. So they turn to the third wheel of the group, the nerdy Folgel (Christopher 'can I have some mints, please?' Mintz-Plasse).

Folgel has a fake I.D. for the ages, something destined to go down in comedic cinematic history: that of a 25 year-old organ donor from Hawaii, McLOVIN.

Of course, things get out of hand, and that's where THE FUNNY is brought in by Apatow and crew.

Written by best pals Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg while they were in high school, the film rings more true to the male adolescent zeitgeist than anything a big studio could come up with. Rogen has a role as a cop just a juvenile as the kids in the film, and he, along with fellow cop Bill Hader, have some of the best lines.

The girls are also great in the movie, especially Martha MacIsaac as Becca, the girl Evan is in love with. She plays drunk funnier and better than most actresses twice her age. Seth only has eyes for Jules, portrayed by Emma Stone, who, while stunning, plays Jules as someone who would still give Seth the time of day.

This film is Rated R, and boy does it earn its rating. I've never seen such a vulgar, yet good natured film. I'm a big believer in parents paying attention to film ratings, but I suspect they rarely do. I see enough screenings where parents bring in their little ones to sit through harsh, violent fare such as "Alpha Dog." It's inexcusable.

At the screening for "Superbad," there was a mother who brought her young son, I doubt he was even double digits. From the first five minutes of the movie there are curse words a-flyin and tons of sexual innuendo, and I glanced over to the mother, who soon after walked her son out of the theater. Good for her. This one's for the adults, people. That's what "Rated R" means.

If the best teen comedy about the 70's is "Dazed and Confused," and the 80's is "Fast Times at Ridgemont High," the best about the 90's would have to be "American Pie" (Am Pie #2 in my book), and for the 2000's it's "Superbad,” hands down.

While I enjoyed "Knocked Up" just a tad more (probably because of my age), this still holds its own, and would make an excellent double feature to be shown right before "Knocked Up." I hope Apatow and Co. keep cranking out THE FUNNY for many years to come.

In addition to hosting 'Max on Movies' on Sunday nights at 7pm on 97.1 FM Talk, Max appears weekly on the Dave Glover Show Fridays at 5pm. A member of the Saint Louis Gateway Film Critics Association, Max has written about film and theatre for various print and Web media, and appeared as guest critic on various nationally syndicated radio shows. Max lives in Missouri and is a diehard Miami Dolphins fan. Max isn't Superbad, but he is nationwide. Or local, at least.