I have a confession. I went to see Superbad. Actually, I went to see it opening night.
More confession. I laughed. Okay... I laughed a lot.
So, why the confession? Well, I'm guessing that half of the readers of this site have already seen it and publicly (or secretly) loved it. I am also guessing that at least half have refrained from seeing it due to its expected crude subject matter and vulgar language.
It's no secret Seth Rogen ("Knocked Up" and "40 Year-Old Virgin") and crew pushed the lines with this generation's coming-of-age high school flick. In fact, I'm not sure they even tried to get the PG-13 rating, which ironically would have bolstered the subjected age group's box office numbers. Whatever the reason, the majority of the adolescent population will see this movie. If adolescents don't add to the $68 million 2 week total, they will certainly see it on DVD.
And, if you have frequented this site enough, you could predict we would head toward the inevitable "why?" question.What's the draw? Why the large box office numbers? Why the fascination? Why did I show up? Better yet, why am I writing about it?
We view films from our own particular paradigm, which makes it easy to walk away with different reactions. From the "morality" paradigm, it might be difficult to get pass the language and subject matter. From a "comedic" paradigm, you will laugh out loud. From an "adolescent culture" paradigm, it is...quite intriguing.
High school films have been defining aspects of popular culture for decades. It was Rebel Without a Cause in the 50s, Grease in the 70s, Breakfast Club in the 80s, Can't Hardly Wait in the 90s (a personal favorite), the American Pie series ushering in the new millennium, and now Superbad? Only time will tell. And, it is just this - time - that has already told us something regarding this genre. [Forum: Share your favorite adolescent films here. ]
Adolescent films generally hold-on to the same basic premise: follow a particular character (or group of characters) through a rigorous pursuit of "something more." This typically plays itself out through an individual's search for identity. In Mean Girls, it is "Which group do I belong to?" In Breakfast Club, it is "Can I be accepted for who I am?" So, it is no surprise that Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg are asking comparable questions in their pseudo-autobiographical story. (Seth and Evan, played by Jonah Hill and Michael Cera, are the lead characters.)
Interestingly enough, MTV and The Associated Press have recently joined in the asking game. The same week Superbad premiered, the results from an extensive MTV/AP study were released. The survey involved more than 1200 students falling between the ages of 13 and 24. Though the survey asked over 100 open-ended questions, the question of interest has emerged as: "What makes you happy?"
Contrary to what some might think, money and success (a theme explored in last year's Pursuit of Happyness) were absent from the findings. So, what about the pursuit of sex? Of alcohol? (These are the "obvious" storylines in Superbad.)
Well, amid these somewhat predictable adolescent pursuits, as wells as the four letter words and an awkward obsession with various male parts (okay, just one), something lies deeper: relationships trump all.
The Rogen/Goldberg duo seems to be playing with the very idea the MTV/AP study reveals: relationships, more than anything else, are where people experience happiness. Interestingly enough, the survey states that "relationships with parents" is the leading answer to the "What makes you happy?" question. Relationships with friends and with a "significant other" followed closely behind. Religion and spirituality responses also made a prominent showing as spirituality was revealed as an "integral part" of the happiness experienced by young people. Though the study hits on a variety of other aspects of life and culture, the general pursuit of relationships comes forth again and again. It is intriguing, to say the least.
If you remove all the peripherals, Superbad is nothing more than this: the pursuit of relationship. There is a harsh reality in this statement though: you can't remove the peripherals. They are present within the film and they are certainly present in life. It is no secret that the pressures of high school welcome some of the most stressful times in a person's life (another significant finding of the MTV/AP study).
Okay, maybe we can't measure stress from age to age, but the felt stress of high school surpasses pretty much every other age. In fact, the writers and cast were committed to portraying adolescent reality in ways yet seen in the coming-of-age genre. Jonah Hill (who plays Seth) commented in a Chicago Tribune interview that they
"all felt that movies about teenagers had become so cheesy and unrealistic [that nobody] really related to them at all. We wanted to make a movie that wasn't lying to the audience."
So, where does this leave us? Is it possible that our foul mouthed friends revealed something semi-worthy within this year's most celebrated teen comedy?
Beneath the stress, the chaos, the wash-my-mouth-out-with-soap-fest, and even the sexual innuendos, the beauty and pursuit of relationship exists. It might be the harsh juxtaposition that actually gives it life. Seth, Evan, and side-kick "McLovin" oh so awkwardly convey and explore the mysteries of true friendship, the desire for significance, and the pursuit of authentic un-romantic love.
Back to the confession. To be honest, I walked out conflicted. As the credits rolled, I wondered why I enjoyed the story amidst the awkwardness. It is super-something all right. What this "is" exactly is up for discussion. And as this relates to a confessional: well, maybe this is actually more of an admission than a confession.
I liked it. I liked it through the "comedic" paradigm. I liked it through "cultural" paradigm. And I certainly liked it through the "relational" paradigm. So, should you go see it? Well, for the half that has already made a decision to refrain, I would certainly validate your stance. For those of you who have placed it on your radar, I would encourage you to carefully choose a paradigm in which to view. And for those who have already seen it, I invite you to the admission process.
Enjoy.
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