Entertainment
DVD Corner: Superbad
Greg Kaczynski |
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 Producer Judd Apatow finally nails the perfect mix of casting, dialogue and look in his hysterical teen sex comedy Superbad. It tells the story of two best friends finishing up high school, trying to make it to the big end-of-the-year party and determined not to graduate as virgins. Jonah Hill and Michael Cera play Seth and Evan (essentially writers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg), the two friends on their quest for booze and sex. Finishing off the set is newcomer Christopher Mintz-Plasse playing Chris Fogell, or “McLovin” as his fake ID says, the super-awkward sidekick who has the perfect plan to score some drink.
As these stories go, plans fall apart: McLovin falls in with a pair of loose cannon cops (brilliantly portrayed by Rogen and “Saturday Night Live’s” Bill Hader), Seth’s car gets towed and the quest to get booze becomes absolutely epic. The film follows both groups through a somewhat clunky second act as the boys attend a weird college-age party and McLovin sits at a local bar with the cops, but eventually the three find their way back to each other and arrive at their final destination: the end-of-the-year party.
Teen sex movies have been around for decades, but Superbad does two things specifically that truly sets it apart. The first is the virtuoso casting. Every single actor is perfect for his or her role. Cera and Hill are genius spoils for each other, as are Rogen and Hader. Mintz-Plasse couldn’t be more hilariously awkward if anyone tried twice as hard. The dialogue is fast, funny and--admittedly--filthy.
 The other thing that sets Superbad apart is the relationship between Seth and Evan. These guys are best friends and there’s a believable underlying tension throughout the film about how they’re going separate ways at the end of the school year. The heart in this movie is genuine, not forced by marketing execs trying to nail a demographic.
The Superbad two-disc unrated extended edition DVD (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, MSRP: $34.95) contains a lot of extra material. Unfortunately, not all of it is meat and quite a bit feels a lot like stuffing.
Deleted and Extended Scenes (12:46)--There are seven scenes, mostly standard, nothing hilarious. However, the final scene is the most complete comic riffing on semen viewers may ever witness. Yes, it’s that kind of a movie.
Line-O-Rama (4:15)--A montage of improvised one-liners; prepare to be amazed by Jonah Hill’s verbosity.
Gag Reel (4:28)--The standard collection of laughing, falling down and cell phones ringing.
 Cop Car Confessions (33:46)--This ambitious mostly flat series of sketches revolves around Rogen and Hader’s cops as they have various celebrities being weird in the back seat of the cop car. The best (and the only funny one) is the last scene with just Rogen and Hader.
“The Making of Superbad“ (13:04)--Again, pretty standard. Nothing to really see here. Move along.
Vag-Tastic Voyage (1:12)--The unedited footage of the porn the boys watch early on in the film. Fairly unremarkable, but there is nudity for those looking for it.
Original Table Read 2002 (28:20)--This is blatant filler right here, nearly half an hour of the cast reading the script. Not very exciting.
Cast Audition Footage (13:21)--Cera and Hill’s auditions are by the book. Mintz-Plasse’s, however, is kind of amazing as he holds his own for the first time at a big audition, improvising with Hill and Cera.
 Michael’s Voice Mails from Jonah (3:00)--Four somewhat crazy voice mails left on Cera’s cell phone from Hill.
Snakes on Jonah (4:46)--A very funny extra showing two wildlife handlers harassing Hill with various animals, all of which cause him to freak out and threaten to punch the handler.
Dancing Title Sequence (3:17)--It’s admittedly fun to watch Cera and Hill dance in front of a giant green screen.
TV-Safe Lines (3:01)--A couple bits about shooting TV-safe alternate lines and Hill complaining about it. I would be amazed to see this film on network TV.
"Everyone Hates Michael Cera--The Unfortunate True Story" (6:43)--The funniest of the extras, showing Cera in an interview talking about how everyone is so nice, while cross-cutting to various scenarios of everyone being really really mean to him.
On-Set Diaries (17:44)--This is actually much more entertaining and interesting than the making-of featurette. I would recommend watching this over that.
 "The Music of Superbad" (13:07)--Mostly a montage of in-studio recordings of the original music, but infused with snippets of conversation from the amazing musicians (including but not limited to Bootsy Collins, Clyde Stubblefield and Bernie Worrell).
Press Junket Meltdown (3:31)--A planned press disaster that falls flat.
Pineapple Express: Exclusive First Look (4:22)--James Franco returns to the Apatow family in what looks like your basic stoner comedy.
There it is: all two hours of special footage, some of it fun, but a lot of it feeling like filler and drags.
The DVD commentary is what would be expected. Cera, Hill, Rogen, Goldberg and director Greg Mottola all spend the entire film lobbing swears back and forth, sharing drunk stories and cracking each other up over weird anecdotes. Mintz-Plasse is fairly quiet throughout and Apatow leaves after the first 45 minutes because he's brought his 9-year-old daughter along and Hill finally decides he’s done not swearing. While not technically intriguing, the commentary can be very funny and viewers can’t help but feel a part of this motley band of filmmakers and comedians as the camaraderie between all involved oozes from the speakers.
 All said and done, the Superbad two-disc unrated extended edition DVD is a pretty good deal. The movie is hilarious, the extras mostly so-so, but those that hit are memorable. Pick it up and have a party with a batch of your closest friends, remembering what it was like to be young, wanting to party and swearing up a storm just because it’s fun.
Superbad is now available on DVD.
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