Quickie: Superbad (2007)

A while back, I put the Judd Apatow gang's high school romp Superbad in my Netflix Instant queue. This afternoon I was in the mood for some nasty, goofy comedy, so I streamed it down to my Xbox 360. Superbad didn't disappoint. The movie brought back fond memories of 1980's teensploitation comedies, just a little modernized and a little raunchified from the heyday of the Brat Pack.

The laid back Evan (Michael Cera, standout star of 2008's Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist) and the tempermental Seth (Jonah Hill, Apatow comedy vet of the past decade) are graduating best friends getting ready for a party to set the tone for their last summer before college. Their friend Fogell (a.k.a. McLovin), played by master geek Christopher Mintz-Plasse, uses his freshly minted fake ID to get the guys some alcoholic lubricant for the party. Mintz-Plasse, by the way, totally stole the show in last year's bawdy but heartwarming comedy Role Models.

Fogell takes a side trip with a pair of cops played by Seth Rogen and SNL alum Bill Hader. Fogell gets separated from his friends, who are looking for liquor in all the wrong places, and hijinks aplenty ensue. Seth Rogen has been a busy guy for the past few years, and I particularly enjoyed his performance here, as it was the least Seth Rogeny I've seen him. Not that Seth Rogeny is bad, it was just nice to see him pull a little changeup.

I mentioned this movie hearkens back to the crazy teen comedies of the '80s, but one element is missing. Superbad utterly lacks gratuitous nudity! I'm not sure what director Greg Mottola was thinking. I think he had just a little too much respect for his female leads. He traded in the sexy for more lowbrow gags. I must admit it all worked out okay. Especially the masterful notebook sketches of penises that appeared behind the closing credits. SuperPenis (complete with cape), Penisaurus, Octopenis, Medusa with penis hair instead of snakes... 37 sketches in all. If the thought of that makes you smile, Superbad is right up your aisle.