Superbad

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title: "Superbad" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["2000s-buddy-comedy-films", "2000s-coming-of-age-comedy-films", "2000s-high-school-films", "2000s-sex-comedy-films", "2000s-teen-comedy-films", "2007-films", "american-buddy-comedy-films", "american-coming-of-age-comedy-films", "american-high-school-films", "american-sex-comedy-films", "american-teen-comedy-films", "teen-buddy-films", "apatow-productions-films", "columbia-pictures-films", "2000s-english-language-films", "films-about-alcoholism", "films-about-parties", "films-about-virginity", "films-directed-by-greg-mottola", "films-produced-by-judd-apatow", "films-set-in-2006", "films-shot-in-los-angeles", "films-with-screenplays-by-seth-rogen", "2000s-teen-sex-comedy-films", "2007-comedy-films", "films-with-screenplays-by-evan-goldberg", "films-scored-by-lyle-workman", "2007-american-films", "english-language-sex-comedy-films", "english-language-buddy-comedy-films"] description: "2007 film by Greg Mottola" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superbad" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary 2007 film by Greg Mottola ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox film"]

Field	Value
name	Superbad
image	Superbad Poster.png
caption	Theatrical release poster
director	Greg Mottola
producer	{{Plainlist
writer	{{Plainlist
starring	{{Plainlist
music	Lyle Workman
cinematography	Russ Alsobrook
editing	William Kerr
studio	{{Plainlist
distributor	Sony Pictures Releasing
released
runtime	113 minutes
country	United States
language	English
budget	$17.5–20 million
gross	$170.8 million
::

| name = Superbad | image = Superbad Poster.png | alt = | caption = Theatrical release poster | director = Greg Mottola | producer = {{Plainlist|

• Judd Apatow
• Shauna Robertson | writer = {{Plainlist|
• Seth Rogen
• Evan Goldberg | starring = {{Plainlist|
• Jonah Hill
• Michael Cera
• Christopher Mintz-Plasse
• Seth Rogen
• Bill Hader
• Emma Stone
• Martha MacIsaac | music = Lyle Workman | cinematography = Russ Alsobrook | editing = William Kerr | studio = {{Plainlist|
• Columbia Pictures
• The Apatow Company | distributor = Sony Pictures Releasing | released = | runtime = 113 minutes | country = United States | language = English | budget = $17.5–20 million | gross = $170.8 million Superbad is a 2007 American coming-of-age teen buddy comedy film directed by Greg Mottola, written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, and produced by Judd Apatow. It stars Jonah Hill and Michael Cera as Seth and Evan, two teenagers about to graduate from high school. Before graduating, the boys want to party and lose their virginity, but their plan proves harder than expected. Christopher Mintz-Plasse (in his film debut), Rogen, Bill Hader, Martha MacIsaac, and Emma Stone (in her film debut) provide supporting roles.

Rogen and Goldberg wrote the script during their teenage years. It is loosely based on their experience in Grade 12 at Point Grey Secondary School in Vancouver during the 1990s. The main characters have the same given names as the two writers. Rogen was also initially intended to play Seth, but due to age and physical size this was changed, and Hill went on to portray Seth, while Rogen portrayed the irresponsible Officer Michaels, opposite Saturday Night Live star Hader as Officer Slater.

Superbad premiered at Grauman's Chinese Theatre on August 13, 2007, and was theatrically released in the United States four days later on August 17, 2007. The film received positive reviews, with critics praising the dialogue and the chemistry between the two leads as well as the performances of the supporting cast. The film also proved financially successful, grossing $170.8 million on a $17.5–20 million budget. The film has since become a cult classic, considered among the best comedy films of all time.

Plot

Seth and Evan are unpopular high school seniors who have been best friends since childhood, and hope to lose their virginities before going to different colleges. Jules, a girl Seth is attracted to, invites him to a party at her house. Seth and Evan's friend Fogell has a fake ID, so Seth promises to buy Jules alcohol. Evan runs into Becca, with whom he is infatuated, and offers to get her alcohol as well.

Fogell attempts to buy the alcohol at a liquor store with his fake ID under the mononym "McLovin". His attempt seems to work as the clerk accepts his fake ID and starts to ring up the transaction, but mid-transaction, Fogell is knocked down by a robber before he can purchase the alcohol. When police officers Slater and Michaels arrive, Seth and Evan, who are outside, believe that Fogell is being arrested. While waiting outside the liquor store, Seth is hit by a motorist. In exchange for their not reporting him, the motorist promises to take them to another party where they can get alcohol. Meanwhile, after getting his statement, the officers agree to drive Fogell to the party. Despite being on duty, they start drinking. Bonding with Fogell, they engage in various shenanigans.

At the party, Seth plans to steal alcohol while Evan is hesitant to stay. The motorist is kicked out by the party host and a fight ensues; Evan decides to leave despite Seth's insistence he stay. Seth then dances with a drunk Jacinda, who stains his leg with menstrual blood. Seth is confronted by the party's host for dancing with his fiancée, and a brawl ensues. The police are called, and Seth and Evan reunite outside and escape. Seth chastises Evan for bailing on him, reminding him that they had lifelong plans to attend college together. Evan retorts that Seth is selfish and holds him back. Evan shoves Seth, who is struck by the police cruiser driven by a distracted Slater. The officers plan to blame the crash on Seth and Evan, but as Fogell emerges from the car, all three flee. Reunited, the trio make their way to Jules' party.

At the party, Fogell inadvertently reveals that he and Evan will be living together at college, upsetting Seth. He then delivers the alcohol to Jules and begins drinking heavily. Meanwhile, Becca attempts to seduce Evan to take her virginity, but he declines as she is drunk and may regret it. Meanwhile, Fogell impresses classmate Nicola, so she takes him upstairs to have sex. Seth drunkenly attempts to kiss Jules, but she declines because she does not want to kiss him while he is drunk. Believing he has ruined his chance, Seth becomes upset and falls down in a drunken stupor, accidentally headbutting Jules and giving her a black eye.

Slater and Michaels bust the party. Seth wakes up and escapes, carrying an intoxicated Evan away from the house. Slater busts in on Fogell and Nicola, causing her to run off. Slater and Michaels reveal they knew all along that Fogell was underage but played along, wanting to show him that cops can have fun too. To make it up to him, they make a fake spectacle of perp-walking him to their cruiser in front of his classmates. They then destroy the damaged police cruiser together.

Seth sleeps over at Evan's, where he reveals he discovered weeks earlier that Evan and Fogell planned to live together at college. They apologize to each other and reconcile. The next day, Seth and Evan visit the mall and run into Jules and Becca. Becca and Seth apologize for their drunken behavior, and the boys head their separate ways with their respective love interests.

Cast

• Jonah Hill as Seth, Evan's best friend who is anxious to have sex and is romantically interested in Jules
  • Casey Margolis as Young Seth
• Michael Cera as Evan, Seth's best friend who is hesitant with Seth's plan to obtain alcohol and have sex; he is romantically interested in Becca
• Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Fogell / McLovin, Seth and Evan's friend who obtains a fake ID and attempts to use it
• Seth Rogen as Officer Michaels, a cop who befriends Fogell
• Bill Hader as Officer Slater, a cop who befriends Fogell
• Kevin Corrigan as Mark
• Joe Lo Truglio as Francis
• Martha MacIsaac as Becca, Evan's friend and love interest
  • Laura Marano as Young Becca
• Emma Stone as Jules, Seth's friend and love interest who asks Seth to buy alcohol for her party
• Aviva Farber as Nicola
• Dave Franco as Greg
• Laura Seay as Shirley
• Marcella Lentz-Pope as Gaby
• Stacy Edwards as Jane
• David Krumholtz as Benji Austin
• Martin Starr as James Masslin
• Ben Best as Quince Danbury
• Lauren Miller as Scarlett Brighton
• Brooke Dillman as Mrs. Hayworth
• Joe Nunez as Liquor Store Clerk
• Steve Bannos as Math Teacher
• Carla Gallo as Jacinda
• Clark Duke as a Party Teenager
• Danny McBride (uncredited) as Buddy at Party
• Cortney Palm (uncredited) as Partygoer
• Clement Blake as Homeless Guy
• Erica Vittina Phillips as Mindy

Production

Development

Superbad was written by Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen during their teen years. It is loosely based on their own experience as seniors in Vancouver in the late 1990s, hence the character names Seth and Evan. Other characters and references were influenced by Goldberg and Rogen's adolescence, such as Steven Glanzberg, their peer at Point Grey Secondary School, characterized in the film as a loner. According to an interview at an event panel in 2009, Fogell was also a real friend of Rogen and Goldberg. Rogen was initially slated to play Jonah Hill's character Seth. Still, due to his physical size and age, he played one of the police officers. When asked where he wants to be dropped off, Fogell tells the officers to take him to 13th and Granville, a nod to Rogen and Goldberg's favorite all-you-can-eat sushi restaurant in Vancouver. Superbad took seven years to complete from early scripting in 2000 and filming from 2006 to 2007. Among the films that served as inspiration for Superbad were Dazed and Confused, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, and American Graffiti.

Filming

The film was primarily shot in Los Angeles in the fall of 2006. Exterior shots of the high school were filmed at El Segundo High School. The mall scenes were shot at the Fox Hills Mall in Culver City, California.

Other filming locations include the convenience store at the beginning of the film, also in Culver City, the liquor store where "McLovin" gets IDed in Glendale, California, and the bar where the cops take McLovin for a drink is neighboring Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The scene where McLovin and the cops do donuts in the cop car was filmed in a parking lot on the California State University, Northridge campus.

Christopher Mintz-Plasse was 17 at the time of filming Superbad, and as a result, his mother was required to be present on set during the filming of his sex scene.

Reception

Box office

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/Seth_Rogen_Evan_Goldberg_Comic_Con_2007.jpg" caption="[[Seth Rogen]] and [[Evan Goldberg]] at a ''Superbad'' panel at [[San Diego Comic-Con]] in July 2007"] ::

Superbad opened at number one at the United States box office, grossing US$33,052,411 in its opening weekend from 2,948 theaters for an average of US$11,212 per theater. The film stayed at the second week, grossing US$18,044,369.

The film grossed US$121.5 million in the United States and Canada and US$48.4 million in other countries, for a total of US$169.9 million worldwide. Compared to the budget of $17.5–20 million, the film earned a huge financial profit, making it the highest domestic grossing high school comedy at the time (it was surpassed by 21 Jump Street, a film also starring Hill, in 2012).

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 88% based on reviews from 207 critics, with an average rating of 7.40/10. The website's summary reads: "Deftly balancing vulgarity and sincerity while placing its protagonists in excessive situations, Superbad is an authentic take on friendship and the overarching awkwardness of the high school experience." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 76/100 based on 36 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade A− on scale of A to F.

Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle called it 2007's most successful comedy. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times had the headline of his review read "McLovin It", and gave the film 3 out of 4 stars, and said: "The movie reminded me a little of National Lampoon's Animal House, except that it's more mature, as all movies are." Carina Chocano of the Los Angeles Times said: "Physically, Hill and Cera recall the classic comic duos—Laurel and Hardy, Abbott and Costello, Aykroyd and Belushi. But they are contemporary kids, sophisticated and sensitive to nuance"; she added: "I hope it's not damning the movie with the wrong kind of praise to say that for a film so deliriously smutty, Superbad is supercute." Sean Burns of Philadelphia Weekly said "2007: the year Judd Apatow and Seth Rogen saved movie comedy", a reference to Knocked Up which was released in June. Devin Gordon of Newsweek said: "As a Revenge of the Nerds redux, Superbad isn't perfect. But it's super close."

In a more critical vein, Stephen Farber of The Hollywood Reporter, compared the film to other films with a single-day structure, such as American Graffiti and Dazed and Confused, but said that Superbad "doesn't have the smarts or the depths of those ensemble comedies." The Hollywood Reporter review was referenced in the film's DVD audio commentary, particularly the review's suggestion that the two main characters have a homoerotic experience similar to the film Y Tu Mamá También. Roger Moore of the Orlando Sentinel called the film a "super-derivative, super-raunchy sack of laughs" and a "great vulgarian send-off to the summer of Knocked Up" that plays like "Freaks and Geeks: Uncensored." Moore concluded, "The energy flags as it overstays its welcome. The Apatow Rule, 'If it gets a laugh, don't cut it,' doesn't do movies under his banner any favors. Still, there are plenty of those laughs, from the ruder-than-rude opening to the ironic-sentimental ending." Wesley Morris of The Boston Globe said the film "has a degree more sophistication than Revenge of the Nerds and American Pie, and less than the underrated House Party." Morris also said, "the few smart observations could have come from an episode of one of Apatow's TV shows" and "I wanted to find this as funny as audiences did."

Accolades

The film was listed as on *Empire*s 500 Greatest films of all time. In 2025, it ranked number 100 on The New York Times list of "The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century" and number 53 on the "Readers' Choice" edition of the list.

The film's screenplay was also named the 88th greatest of the 21st century by the Writers Guild of America (WGA). The WGA also named the script the 68th funniest ever written on their list of the "101 Funniest Screenplays".

::data[format=table]

Year	Award	Category	Nominee	Result
2007	Austin Film Critics Association Awards	Breakthrough Artist	Michael Cera
Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards	Best Comedy Movie	Superbad
Best Young Actor	Michael Cera
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards	Most Promising Performer	Michael Cera
Empire Awards	Best Comedy	Superbad
Teen Choice Awards	Choice Summer Movie – Comedy/Musical	Superbad
2008	Canadian Comedy Awards	Best Writing	Seth Rogen
Best Male Performance	Michael Cera
MTV Movie Awards	Best Comedic Performance	Jonah Hill
Best Movie	Superbad
Breakthrough Performance	Michael Cera
Jonah Hill
Christopher Mintz-Plasse
Peabody Awards	Best New Comedy Performance	Superbad
Young Hollywood Awards	Exciting New Face	Emma Stone
::

Home media

Superbad was released on DVD, UMD and Blu-ray on December 4, 2007, by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. The special edition DVD sparked controversy in Hawaii due to the inclusion of a replica of the fake McLovin ID used in the film, which heavily resembled the state's real-life driver's license. This resulted in Walmart removing it from the shelves in the state.

Legacy

Retrospectively since its release, it has garnered acclaim as one of the best comedies of the 2000s and as one of the best high school films of all time. It has been hailed as one of the defining films of the Millennial generation.

Books

Two tie-in books to the film were published by Newmarket Press:

• Superbad: The Illustrated Moviebook () was published on December 4, 2007, to coincide with the release of the film on DVD. This official companion book includes an introduction by producer Judd Apatow; the complete script by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg; commentaries by Apatow, Rogen and Goldberg, and journalists from Rolling Stone, The New York Times, and Entertainment Weekly; 56 film stills; "Mr. Vagtastic Guide to Buying Porn;" and 24 "phallographic" drawings by David Goldberg that viewers will recognize from the film's end credits.
• Superbad: The Drawings () was published on February 14, 2008. This gift hardcover art book contains 82 "phallographic" drawings created by David Goldberg (Evan Goldberg's brother) for the film.

Soundtrack

Main article: Superbad (soundtrack)

References

References

1. Netburn, Deborah. (August 14, 2007). "'Superbad' premiere chock-full of comedic superstars". Orlando Sentinel.
2. (July 5, 2007). "''Superbad'' (15)". [[British Board of Film Classification]].
3. "Superbad (2007) – Financial Information".
4. "Superbad (2007)". [[IMDb]].
5. (Aug 17, 2007). "Seth Rogen's Vancouver high school misadventures hit the big screen".
6. (June 24, 2019). "It's also where the all you can eat sushi place that we used to go to all the time in high school was.".
7. (August 17, 2007). "If you want to be 'Superbad,' you'd better learn from the best". Orlando Sentinel.
8. (2007-08-17). "Where was Superbad (2007) Filmed". Wwifdb.com.
9. "Superbad (2007) – High School Exterior". Wwifdb.com.
10. "Superbad (2007) – The Mall". Wwifdb.com.
11. "Superbad (2007) – Convenience Store". Wwifdb.com.
12. "Superbad (2007) – McLovin get's ID-ed". Wwifdb.com.
13. "Cops take McLovin to a bar". Wwifdb.com.
14. (January 16, 2009). "Is this it?". [[The Guardian]].
15. Andrew Buss. (August 17, 2022). ""It's Either Going to Be Really Funny, or They're Going to Be Horrified": An Oral History of Superbad". Vanity Fair.
16. "Superbad (2007) – Weekend Box Office". [[Box Office Mojo]].
17. "Charts – High School Comedy".
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20. (21 August 2007). "It’s all good for 'Superbad' as comedy beats estimate". The Associated Press.
21. "Cinemascore".
22. LaSalle, Mick. (2007-08-16). "Review: Teens on a mission to buy booze in 'Superbad'".
23. Ebert, Roger. (2007-08-16). "Reviews :: Superbad". RogerEbert.com.
24. Chocano, Carina. (2007-08-17). "'Superbad's' teen raunch isn't what's shocking; it's the love story". [[Los Angeles Times]].
25. Burns, Sean. (August 15, 2007). "Geek Outlook". Philadelphia Weekly.
26. Gordon, Devin. (2007-08-20). "Revenge of the Nerds". Newsweek.
27. Farber, Stephen. (2007-08-07). "Superbad". The Hollywood Reporter.
28. The DVD audio commentary on the ''Superbad: Unrated Extended Edition'' DVD.
29. (August 17, 2007). "It's like an uncensored version of Freaks & Geeks". Orlando Sentinel.
30. Morris, Wesley. (2007-08-17). "It's a nerd, he's in pain – it's ''Superbad''". [[The Boston Globe]].
31. "500 Greatest films of all time".
32. (June 23, 2025). "The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century".
33. "Readers Choose Their Top Movies of the 21st Century".
34. [https://www.wga.org/writers-room/101-best-lists/101-best-screenplays-of-the-21st-century-so-far/list 101 Greatest Screenplays of the 21st Century (*so far)] [[Writers Guild of America]]. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
35. Pedersen, Erik. (2021-12-06). "101 Greatest Screenplays Of The 21st Century: Horror Pic Tops Writers Guild’s List".
36. [https://web.archive.org/web/20171222103723/http://variety.com/2015/film/news/annie-hall-funniest-screenplay-writers-guild-1201639002/ 'Annie Hall' Named Funniest Screenplay by WGA Members] [[Variety (magazine). Variety]] via [[Internet Archive]]. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
37. (December 4, 2007). "DVD Review: 'Superbad'". Chicago Tribune.
38. Silva, Alexandre Da. (2007-12-06). "City seeks ban on 'Superbad' over bogus 'McLovin' ID".
39. "Wal-Mart halts 'Superbad' gimmick in Hawaii". Honolulu Advertiser.
40. Lu, Garry. (Jul 30, 2021). "Why 'Superbad' Is The Greatest Millennial Comedy Of All Time".
41. (July 30, 2014). "Readers' Poll: The 10 Funniest Movies of the 2000s".

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