--- title: "Superbad" year: 2007 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/superbad" fi1m_id: "superbad" imdb_id: "tt0829482" tmdb_id: 8363 wikidata_id: "Q679611" fi1m_score: 82 critics_score: 78 critics_reviews: 13 published: "2026-09-15" updated: "2026-09-18T08:38:30.497978+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Superbad (2007) Directed by Greg Mottola · 1h 53m · MPA R · Comedy ## Identity Superbad - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/superbad - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** superbad - **IMDb ID:** tt0829482 - **TMDB ID:** 8363 - **Wikidata ID:** Q679611 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0829482/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/8363, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q679611 **Fi1m score: 82** · Critics 78 from 13 reviews *In a sentence:* An evening of obscene conversation between boys who cannot bring themselves to say they will miss each other > Greg Mottola’s *Superbad* is a filthy, funny comedy whose frightened boys are worth caring about. Jonah Hill and Michael Cera make the friendship convincing, even when the police subplot overstays its welcome and the girls deserve more attention. ## Synopsis Seth (Jonah Hill) and Evan (Michael Cera) are high-school friends facing separation when they leave for college. They are also preoccupied with sex and how to persuade other people to notice them. Over one night, the pair and Fogell (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) pursue opportunities that repeatedly expose their lack of experience. Emma Stone plays Jules and Martha MacIsaac plays Becca, with Bill Hader as Officer Slater and Seth Rogen as Officer Michaels. Greg Mottola directs a comedy about adolescent embarrassment, friendship and the prospect of leaving school without having become the people these boys imagine they ought to be. ## Review Greg Mottola’s *Superbad* understands how much effort teenage boys can put into pretending not to be frightened. Seth and Evan are approaching college and separation, but most of their conversation concerns sex, as though talking about it might count towards a qualification. Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s script makes that evasiveness funny without treating the friendship as something embarrassing to be smuggled in afterwards. We recommend it warmly: the jokes are plentiful, and Jonah Hill and Michael Cera give the impending separation enough weight to matter. Hill’s Seth is exhausting in a useful way, pushing his talk further than the occasion or his companion requires. Cera’s Evan supplies the hesitation, and their exchanges work because neither performance settles into a simple loud-boy, quiet-boy routine. We laughed at the obscene doodles because their sheer accumulation makes adolescent obsession look like an activity that could consume an entire education. Both actors also keep the wish to be liked painfully clear, especially when being agreeable seems beyond Seth’s abilities. Christopher Mintz-Plasse gives Fogell a different sort of misplaced confidence, enough to make the liquor-store business a highlight without requiring us to believe that he has suddenly become competent. His scenes widen the comedy beyond the central pair’s habits. Bill Hader’s Officer Slater and Rogen’s Officer Michaels are funny company, too, but the police subplot keeps asking for attention after its appeal is clear. Mottola is generous with his performers, and here that generosity leaves us waiting to get back to the boys. Russ T. Alsobrook’s cinematography gives the boys’ embarrassed faces the attention they need, without making their surroundings more interesting than their conversation. Chris L. Spellman’s production design makes the suburban setting feel ordinary enough for these social disasters to seem horribly plausible. It matters that these are recognisable places, since the boys already regard every social encounter as an occasion for panic. Lyle Workman’s music supplies a confidence the boys keep failing to sustain, a useful accompaniment to all their attempts to sound experienced. William Kerr’s editing is more persuasive in the conversations than in managing the detours, letting a reply arrive awkwardly enough to become another joke. At 113 minutes, the film has more room for additional mishaps than it needs. The police material is the clearest candidate for trimming, because time away from Seth and Evan weakens the worry about their future. The problem is modest but persistent: scenes can be amusing on their own and still delay the people we have come to care about. The girls receive less of that care from the writing. Emma Stone’s Jules and Martha MacIsaac’s Becca have to hold our interest with less help than the boys get, and both actresses give them enough presence to make the imbalance noticeable. Rogen and Goldberg understand the boys’ anxiety about women more fully than they imagine what the women might be thinking. We need not demand equal time from a comedy about male friendship to wish its female characters had more room to surprise us. What distinguishes *Superbad* within the teenage sex comedy is how seriously it takes the fear of losing a friend. Its boys can be crude, tiresome and selfish without the film deciding that affection for them excuses everything they do. Mottola gets enough tenderness from Hill and Cera that the friendship remains worth our attention through the excess business around it. Watch it with company that enjoys filthy talk; there is plenty, and the sweetness does not make it suitable for anyone who cannot bear the vocabulary. *Fi1m score 82, published 15 September 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics greet Superbad warmly, finding a funny, unusually affectionate account of teenage male friendship beneath the crude jokes. Praise centres on dialogue that captures adolescent insecurity and sexual longing, and on performances that make the boys’ awkwardness convincing. The chemistry between the leads draws particular approval, with their fear of growing apart giving the comedy emotional weight. The reviews generally find that familiar teen-comedy situations benefit from well-observed characters, though they differ on how consistently the jokes land. Praise varies in strength, but outright rejection is rare. Variety finds the film overlong and the police antics extraneous, while Slant Magazine admires its understanding of young men but notes its cluelessness about women. Some favourable reviews also question the padding or find individual jokes mean-spirited. The Hollywood Reporter supplies the clearest dissent, crediting the direction and acting but judging the script juvenile and its appeal largely confined to young men. ## Straight answers **Is Superbad worth watching?** *Superbad* is worth watching for anyone who enjoys a filthy comedy with a real friendship underneath it, and we scored it 82. Jonah Hill and Michael Cera make the boys' fear of separation matter, and the jokes are plentiful. The police subplot outstays its welcome, and the girls get less attention from the writing than they deserve. **How long is Superbad, and what is it rated?** *Superbad* runs 1h 53m and is rated R by the MPA in the US. It is a comedy film. **Where can I watch Superbad in the US?** *Superbad* is streaming on The Roku Channel and Amazon Prime Video in the US, and it is also available to rent from Amazon Prime Video from $3.99. It leaves The Roku Channel on 1 October. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service. **How violent or frightening is Superbad, and is it suitable for children?** *Superbad* is a 15 certificate in the UK and R in the US, and it is not suitable for children. The film contains almost constant obscene talk about sex, along with drinking and a run of adolescent humiliations, but nothing frightening and little in the way of violence. Teenagers old enough for the certificate will manage; anyone who cannot bear the vocabulary should stay away. **How does Superbad compare to Booksmart?** *Superbad* is the cruder and funnier of the two, while [*Booksmart*](https://film.one/film/booksmart) is the warmer, with its girls finally given the attention the earlier film's female characters lacked. Both follow friends facing the end of school and their own poor judgement. *Booksmart* handles its mistakes more tidily than we would like; *Superbad* carries more excess, but its friendship cuts deeper. **What should I watch after Superbad?** After *Superbad*, try [*Booksmart*](https://film.one/film/booksmart) (2019, Fi1m 81): Another friendship faces the end of school, with the girls finally getting heard. Then [*Y tu mamá también*](https://film.one/film/y-tu-mama-tambien) (2001, Fi1m 87): A rougher, more adult treatment of friendship strained by sexual competition; and [*Dazed and Confused*](https://film.one/film/dazed-and-confused) (1993, Fi1m 86): School ends, everyone loiters, and small social humiliations acquire unreasonable importance. ### Reviews we read (17) - **Empire**, Olly Richards (90/100, inferred): The critic calls it brilliantly puerile but also heartfelt, praising its well-drawn characters and the sweet depiction of teenage male friendship amid crude jokes. It is hailed as the best teen movie since American Pie. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/superbad-review/) - **RogerEbert.com**, Roger Ebert (3.5/4): The film is a raunchy but heartfelt comedy about teenage sexual yearning and friendship, distinguished by its fluent, confident vulgarity that captures deep longing rather than mere shock value. [Read](https://rogerebert.com/reviews/superbad-2007) - **Total Film** (85/100, inferred): The review finds it crass and juvenile yet consistently funny, with strong execution of stock situations and excellent chemistry between the leads, especially the newcomer Mintz-Plasse. It concludes it is the funniest film since Knocked Up. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/superbad-review/) - **The AV Club**, Nathan Rabin (B+): The review praises the raunchy teen comedy for blending big laughs with emotional relevance as the concluding Apatow-style film. It singles out the quality and quantity of its manhood-themed humor as standout. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/superbad-1798202965) - **Radio Times**, Adam Smith (4/5): The critic notes that the film serves up all the essential elements of the teen comedy genre but does so with scabrous and intelligent wit. It singles out the slacker dialogue, universally funny performances and the unexpected sweetness in the central friendship. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-hy5bx9/superbad/) - **The New Yorker**, David Denby (80/100, inferred): An uproarious and touching suburban mock-epic about inseparable high-school pals facing separation for college, it combines filthy talk with tender emotion and a melancholy sense that nothing was meant to go right on their wild night. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2007/08/20/teen-dreams) - **Time Out**, Ben Walters (4/5): The critic praises the film for delivering high levels of both belly laughs and emotional affect while exploiting gross-out humour with self-awareness and regret. It highlights the charming geeky odd-couple dynamic of the leads and the deliriously obscene doodles as standout elements. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/superbad) - **Slant Magazine**, Nick Schager (70/100, inferred): The critic highlights the film's precise understanding of young male anxieties, desires, and camaraderie while noting its cluelessness about women. It singles out the convincing affection between the leads and their shared desire for inclusion that props up the gags. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/superbad/) - **The Guardian** (70/100, inferred): The review notes the film's raw teen angst and highlights the hilarious McLovin liquor-store scene and strong soundtrack as strengths, while finding the overall comedy hit-rate lower than other Apatow productions. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2008/jan/18/dvdreviews.comedy1) - **Variety**, Todd McCarthy (70/100, inferred): The bawdy jokes score big but the rueful take on adolescent embarrassment most distinguishes this raunchy Apatow-produced comedy, like American Pie with a conscience; it ends with lifelike regret though it runs too long with extraneous cop antics. [Read](https://variety.com/2007/film/reviews/superbad-1200557352/) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, Stephen Farber (40/100, inferred): The critic finds the film juvenile and limited in appeal due to its script, though it will entertain its target young male audience. He singles out the script for bringing the movie down despite skill from director Mottola and the actors. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/superbad-158043/) - **Sight and Sound**, Ryan Gilbey: The critic calls it a raucous party movie best enjoyed with a crowd, praising its honest goodwill, fond observational detail and Greg Mottola's exuberant direction that make the picture nigh on irresistible. Some missteps include padding and a mean-spirited scene involving menstrual blood. [Read](http://old.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/review/4070) - **The New York Times**, Manohla Dargis (Critic's Pick): This sweetly absurd high school comedy follows three hormone-driven boys on a night of missed opportunities and unexpected revelations, succeeding through its tender portrayal of decent, vulnerable teens despite the vulgarity. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/17/movies/17supe.html) - **Den of Geek**, Ron Hogan (5/5): The film elevates the teen sex comedy genre through its focus on genuine friendship and the pains of growing up. It singles out the realistic dialogue and relatable portrayal of awkward high-school dorks facing change. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/superbad-review/) - **Eye for Film**, Stephen Carty (80/100, inferred): The critic finds Superbad super funny overall, praising its rapid-fire jokes and high hit rate despite lacking the heart of producer Judd Apatow's other films. They single out the script's authentic capture of high-school experiences and the strong performances from Jonah Hill and Michael Cera as perfect foils. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/superbad-film-review-by-stephen-carty) - **Collider**, Chris Cabin: The critic finds the film retains its laughs and gains depth on rewatch, crediting Mottola with revealing the insecurity and character growth beneath the raunchy teen banter and highlighting the honest dynamics of adolescent friendship. [Read](https://collider.com/does-superbad-hold-up/) - **Paste**, Paste Staff: The review calls the film hilarious with realistic, well-conceived characters and notes it stands as the best teen comedy in at least a decade, even if it falls short of Apatow's stronger ensemble works. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/judd-apatow/superbad) ## Details - **Director:** Greg Mottola - **Director:** Greg Mottola - **Writer:** Evan Goldberg, Seth Rogen - **Cinematography:** Russ T. Alsobrook - **Editor:** William Kerr - **Music:** Lyle Workman - **Production design:** Chris L. Spellman - **Costume design:** Debra McGuire - **Producer:** Judd Apatow, Shauna Robertson - **Cast:** Jonah Hill as Seth; Michael Cera as Evan; Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Fogell; Bill Hader as Officer Slater; Seth Rogen as Officer Michaels; Martha MacIsaac as Becca; Emma Stone as Jules; Aviva Baumann as Nicola - **Runtime:** 1h 53m - **Certificate (MPA):** R - **Release (the US):** 17 August 2007 - **Genres:** Comedy - **Budget:** $20 million - **Box office:** $171 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvKvus3vCEY ## Where to watch in the US - The Roku Channel: add-on, hd, leaving 2026-10-01 - Amazon Prime Video: add-on, uhd - Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, uhd - Amazon Prime Video: buy $14.99, uhd *Checked 2026-09-15.* Also available in: AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, IE, IN, IT, JP, LT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, TR, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *Booksmart* (2019), Fi1m 81: Another friendship faces the end of school, with the girls finally getting heard. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/booksmart.md) - *Gregory's Girl* (1981): Gentler adolescent embarrassment, with awkward courtship observed kindly and without fuss. - *Y tu mamá también* (2001), Fi1m 87: A rougher, more adult treatment of friendship strained by sexual competition. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/y-tu-mama-tambien.md) - *Dazed and Confused* (1993), Fi1m 86: School ends, everyone loiters, and small social humiliations acquire unreasonable importance. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/dazed-and-confused.md) - *The Inbetweeners Movie* (2011): Four boys make social acceptance harder with almost every sentence they utter. --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/superbad