--- title: "Superbad: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/superbad/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/superbad" critics_score: 78 critics_reviews: 13 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): what the critics said Critics' score 78 from 13 reviews: 12 positive, 0 mixed, 1 negative. 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. ## Empire — Olly Richards Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 31 August 2007. 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 the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/superbad-review/) ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Rating 3.5/4. 16 August 2007. 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 the review](https://rogerebert.com/reviews/superbad-2007) ## Total Film Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 14 September 2007. 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 the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/superbad-review/) ## The AV Club — Nathan Rabin Rating B+. 17 August 2007. 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 the review](https://www.avclub.com/superbad-1798202965) ## Radio Times — Adam Smith Rating 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 the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-hy5bx9/superbad/) ## The New Yorker — David Denby Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 13 August 2007. 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 the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2007/08/20/teen-dreams) ## Time Out — Ben Walters Rating 4/5. 10 September 2007. 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 the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/superbad) ## Slant Magazine — Nick Schager Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 13 August 2007. 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 the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/superbad/) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 18 January 2008. 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 the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2008/jan/18/dvdreviews.comedy1) ## Variety — Todd McCarthy Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 7 August 2007. 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 the review](https://variety.com/2007/film/reviews/superbad-1200557352/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Stephen Farber Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 6 August 2007. 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 the review](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 the review](http://old.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/review/4070) ## The New York Times — Manohla Dargis Rating Critic's Pick. 17 August 2007. 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 the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/17/movies/17supe.html) ## Den of Geek — Ron Hogan Rating 5/5. 21 August 2007. 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 the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/superbad-review/) ## Eye for Film — Stephen Carty Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 6 February 2009. 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 the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/superbad-film-review-by-stephen-carty) ## Collider — Chris Cabin 17 August 2017. 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 the review](https://collider.com/does-superbad-hold-up/) ## Paste — Paste Staff 10 August 2007. 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 the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/judd-apatow/superbad) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/superbad.md