Superbad has an authenticity to its debauchery that's not seen in most teen movies, which isn't surprising given the comedy's true story origins.
Summary
- Superbad is an authentic and genuine teen comedy that stands out from other insipid and toned-down movies in the genre.
- The movie was based on the real-life experiences of Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg during their senior year in the late '90s.
- The long development process was necessary to accurately depict their memories and find actors who could play the over-the-top characters, but it ultimately resulted in a classic and influential film.
Superbad is such a wild but undeniably authentic teen comedy that fans have often wondered if it was inspired by a true story. Directed by Greg Mottola, with a screenplay by Mottola, Seth Rogen, and Evan Goldberg, Superbad made big stars of Michael Cena, Jonah Hill, and Emma Stone by telling the honest story of a group of friends navigating the last weeks of high school and figuring out what to do with the rest of their lives. The teen genre can vary widely, with most contributions being insipid, toned-down portrayals of real situations for teens that they're never allowed to approach the style of Superbad.
With more uses of the F-word than Scarface (187 to be precise), unabashed discussions of sex, and a candid approach to the questionable decisions made by minors in their exciting saga to get to the year's biggest house party, it's far more genuine than peers like The Breakfast Club or Not Another Teen Movie. By treating its young stars with respect and authenticity as well as using R-rated humor, it managed to avoid coming across as fake and overwritten. Its true story origins helped it become a coming-of-age movie that defined millennials, and while it might be about getting wasted or getting the girl, it's also about learning life lessons, friendship, and love.
Superbad Was Loosely Based On Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg's Life In The '90s
Superbad was closely based on Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg's senior year in the late '90s, and at one time during the film's 12-year development, Rogen even considered playing Jonah Hill's role. Instead, the two main characters ended up with Seth and Evan's names, and younger actors were hired when Rogen's physicality prohibited him from playing a high schooler convincingly. All the rest of the characters and locations were inspired in some way by real places, students, and acquaintances they grew up around in Vancouver.
Rogen and Goldberg started developing the movie when they were still teens. Unlike other teen movies that are approached from an adult headspace, this approach guaranteed a level of raw honesty in all the characters, and Rogen and Goldberg could easily reflect on some of their recent core high school memories. All the characters interact in believable ways that, even at their most cringe or uncomfortable, feel more like real people than just ciphers and archetypes of a nerd, a jock, a rebel, etc like the ones found in most teen comedies.
Why Superbad Took So Long To Write & Develop
The effort required to accurately depict a specific time in their lives meant that Rogen and Goldberg took over a decade to make Superbad. In an interview with E!, Rogen mentions that some characters were so over-the-top that they were worried they wouldn't find anyone to play them, like McLovin, resulting in a very drawn out casting process "We thought he was inactible," Rogen explains, citing the character's particular blend of social awkwardness yet indefatigable confidence, but they eventually found their McLovin just as they were preparing to completely scrap the character and rewrite the script.
After years of writing and proving themselves in Hollywood, Rogen and Goldberg finally got studios to take them seriously. Most producers weren't willing to take a risk on such a debaucherous comedy with unproven leads, but the material was strong and studios conceded the inspirations of Fast Times at Ridgemont High and American Graffiti. Though the curse words, toilet humor, and moral quandaries present in Superbad have come to be expected in teen comedies now, the fact that it was based on the real lives of made it an iconic classic that's now an inspiration to other teen comedies.
