Superbad is a 2007 comedy film written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg and directed by Greg Mottola. The film centers around high school seniors and best friends Seth and Evan as they near the end of high school. What’s their goal? Get to a party and get laid, well that’s Seths goal at least, Evan is just looking to talk to his crush. The film is in my opinion one of the funniest movies ever made, no matter how many times I rewatch it it never fails to make me laugh. But although the film is essentially a comedy, it really is a story about growing up and friendship.
If you haven’t seen the film Superbad then you must be living under a rock. The film had such an impact on the way we view comedy in film. Not only is the film a comedy, but it really is a coming-of-age film. Evan and Seth are best friends for as long as they can remember but senior year is coming to a close and they are going to different colleges in the fall. When Seth’s crush Jules tells him about the party she is throwing Seth sees this as his last chance to hookup with her before they graduate. Although the series of events that unravel throughout the film are unusual and exaggerated for comedic affect, the story really is about moving on and growing up.
I think anyone can tell you what an impact their senior year of high school had on them, even their last week of high school in general. Whether you enjoyed high school or not, you get this feeling of a chapter in your life coming to an end. Up until this point you’ve lived in this same town and more than likely went to the same school with the same kids for as long as you can remember. It can be hard moving on and leaving your friends as you guys part ways for the first time. Throughout the film, Seth is kind of an asshole, eventually Evan has had enough of it and the two get into a fight. Later it comes out that he was just being this way because he saw this party as their last chance to really have fun before Evan goes away to Dartmouth. In the final scene of the film Evan and Seth run into their crushes at the mall and each of them parts ways and goes with the girls. This signifies Evan and Seth growing up and learning to live their lives outside of their friendship, something they’ve never done before.
Moving on at any point of your life can be difficult and overwhelming, especially when graduating high school. You’re stepping out into the world away from home for the first time in your life really. It can be hard not having that constant support system of your close friends there with you and it can feel lonely sometimes. It’s important to remember though that you’re not alone in this feeling, your friends are feeling it too. When I graduated high school I remember feeling sadder than I thought I was going to. It’s one of those things I think we all talk about but never actually picture ourselves doing and then you get there and they’re handing you your diploma and you get hit with this “wow this is really happening” feeling. Obviously I knew I was going to miss my friends, but in a weird way I was going to miss my other classmates too, even ones that I wasn’t really close with. You just get so used to these people and this space you’ve known for four years and the memories that once it’s gone it kind of doesn’t hit right away. I think it makes you realize that nothing in life is forever, everything is temporary; people, places, moments, just life in general really. I think in the film Seth starts to see that as high school ends, which is why he’s trying so hard to hang onto making this night the best one of their lives, so he can always look back on this with his best friend. When things ends we start to appreciate them more than we did when we were living them in that moment, you never really realize how special something is until it’s gone. Letting go can be scary but it’s just the way life goes. Superbad is easily one of my favorite films, not just for it’s comedy, but for it’s storyline as well, it really shows just how scary letting go can be and how we try to mask it in various ways.