Superbad first came out when I was in high school, and so I remember it as the new taboo, raunchy comedy that it was back then, in the same way that something like American Pie was for teenagers in the 90s. The movie might actually feel tame or outdated for someone watching it for the first time today, but I remember when I first saw this it hit me hard. I thought it was one of the funniest “inappropriate humor” movies I had ever seen, and I still have that same fondness for it when I rewatch it now.

The reason I loved Superbad is because it’s very much a character-driven comedy. The plot itself is really simple. It’s about two high school seniors named Seth and Evan, who have been best friends for as long as they can remember and are about to graduate. They’re starting to face the reality that they’re going to be going to different colleges, and how difficult this will be since they have been inseparable for years. This dynamic winds up getting tested in a very simple plot, involving the pair trying to obtain alcohol and get to a party to impress the girls that they like.

This simple premise allows the movie to breathe and focus on what really matters, which is the chemistry between its two leads. The movie is very similar to something like Clerks (or more appropriately, Clerks II), where a lot of the movie is actually just the two main characters talking and making jokes. This type of comedy isn’t always for everyone, since some people prefer things like situational or physical comedy, but this has always been my personal favorite form of comedy. And from where I’m sitting, Superbad is one of the best at what it does.

I hate having to justify my love of a movie as a “you had to be there” sort of thing, but I think Superbad hit at the perfect time, and when it came out it was one of the raunchiest comedies out there. Some of the jokes might seem dated to people watching it for the first time now, but I personally think it still holds up really well. Although, I will acknowledge that part of it for me is just enjoying hilarious jokes that I used to quote all the time when I was younger. Part of a person’s enjoyment of a movie winds up coming from the experiences that they bring into them, and for me Superbad was a generation-defining comedy. It’s lived on in my memory as one of my favorite comedies of all time, so I definitely think people should still give it a try if they’ve never seen it.

5/5