MOVIE REVIEW BY FLYNN ESPE

Director Greg Mottola’s “Superbad” is raunchy, foul-mouthed and captivatingly sweet at heart. Go figure. It’s also very funny.

Seth (Jonah Hill) and Evan (Michael Cera), best buddies since childhood, are about to graduate from high school and – after the summer – go away to different colleges.

Seth is a chubby fast talker, that hilarious type lacking any verbal filter whatsoever, whose rampant sexual dialogue is almost eloquent. Almost. Evan is the more pensive, soft-spoken of the two, bound for Dartmouth while Seth considers state schools.

You could say they’re on the fringes of the popularity circle. So when Seth hits it off with his cute home economics partner and she invites him to her house party, Seth’s mind (and mouth) goes berserk at the notion that he might hook up and gain the sexual experience he thinks is necessary for entering the college years.

Evan has likewise managed to become lustfully smitten with a girl from math class, who may be showing reciprocal signs of interest.

The problem is they’ve stumbled into saying they will provide alcohol for the party and must rely on their even more unpopular friend Fogell, who may or may not be getting a fake I.D. Fogell gets an I.D., all right, for a 25-year-old resident of Hawaii named “McLovin.”

In true teen comedy fashion, the quest for the almighty alcohol becomes an ironic series of misadventures until the climax of the big party.

The comedic chemistry between the two main actors is right on. Whereas Hill’s loudmouth character might typically steal the show, Cera’s subdued, nice-guy portrayal of Evan is equally nuanced and entertaining.

Fogell, played by Hollywood newcomer Christopher Mintz-Plasse, gives refreshing new life to the stereotypical nerd. And co-screenwriter Seth Rogan stars as one of the rogue patrol officers who more-or-less kidnaps Fogell for a night of fun.

On the one hand, you have your moments of outrageous bodily humor, such as a narrated flashback to one of Seth’s childhood obsessions. But the film also has its in-between moments of quieter charm, the throwaway dialogue as the characters traverse through the stuff of everyday.

And while the dialogue is often graphic, it serves more to expose the innocence and raging hormones of two high school boys who really have no idea what they’re talking about on a practical level.

Yes, this film is about teenagers trying to score alcohol in order to score with girls; as we all know, minors are dissuaded from sex and drugs for good reason. But by the end of the movie, the screenwriters have tastefully steered their characters away from pure moral disaster.

This inevitably is the kind of genre film that young teenagers will be lining up to see, rebelliously lured by the Hollywood glorification of everything rejected under traditional family values.

And yet, to fully appreciate the story of “Superbad” (not to say it’s Shakespeare, mind you), requires a more mature audience, able to look back and remember that quality time with friends is more precious than trying to grow up too fast.

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Flynn Espe is a reporter for the EO.

MOVIE REVIEW BY JOHN MALGESINI

Nerds finally have reason to cheer. While “Superbad” gives dorks everywhere a reason to believe that they have a chance at love, it provides everyone else non-stop, gut busting laughs.

Written by Seth Rogen (“Knocked Up”) and childhood friend Evan Goldberg when they were merely 13, “Superbad” gives an alternative to the syrup-sweet drivel seen in the likes of “High School Musical I,” its sequel, and their ilk.

Rogen actually used this script to obtain an earlier role in the television series “Freaks and Geeks” and the job of a writer for “Undecided.” Both series were critically acclaimed but failed to obtain large audiences. Yeah, written by and for adolescent boys, the jokes and plot are so universal that everyone will find themselves laughing even if they disgust themselves while doing so.

The principal characters are three high school seniors on the verge graduation while never having gone on a date let alone having girlfriends. There’s chubby Seth who is a lot of talk until someone confronts him, dorky Evan who is too nice and polite for his own good, and a nerd to the 10th power in the person of Fogell. These three want nothing more than to be invited to a party and have intercourse before they graduate. Seeing them in action, this is a very tall order.

Fogell obtains a fake I.D. that lists him as a 25 year-old Hawaiian named only McLovin. They finally talk him into heading to the local liquor store so that they might get the alcohol needed for a local party. This surely should get them admittance. What ensues is non-stop hilarity.

Jonah Hill, Michael Cera and Christopher Mintz-Plasse star as the three nerds Seth, Evan and Fogell (McLovin) respectively. All three make the characters shine, but it’s the performance of Mintz-Plasse that is the real highlight. And he is the only one still in high school! Audiences will forget a lot of what was produced on screens across the country this year, but McLovin will stay in minds and hearts for years to come. He literally steals the show.

Rogen wanted to play his namesake in the film but was simply too old to do so. He does get into the film as one of the two integrity-challenged cops along with “Saturday Night Live” alum Bill Hader. These cops are merely adolescents with badges. They go a long way to prove that cops just want to have friends too.

While this may not be in the league of Oscar contenders the filmmakers certainly don’t care. This film will undoubtedly take in a whole lot more in box-office receipts than most of the Oscar nominated films combined. So, if laughs are needed, see the film and let your inner McLovin see the light of day.

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John Malgesini is a teacher at Umatilla High School.