The Big Picture

• ;Superbad's enduring popularity lies in its raunchy humor and exploration of co-dependent friendships, showcasing the anxieties and insecurities of teenage boys.
• Recent high school comedies like 'Booksmart' and 'Plan B' offer a fresh perspective by focusing on female friendships and sexual empowerment, while addressing the experiences of being a teenage girl in the US.
• 'Easy A' tackles issues of gossip and slut-shaming, using social media as a narrative tool, highlighting how social media has become an integral part of teenagers' lives and how it can affect their experiences.

In a recent interview with People Magazine, Seth Rogen joked that "no one's made a good high school movie since [Superbad]," the 2007 high school comedy he co-wrote and starred in. Prompted by his 20-year-old The Fabelmans co-star Gabriel LaBelle, who told Rogen that Superbad is a favorite movie of his and his friends, Rogen's statement provoked some social media backlash, with many citing examples to the contrary. Though said in jest, it's worth looking at what made Superbad such an enduring hit, and how high school comedies have evolved over the years since its release, trending towards the portrayal of female friendships and sexual empowerment, along with the introduction of social media into youth culture.

What Made 'Superbad' a Hit

Loosely based on Rogen and childhood friend Evan Goldberg's own school experiences, Superbad follows best friends Seth (Jonah Hill) and Evan (Michael Cera), in their last days of high school. In their journey to a house party thrown by Seth's crush Jules (Emma Stone), they experience a series of detours resulting in an altogether disastrous night. With a star-studded cast featuring breakout roles for Hill and Stone, Superbad has graced the world with quotes like "Fucking calm down Greg, its soccer," "Do you have any normal-sized clothes, or do you only shop at the Baby Gap?", and almost anything that comes out of Fogell (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) aka McLovin's mouth.

In its raunchy hilarity, Superbad also explores the co-dependent relationship between two best friends and social outcasts, and their anxieties about attending different colleges. Throughout the film, several characters comment on Seth and Evan's inseparable friendship, which they both brush off, in denial about how much they will miss each other after graduation. Both boys are insecure about their looks and lack of sexual experience, looking forward to a fresh start in college. But Seth is resentful towards Evan for deviating from their plan to go to college together by committing to Dartmouth, an Ivy League school Seth had no chance of getting accepted to, and experiences jealousy over the fact that Evan will be rooming with their friend Fogell, who he considers even more of a loser than they are. Evan, on the other hand, fears having to step out of his comfort zone, opting to room with Fogell to avoid living with a stranger, stemming from his introversion and social awkwardness. After a night of misadventures, these anxieties finally come to the surface in a screaming match, but after Seth and Evan escape the house party, they drunkenly apologize and share how much they love and value each other's friendship in a heartwarming display of vulnerability between two teenage boys.

'Booksmart' and 'Plan B' Offer a Modern Spin on the 'Superbad' Formula

Two recent high school comedies, Booksmart and Plan B, have a similar premise to that of Superbad — two unpopular best friends on a series of unpredictable adventures, the majority of which take place over the span of one night. Though they may have drawn inspiration from Superbad, the fresh perspectives these films bring to the genre serve as a response to Superbad's misogynistic humor while also commenting on what it's like to be a teenage girl in the United States at this moment in time.

Directed by Olivia Wilde, when Booksmart was released in 2019, it was seen by some as "Superbad for girls," further emphasized by the fact that Jonah Hill's sister Beanie Feldstein stars as one of the leads. Booksmart follows high achieving best friends Molly (Feldstein) and Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) as they find their way to their first high school party the night before graduation. When Molly realizes the popular kids at school were able to get into good colleges and party in high school, she begins to spiral over the fact that she and Amy have spent their last four years doing nothing but study. Determined to have one last hurrah before graduating, Molly and Amy spend their night unknowingly ingesting an ayahuasca-like drug, riding in an Uber driven by their school principal, and attempting to hold up a pizza delivery driver who ends up being a serial killer.

RELATED: From 'American Graffiti' to 'Booksmart': The Enduring Appeal of the High School Last Hurrah

Plan B, directed by Natalie Morales, follows seventeen-year-old best friends Sunny (Kuhoo Verma) and Lupe (Victoria Moroles), on a frantic road trip in search of the Plan B pill after Sunny has a regrettable sexual encounter at a party the night before. Sunny is a high-strung overachiever and Lupe a rebellious stoner, and both are ostracized from their white peers in their South Dakota high school. Sunny's mom is Indian, and Lupe comes from a Mexican family, so both girls experience racial microaggressions throughout the film. They endure a crazy, often dangerous drive through rural South Dakota at night, but instead of a party, Plan B culminates with Sunny and Lupe finally reaching a Planned Parenthood in Rapid City, only to find it's been shut down.

Booksmart's Molly and Amy and Plan B's Sunny and Lupe have character arcs similar to that of Seth and Evan in Superbad — inseparable social outcasts whose friendship has underlying tension that comes to the surface in a big fight, but who ultimately end the film even stronger friends than before. Before Superbad, there was Mean Girls, another one of the most iconic teen comedies of all time, which dissects the more vicious parts of teenage girlhood, but Booksmart and Plan B depict an evolved version of female friendship. Molly and Amy and Sunny and Lupe are constantly celebrating and encouraging each other, and while socially aware, still fall victim to internalized misogyny when it comes to their attitudes towards the popular girls in school. Both films also notably feature a lesbian protagonist as one half of the friendship duo, portraying the unique struggles and hilarity that come with being a gay teenager in the late 2010s/early 2020s.

'Easy A' Tackles Gossip and Slut-Shaming

Released three years after Superbad, Easy A is another hilariously raunchy teen comedy that tackles issues faced by teenage girls. Olive Penderghast (Emma Stone) is an unpopular 17-year-old who suddenly becomes the talk of the school when she fabricates a story about losing her virginity. The conversation is overheard by the school's resident Jesus freak Marianne (Amanda Bynes), who quickly spreads the rumor around school, leading to lots of new attention from her fellow students. Enjoying her newfound popularity, Olive then offers to lie about participating in sexual acts with other unpopular boys at her school, in turn boosting their own popularity. Bullied by the school's sanctimonious church group, even Olive's best friend Rhiannon (Aly Michalka) turns against her.

Easy A is a high school comedy that also explores the complexities of sex-positive feminism and cleverly uses newly emerging forms of social media to narrate the story. When Olive decides to embrace her title as the new "school slut," she starts wearing lingerie to school and stitching a red "A" on her clothes, inspired by reading The Scarlet Letter for her English class. But once the rumors of her sexual activities snowball and start to negatively affect the lives of the people around her, this reclaimed badge of honor becomes a dehumanizing burden.

How Social Media Has Changed Teen Movies

Though it may be beloved by Gen Z, Superbad portrays high school at a moment in time that most zoomers are not old enough to have experienced themselves, a time without smartphones when social media was just starting to become prevalent. Released just a few years later, Easy A makes a couple references to Facebook, most characters can be seen using flip phones or SideKicks, and Olive uses a webcast to tell the true story of her sexual exploits to the whole school. Jumping approximately 10 years later, Booksmart and Plan B are more representative of how social media has become an integral part of teenagers' lives over the years. They track each other using Instagram and Find My Friends, and their biggest crises occur when they get stranded with a cell phone that's run out of battery. There have been plenty of not so great teen comedies over the 2010s and early 2020s that misrepresent how teenagers use social media in cringeworthy attempts at being relatable, but when done properly, social media can be used to push the plot forward and orchestrate hilarious moments.

What's Next for Teen Comedy?

It's safe to say that Superbad's popularity and cultural impact has extended long past its release in 2007, but films like Easy A, Booksmart, and Plan B are proof that teen comedies have evolved to address social issues and tell nuanced stories, while still maintaining the raunchiness and self awareness of teen comedies of the past. We've even seen movies like Do Revenge attempt a Heathers-esque black comedy for a new generation, this time with a more diverse cast and updated social commentary. As Superbad's legacy carries on, hopefully we will see more clever, foul-mouthed comedies in the coming years that bring new and diverse stories the forefront and continue to bring social issues to light in this ever-changing world.