Description of film
In Superbad (2007) the best friends for years Seth and Evan are high school graduates. After the graduation they will be torn apart, therefore, they strive to make the last days they spend together as bright as possible. At graduation party that their classmate invites the boys to they plan to start their sex lives.
They suppose that if they bring alcohol to the party it will help them in their intention. Seth and Evan believe it will help them to have sexual relationships with Jules and Becca, and enter college with new experience and new skills. Together with their third friend Fogell the guys make use of Fogellâs new fake ID, but different problems appear in their way.
Their dealing with police results in numerous misunderstandings that question the guysâ friendship. All in all, Seth and Evan become separated from Fogell. Evan does not take advantage of Beccaâs drunkenness and Seth behaves embarrassedly with Jules. Later, he apologizes for it. Becca and Even and Seth and Jules become friends and the boys confirm their friendship.
Social issues in the âSuperbadâ
I suppose that the main sociological issue that the film addresses is the problem of deviance. Actually, this is the primary deviance the film focuses on. This type of deviance occurs when people are engaging in deviance and know it (Luhman, Chapter V 9). The three boys knew they were not allowed to bring alcohol to the party but this did not stop them.
They also knew that one should not hide from the police but they ran away from it. Further, the film is full of instances of profanity, the characters knew that profanities did not make any good for them, still, they did not try to get rid of bad language, throughout the film one can hear a lot of crude sexual terms, and especially it is true when it comes to women.
One more issue that the film addresses is social control theory which investigates why some individuals turn to criminal behavior and others donât do this (13). On the one hand, the film depicts outer containment, that is, police, on the other, inner containment is also shown. As the end of the film shows, the guysâ personal values win and work as inhibitors of their deviant behavior.
The film seems to prove one of the principles of the Labeling Theory that states that deviance only exists when members of social groups label the violation of their norms as deviant. I mean that if me or other viewers see the boysâ behavior as the violation of existing norms, their behavior can be considered deviant (7).
Also, the film encouraged me to think over one more issue â the victimless crimes (14). Drug and alcohol use is present throughout the film. Though only a few consequences that these victimless crimes might have are shown one can clearly predict the outcomes of such behavior.
Conclusion
In general, the film appeals to me as it focuses on the burning issues of the modern society. The teenagers strive not to become white crows among others and in this attempt they neglect a lot of moral principles without which any society does not seem possible. The film shows that the borderline between the innocence and guilt can be easily stepped over. This can be applied both to compliance with the law and to sexual relationships that emerges between people.
I believe that films of the kind are rather necessary as they show the instances of deviant behavior that one should not follow, and, at the same time, they demonstrate the evolution that teenagersâ behavior may undergo.
Works Cited
Luhman, Reid. The Sociological Outlook. Collegiate Pr, 1988.