Introduction
The film ‘Superbad’ is a ‘coming of age’ genre of movies, dealing with the fear of parting of teenagers from friends and family while proceeding to college. It is a bizarre comic film, and encompasses scenes that are vulgar and crude. Teenage behavior is represented at its earthy best and some of the scenes pertaining to natural biological occurrences are shown in rather lewd manner.
Main text
The film revolves around the final days at school of two friends, Seth and Evan who experience the normal fears and apprehension of leaving school life, friends and family for setting out to college. Both the friends are headed to two different colleges and the film intelligently depicts the fear of loss and separation among the youth. The two American teenage boys are aspiring to seduce their dream girls and wish to be invited to a party to achieve this. They realize that the only possible way to do this is by faking their identities and entering the party with a truckload of liquor, and what follows is some gross comedy and some rather lewd dialogues.
The adolescent high school structure of society has been well depicted in the film. The film and the friendship of the two boys, along with the feelings they have is a representation of the emotions of majority of youth, who are immature and are emotionally weak individuals. The socialization process of the youth by way of friendship is depicted in the film, in which case, the agents of socialization are friends and society. Friends play a crucial role in the establishment and development of ideas with regard to gender roles and sexuality. The film depicts this process of sexual development in the youth and their innate desire to lose their virginity before going to college.
Seth and Evan are aspiring to strip themselves of their “old” self-image and “recreate” it. This helps in creating a new image of self or Charles Cooley’s “the looking glass self” according to which we as individuals acquire a sense of personal self from the way others perceive us. Cooley also explained the self-perception process according to which we as individuals imagine how others view us.
The film also has a scene where the friends have been intoxicated and proclaim their true, sex-free love for each other. The scene is more comical than emotional and is a pointer at the homosexuals, highly prevalent in the society of America. The true sentiments of love and friendship depicted in the scene are moving are identify the deepest feelings true adolescent friends harbor for each other. The theme of friendship and the role of friends in the socialization of individuals from childhood to youth is the prime premise of the film.
The characters of Evan and Seth can well identify with the American teenagers who barely out of their teens and on the threshold of their further academics. Rather than being concerned about the challenges of future and advanced studies, the youth are more concerned about their wooing their crushes, to experience love life. This aspect is truly representative of Western culture. Emphasis is laid on the personal life including love and sex and there is minuscule stress on scholastic endeavors and achievements of life.
Films are a true representation of society and the American society with all its flaws is represented in the most comical manner, whether it is the acquiring of a fake identity to gatecrash into a party, or the attempt to accomplish the act of sex before entering college.
The two friends symbolize true friendship, which is very common in society. Friends are more like family in the western and American culture and the prime agents of socialization. The realities of life, particularly, love and sex are mostly imbibed by way of friends and society.
The film is a roaring comedy and in spite of it lewd script manages to keep the audience entertained. The film is representative of true friendship and the highs and lows of life it enables individuals to achieve with great ease. The emotional bond depicted in the movie, between Evan and Seth is indeed the best aspect of the film. Comedy scenes are realistically though for the most part grossly presented. The movie manages to entertain with its fast-moving pace and script.
The innocence of the two boys, their naivety, their fears, emotions and fear of the unseen and inexperienced are all themes that have been intelligently interwoven into the script. Teen sex has been projected as a norm of society and the yearning for teenagers to indulge in early sex is the prime premise in the movie. The media and films have been highly instrumental in the socialization of teens and the movie is a true representation of the youth of the American society.
Summary
The movie is a comedy, enjoyable and quick-paced, but should be watched with friends, and friends alone. For those families who tale a greater part in the socialization of their children, this movie cannot be watched together, due to certain scenes which can be very embarrassing. All in all, ‘Superbad’ is a movie one must watch to enjoy thoroughly.