Inside: We saw SUPERBAD

Being huge fans of The 40 Year Old Virgin, A and I rushed out to see Knocked Up in early June, and Superbad this past week (both movies have several actor/producer/creator connections with 40YOV). I enjoyed both, but my first impression was that neither is quite the masterpiece that 40YOV is.

But then again, I usually can't separate a genius comedy from a merely entertaining one until I've seen it at least a couple of times. You can watch those genius comedies--40YOV, Office Space, Harold and Kumar, Airplane! are a few of mine--over and over again without getting tired of them. In fact, they seem even funnier each time you see them. On first viewing, you inevitably miss some of the comedic elements that are more subtle (and far more rewarding) while you're laughing at the more obvious ones.

I have a feeling that Superbad in particular will grow on me with repeat viewings. For example is Seth, played by Jonah Hill, seems overly abrasive (i.e., more bitter than funny) at the beginning of the movie. When I see it again, he'll likely seem funnier from the get-go, since I've now seen the whole movie and know where that abrasiveness is coming from and where it's going. There are also a few slow parts that I imagine will seem funnier the second or third time around.

Like: I loved the penis drawings. As someone who inherited a number of textbooks with penis art in them, this bit rang completely true and hilarious. The number, variety and...skill of the drawings alone is soda-through-the-nose worthy. Also, Christopher Mintz-Plasse was wonderful as Fogell/McLovin. The blood on the leg bit has the distinct honor of being totally gross and quite original (not an easy accomplishment in the world of toilet humor). And the ending was pitch-perfect.

Dislike: Okay, we all love movie geeks and we all root for them to get the girl in the end. But it would be so much more believable (and enjoyable) if they didn't end up with the hottest girls in school. Actually, Evan's crush Becca's comes across as more cute than hot, but the disparity between Seth and Jules is pretty damn big. I'm not saying that they should have cast exact visual counterparts for Seth and Evan, but it would have been delightful if at least one of the girl characters was just a little more geeky herself. Alright, I know the movie is by guys for guys, but c'mon, throw the girl viewers a bone here. We cannot live on penis drawings alone.