Mclovin's Turns 30 - A Look Back at 'Superbad'

graphic by HSR

“It doesn’t even have a first name – it just says McLovin!”

McLovin’ turned 30 this year and Superbad still remains one of the funniest coming-of-age comedies released in the past 20 years. With its witty dialogue and characters that seem like they were picked right out of high school, Superbad remains an iconic teen comedy. 

Written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, Superbad tells the story of two best friends who are about to graduate high school and are planning to lose their virginity at a party. Chaos ensues, alcohol is ingested, drugs are present, and the police are “cool”. 

I have to watch Superbad almost once a month to be reminded that relatable teen comedies do exist. Every time I see it, I learn something new about the movie or about myself. For example, the opening credits feature a silhouette of a skinny guy dancing. I recently found out that Michael Cera danced for an hour and the director, Greg Mottola, used the best parts for the opening sequence.

The movie is based on Seth and Evan’s lives and the main characters are named after them. The pair had been writing the movie since they were thirteen years old and the story made it to theaters in 2007. Originally, Seth Rogen was going to play the lead character that shares his name but he was bumped to play one of the cops after casting thought he looked too old to play a teenager. He was replaced by Jonah Hill, with Michael Cera cast as the other protagonist, Evan. Christopher Mintz-Plasse played the role of McLovin when he was 17 and it is his first feature film credit. Since Mintz-Plasse was only 17, his mother had to be on set during his sex scenes.This was also Emma Stone’s first movie. Stone played Jules, the cute girl from school that Seth has had a crush on forever and that he’s trying to lose his virginity to.

Superbad appeared on the 2006 Blacklist. The Blacklist is essentially a list of popular feature film scripts that have been circulating around Hollywood. Judd Apatow was having trouble trying to get a studio to back the project, but when it appeared on the Blacklist, as he had success on a previous movie he was able to get it funded. Sony Pictures Entertainment agreed to back Superbad. 

To add more drama to the film, Apatow dug into Rogen and Goldberg’s relationship. When it was revealed that they went their separate ways for a bit after high school, Apatow had the idea to create more tension by having their characters go to different universities in the fall. 

On the 10th anniversary of the movie, Seth Rogen revealed that his mother came up with McLovin’s ending. McLovin has quite the night but it concludes with him getting arrested, shooting a gun, and destroying a police car with a Molotov cocktail. Thank you Sandy Rogen for tying up all the loose ends with violence and a bunch of things that your parents would murder you for if they found out about them.

After the success of the film, Apatow campaigned to do a Superbad 2 about the boys in college. No one on the original production felt that there should be a sequel because the characters ended in a good place. A second movie was never made.

Greg Mottola encouraged improv on the set and kept the cameras rolling to pick up comedic gems. He wanted to make sure each scene was complete before cutting. Rogen has said that Greg liked capturing the relaxed moments of them just hanging out that he would use for the movie.

Superbad made a big impact on the teen comedy scene. It set a precedent for R rated comedy movies about the struggles of being a teenager. For me, the banter between the three friends is what makes the movie a success. The inside jokes, the loyalty, and the arguments are relatable aspects of the film. It feels like you’re hanging out with three dumb guys from your high school but you just don’t have any lines. 

In honor of McLovin’s birthday, turn on Superbad with your buds, throw some popcorn in the microwave, sit back, and laugh together. We all need it.