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Hill, Cera are hilarious in teen romp 'Superbad'

"Superbad" has been so super-ubiquitous, it only feels like it's already been in theaters for months.

Between the posters, TV commercials and promotional appearances by its stars, the hype machine has been in full force. Just ask anyone under 25 who McLovin is — they'll immediately be able to tell you.

Co-stars Jonah Hill and Michael Cera are pretty irresistible together as high school best friends on a quest for alcohol, which they hope will help them hook up with girls at a big party before they graduate. The sweetness and awkwardness of their freakishly co-dependent relationship is totally believable, and their personalities and comic styles complement each other beautifully. Not a moment between them feels false in the script from Rogen and Evan Goldberg, themselves best friends since high school who based the movie on their own adolescent angst.

But Christopher Mintz-Plasse, as an even geekier kid who gets a fake ID with the one-word name McLovin, pretty much steals the whole thing in his first film. Initially you think he's going to be a minor figure, a guy who floats in and out, gets tooled on for laughs and then leaves. But Mintz-Plasse's scrawny, bespectacled Fogell has a rich, full experience all his own — much more so than other characters in the movie who kid themselves by thinking they're higher up on the food chain.

Taking place over the course of a day, the film follows the misadventures of Seth (Hill) and Evan (Cera) — named for the screenwriters who inspired them — the closest of pals since childhood who are about to leave each other for the first time to attend separate colleges. They're both trying not to freak out about this; actually, they struggle to keep themselves from talking about it. So instead they throw all their energy into figuring out a way to buy alcohol for a big bash at the home of pretty, popular Jules (Emma Stone), whose parents are out of town in classic teen-movie fashion.

More than a bit nerdy, these guys are just psyched to have been invited, even if it's only for their supposed booze-buying ability. Seth, the tubby, profane trash-talker of the two, is desperate to lose his virginity before heading off to college and hopes his newfound connection with cool-girl Jules will do the trick.

Evan, meanwhile, is skinnier and kinder, more thoughtful and more timid. He's had a longtime crush on classmate Becca (Martha MacIssac), a girl who's nice enough to give him the time of day, unlike most, and who might have a secret crush on him, too.

But while Seth and Evan fumble toward inebriation, it's the unlikely Fogell, the guy with the cheesy ID, who has the greatest adventure of all. We won't give away the details — though you probably already know what happens, since awareness of all things "Superbad" is so high. We'll just say that McLovin turns out to be the baddest mutha by far.

<b>TITLE: </b>“Superbad”<b>CAST: </b>Jonah Hill, Michael Cera, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Seth Rogan<b>DIRECTOR: </b>Greg Motolla<b>RATED: </b>R for language, drug use<b>GRADE: </b> 4 Stars (out of 5)

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