Superbad is an iconic movie for audiences of a certain taste, and according to Seth Rogen, it might just be the final great high school movie. Superbad came out in 2007 and follows two high-school seniors, Evan (Michael Cera) and Seth (Jonah Hill), who go through separation anxiety after their plans for an epic house party go haywire. In the film, Seth Rogen and Bill Hader play two hilariously inept police officers who track down the duo and their friend Fogell (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) before eventually taking part in many shenanigans as well. Emma Stone, Martha MacIsaac, and Joe Lo Truglio also star in the film.
In an interview with People, Rogen discussed his past work on projects like Superbad and Freaks and Geeks, as well as his recent role in Steven Spielberg's The Fabelmans. Rogen said that he recently bonded with his co-star Gabriel LaBelle over Superbad. Jokingly, the actor remarked that it was the last good high school movie:
What's crazy is that Gabe LaBelle is like, 19 years old and his and his friends' favorite movie is Superbad. So it never changed for some reason. No one's made a good high school movie since then.
Other Successful High School Movies Since Superbad
Unlike many comedies that gain popularity over time, Superbad was actually a pretty substantial financial success when it was first released in theaters in 2007. The film grossed over $170 million on a budget below $20 million. One of the reasons for Superbad's long-term success could be because of the beloved actors in the film. Rogen and Hader were already two established comedic talents at the time, and their involvement in the second half of the movie is a lot of fun to look back on. Hill, Cera, and Mitz-Plasse were much smaller stars at that point, though.
The high school movie genre arguably hasn't had a movie as iconic as Superbad since 2007, but there are some quality contenders. Ironically, Hill is also in 2012's 21 Jump Street. The Lord and Miller comedy saw Hill and Channing Tatum play undercover cops in high school to bring down a drug ring.
2015's Me and Earl and the Dying Girl was another great high-school comedy, and it features House of the Dragon star Olivia Cooke in a prominent role. Rick Famuyiwa's AAFCA Award-winning Dope is also a standout in recent years, with Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse star Shameik Moore playing a young geek named Malcolm as he grows up in Los Angeles. Hailee Steinfeld's 2016 hit The Edge of Seventeen featured more of a dramatic approach than some of the other movies, but it still featured plenty of great comedic moments. Many of those movies weren't quite as memorably ridiculous as Superbad, though, and that's part of why Rogen's movie is still so popular.
Source: People