In the 2007 comedy Superbad, Michael Cera, Jonah Hill, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse played three awkward high school students who want to lose their virginity before they graduate. It works well with many movies from the past, and in the end, it made a better movie in the style of National Lampoon. It’s not surprising since Judd Apatow is the producer.
Apatow was involved in everything from the groundbreaking TV show Freaks and Geeks to movies like Bridesmaids and Knocked Up. Unlike those movies, Superbad is like Freaks and Geeks because it’s about kids trying to figure out what’s happening in a world full of crazy adults. If you liked Superbad, here are some other great comedies to watch.
The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005)![]()
It’s no secret that Judd Apatow is responsible for some of the funniest sex comedies of the past three decades, but he’s also directed several noteworthy films in the genre. Apatow took the topic of losing one’s virginity in a new direction when he cast Steve Carell in The 40-Year Old Virgin, set decades after the protagonist’s high school graduation.
Steve Carell plays a toy enthusiast who has never had sex but goes on an adventure with his pals to attempt to lose his virginity, and the movie delivers on its promise. The film’s cast members are Catherine Keener, Elizabeth Banks, Kat Dennings, Paul Rudd, Seth Rogen, and Leslie Mann.
Old School (2003)
Before he made The Hangover, one of the most successful R-rated comedies of all time, Todd Phillips made the buddy comedy Old School. In this movie, Luke Wilson, Will Ferrell, and Vince Vaughn played three old college friends going through a midlife crisis. When Wilson’s Mitch moves into a house that is part of the university, they decide to start their fraternity, and it soon becomes the party house of choice on campus.
EASY A (2010)
Easy A shows that you don’t have to be a guy to be the main character in a raunchy sex comedy. Easy A is even more interesting because the main character, which her classmates accused of being a slut, wasn’t guilty of any of the things they said she did. But Emma Stone’s character Olive was so angry about the accusations that she played the role of showing her classmates something they didn’t expect to see.
American Pie (1999)
In Superbad, three friends attempt to lose their virginity, while in American Pie, a group of friends tries to find their way through sexuality throughout high school. In the film, the five closest friends, except Stiffler (played by Seann William Scott), are all virgins trying to get in shape for graduation? There were three sequels to the picture because of how popular it was.
Wet Hot American Summer (2001)
Many of the stars of the MTV sketch comedy series The State appeared in the original 2001 film adaptation of Wet Hot American Summer. Several well-known performers, such as Paul Rudd, Christopher Meloni, Molly Shannon, Elizabeth Banks, and Bradley Cooper (in his feature film debut), also appear in supporting parts.
The relationships among the camp counselors were the main emphasis of this film about a summer camp. Netflix decided to remake the movie 14 years later and air it as a series.
Good Boys (2019)
Good Boys is what you get when you take the kids from Superbad, make them about five years younger, and put them in situations that not even the actors were allowed to see in theatres without their parents. Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, who also wrote the script for Superbad, worked together to make the movie.
In Good Boys, three sixth-grade boys plan to go to a party with their most popular classmates. The boys start to fight, grow apart, and then get back together again. It’s about as close as you can get to Superbad if you want to see middle schoolers dealing with adult situations.
This is the End (2013)
This is the End, a comedy from 2013, is a must-see for fans of the people who made Superbad. The great thing about this movie is that all the actors play exaggerated versions of themselves at a party where the world’s end is starting to happen.
The best parts are Michael Cera’s rude and cocky death by a grizzly bear, Danny McBride’s anger and vengeance, and James Franco’s over-the-top performance. Comedic movie fans should watch this movie just for the cameos. Please check out our previous 7 Scary Romance Movies Just Like Twilight article.
Knocked Up (2007)
Before Seth Rogen made his movies, he worked on films and TV shows made by Judd Apatow. In the comedy Knocked Up, which came out in 2007, he and Katherine Heigl, who was in ER, played the leading roles. In the movie, Rogen plays a slacker with a one-night stand with a hot girl. When she gets pregnant, they have to figure out what this means and if they can live together or not.
Pineapple Express (2008)
Seth Rogen has worked on many kinds of comedies, but most have the same type of characters as Superbad. In his comedy Pineapple Express, which came out in 2008, the friends were grown up, but they were still losers who didn’t know right from wrong. This was an action-comedy about two potheads (Rogen and James Franco) who see a murder and then try to escape from a corrupt cop and assassin.
Dazed and Confused (1993)
Dazed and Confused, a masterpiece from director Richard Linklater’s oeuvre, was released in 1993, making it the oldest film. On the final school day in the 1970s, this film depicts a group of high school students getting ready for a celebration. All the other students are graduating and leaving high school, but Matthew McConaughey can’t seem to go on.
Ben Affleck, Jason London, Rory Cochrane, Adam Goldberg, Cole Hauser, Milla Jovovich, Joey Lauren Adams, Renee Zellweger, and Parker Posey are just a few of the rising talents in this ensemble.
Booksmart (2019)
The best thing about Superbad isn’t all the crude and low-brow jokes. It’s the movie’s sweetness and heart. Find Olivia Wilde’s movie Booksmart if you want to see a great film with a lot of heart. The movie retells the coming-of-age story, like Superbad, but with two high school girls instead of two guys. The film won the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature.
Hot Tub Time Machine (2010)
In contrast to Superbad, in which three high school students plot to lose their virginity, Hot Tub Time Machine follows three downtrodden pals who pine for the simpler times of their youth. Actors John Cusack, Craig Robinson, and Rob Corddry appear in the movie.
There’s a twist, though: they soak in a time-traveling hot tub, allowing all three of them to relive their formative adolescent years and alter their course for the better.
Can’t Hardly Wait (1998)
Another film about a high school graduation celebration is Can’t Hardly Wait. In the role of Preston Meyers, played by Ethan Embry, the film features a slew of the era’s most promising young actors. He plans to tell his longtime infatuation how he feels about her during the party, but he has some trouble getting his words out.
The object of Preston’s affection is Jennifer Love Hewitt, while the other prominent characters are the high school nerd Kenny (Seth Green) and Preston’s independent buddy Denise (Lauren Ambrose). Also making a sizable cameo, without credit, is Jerry O’Connell.
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