"Superbad," supergood!
I recently had the privilege to see a preview of the new comedy “Superbad,” which included a post-screening Q&A with the three lead actors Jonah Hill, Michael Cera, and Christopher Mitntz-Plasse.
The defunct TV series “Arrested Development” is one of my all-time favorites shows. I am thrilled anytime I see any of the A.D. alum like Jason Bateman or Will Arnett in new projects, so when I found out that “George Michael” (Cera’s character in “Arrested Development”) was in a movie, especially one with writing credits by Seth Rogen (who plays a police officer along with Bill Hader of “Saturday Night Live”) and Evan Goldberg, I put it on the must-see list.
“Superbad” delivers the laughs amidst of a lot of raunchy language as you watch a day in the life of three high school seniors, who have been enlisted by a pretty classmate to bring the alcohol to her party that night. Similar to Rogen’s other productions, “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” and “Knocked Up,” “Superbad” sets up over-the-top situations that still have a realism to them, plus developed characters that have a surprising depth.
The three lead actors took part in a casual question-and-answer session after the screening talking about their experience filming the movie and their future projects. Hill plays the role that Rogen would have played if he was younger.
Cera will next be working with director Harold Ramis. Mintz-Plasse just hopes to work some more. They kindly signed autographs at a table at the front of the theater and I figured, I’m here, why not go down and say “hello” and let them know how much I enjoyed the movie.
Hill was wearing a piece of Milwaukee radio history. I noticed a bit of a logo peeking from under his plaid button down shirt. I blurted out, “What does your t-shirt say?” He looked down and opened his shirt to reveal a well-worn, black T-shirt with the logo and slogan, “93 QFM -- Milwaukee’s Best Rock.”
I cracked up and told him that’s the station that gave me my start in radio. Hill said he’d found it at a thrift store a while ago and that it’s in his regular clothing rotation. I joked with him that wearing a classic QFM shirt in Milwaukee would improve his cool factor and he likely wouldn’t buy a single drink if he was in town. A young woman leaned over and told him, “We’ll have to remember that!”
Now, in this day and age of copyright piracy, often one’s cellphone with camera functionality is checked at movie previews to be returned when you leave the theater, sort of like a technology coat check. Thus, I have no photographic evidence -- ‘cos that would have been a superbad picture.
Yet she still has more Milwaukee discoveries and delights to share with us here.
You'll be sorry if you ever ask her to attempt a British accent (it's awful), but she's always up for talking about all things English, Elvis and alternative ‘80s music (not necessarily in that order).
