The year 2007 was an extremely important one in the history of cinema. The Coen Brothers swept the Oscars with No Country for Old Men; Paul Thomas Anderson directed his magnum opus, There Will Be Blood; mainstream crowds ignored two future cult classics — David Fincher’s Zodiac and the Brad Pitt vehicle The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. But the biggest hit of them all remains one of the defining comedies of the 21st century, Superbad. The movie served as a showcase for a host of talented performers, and established producer Judd Apatow as a leading voice in American cinema. Superbad is still one of the most rewatchable hits of the last few decades, but fans who’ve been putting off their latest rewatch are running out of time, as it’ll leave Netflix very soon.
Directed by Greg Mottola, Superbad features Michael Cera and Jonah Hill as two teenagers on the hunt for sex before graduating from high school. The movie unfolds on one wild night in their lives, as they stumble from one mishap to the other. Superbad also features Seth Rogen, Bill Hader, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Emma Stone in their film debuts. Produced on a reported budget of around $20 million, the film grossed $170 million at the global box office. Superbad’s success shows just how drastically the theatrical market has changed in the last couple of decades; for context, 2025 releases such as The Accountant 2, Black Phone 2, and Tron: Ares all grossed less.
‘Superbad’ Earned Stellar Reviews
A major contributing factor to Superbad’s success was the support that it received not only from its target audience, but also from critics. The movie holds a “certified fresh” 88% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, where the consensus reads, “Deftly balancing vulgarity and sincerity while placing its protagonists in excessive situations, Superbad is an authentic take on friendship and the overarching awkwardness of the high school experience.” In a retrospective review for Collider, Claudia Picado noted the film’s impact on the comedy genre, and wrote, “It’s safe to say that Superbad’s popularity and cultural impact has extended long past its release in 2007, but films like Easy A, Booksmart, and Plan B are proof that teen comedies have evolved to address social issues and tell nuanced stories, while still maintaining the raunchiness and self awareness of teen comedies of the past.”
Superbad will leave Netflix in several territories on January 1. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
Release Date
August 17, 2007
Runtime
113 minutes
Director
Greg Mottola
