Case Studies: Superbad

Superbad (2007)

DIRECTOR: Greg Mottola

CAST: Michael Cera, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse.

GENRE: Comedy

RELEASE DATES:

USA - 17th August 2007

UK - 14th September 2007

BUDGET: (est) $20,000,000

OPENING WEEKEND TAKINGS:

USA - $33,000,000

GROSS PROFIT - 

(ww) $170,000,000

PRODUCTION COMPANIES:

Columbia Pictures,

Apatow Productions

The males in this movie are shown to be quite insecure and wanting to be seen as masculine. They seem to want reassurance and lack power. 

In the scene where one of the main male characters threatens his friend with violence for debating not going to buy his friends alcohol, this shows a males primitive instincts according to Bly's mytho-poetic male. However, throughout the movie, we see the males expose themselves to be non-violent, adolescent boys who are more geeky and comedic than masculine. 

Connell might argue they are displaying signs of marginalised masculinity as they seem to be insecure of their identity and aspire to be hegemonic males but are not quite there as they are still very much adolescent.

Their interests include girls, drink and parties: 

they often speak of/show concern about sex;

in the scene in the liquor store we first see the sales woman's chest with the camera then moving up to look at her face which we assume to be from the males point of view;

often there are references to females as objects (talk of breast reduction);

in the scene in the liquor store, the policemen seem to 'dumb down' the sales woman.

Throughout the movie we get the feel that Bly's 'test of endurance' (ability to fight) has been replaced by initiations/rites of passage being to lose your virginity or the ability to buy alcohol. This is quite identifiable with the audience which could be a possible reason for this genre of movie doing so well recently. The movie also presents a version of masculinity that is perhaps over-exaggerated but also identifiable and perhaps reassuring on the one hand, or to be laughed at/mocked on the other hand.