Every generation has a special connection to the high school movies released when they were in high school. For some, rom-coms such as 10 Things I Hate About You and Clueless represent the pinnacle of cinema. Others like bawdy comedy, such as American Pie. Even if it had been a long time since your senior prom, Superbad is something you’ve watched. Maybe not in the theaters, but definitely at some time afterward, since your friends couldn’t stop talking about it and you didn’t want to feel left out. If nothing else, you needed to figure out who this McLovin person was.
If you enjoyed this coming-of-age buddy comedy, you might be interested in viewing other films about teenagers and young people and their shenanigans. Fortunately, there are a plethora of options to choose from. Here are some movies similar to Superbad that you should see next.
1. Pineapple Express (2008)
“Pineapple Express,” which debuted a year after “Superbad,” was influenced by the same comic sensibility. The film, starring Seth Rogen and James Franco, has similar crazy energy but focuses on a much older set of pals. The story follows a server and his marijuana dealer as they run after witnessing a hitman kill.
“Pineapple Express” and “Superbad” share certain important cast members as well as a similar comic style. The picture stars Seth Rogen, who played one of the officers in “Superbad,” and Bill Hader, who played his colleague in “Superbad.”
Because the two films were released within a year of one other, they share a perspective on making people laugh. Both films show a willingness to allow for some improv and create amusing scenarios while also reflecting a childish mentality typical at the time. Judd Apatow’s films are about young guys learning to mature, and “Pineapple Express” switches the focus from genuine teens to adult men who still act like high schoolers.
2. Good Boys (2019)
“Good Boys” simply takes the idea of “Superbad” and shrinks it down to a more manageable size. The plot revolves around three pre-teen buddies attempting to attend a party held by the popular kids in their class. They had a sequence of misfortunes on their route to the celebration. They end up high and need to travel to the mall to fix a damaged drone. These little tasks often overlap, and the encounter with drugs is a defining feature of the genre with which “Superbad” is associated.
One of the film’s pleasures is the utter vulgarity displayed by these youngsters, who speak more like genuine sixth graders than most kids of that age do in movies. While the comedy is undoubtedly amplified, “Good Boys” derives a lot of its comic appeal from adapting scenarios that are common difficulties for teens to a little younger group of primary characters.
The film did not have the same cultural impact as “Superbad,” but it is undeniably indebted to its legacy. If you’re tired of watching teen comedies with ludicrous scenarios but want something similar with a little younger, more bewildered population, “Good Boys” could be precisely what you’re looking for.
3. Everybody Wants Some!! (2016)
Although both “Superbad” and “Everybody Wants Some!!” are about adolescent boys, the films appear to have nothing in common at first. “Everybody Wants Some!!” is about a rookie baseball player who arrives at college and is taught the ins and outs of the game by his senior teammates. It’s very much a hangout film set in the 1980s. “Superbad” is significantly more graphic and filthy, with a greater emphasis on its comic components.
That doesn’t make “Everybody Wants Some!!” any less amusing. The film finds humor in various settings, although the humor is more realistic than most of what occurs in “Superbad.”
“Superbad” is a film about a single wild night. It’s the type of film that will undoubtedly become a narrative that its characters tell for years to come. “Everybody Wants Some!!” takes place over a similar period and contains some occasionally outlandish behavior. What it’s about, though, is the delicate way in which new friendships are established through events that may appear inconsequential at first. If “Superbad” is about longtime friends learning to survive without one another, “Everybody Wants Some!!” is about taking the next step: venturing out on your own and hoping for the best.
4. Blockers (2018)
“Blockers” contains everything of the bawdy teen party humor that has characterized the genre since “Superbad,” but with a twist. Although “Blockers” features some young people, the film is also about what it means to let your adolescent daughter grow up.
The plot revolves around three high school seniors who strike a deal to lose their virginities on prom night. When their parents learn about the plot, they embark on an adventure to stop it, and comedy follows.
Several scenes in “Blockers” are among the funniest of the decade, including one in which John Cena’s square dad ingests beer in an ingenious method to find his daughter’s whereabouts. Cena makes a strong pitch for the scene. The comedy, which also stars Leslie Mann, Kathryn Newton, and Gideon Adlon, puts older adults in circumstances that only youngsters encounter.
Although “Blockers” isn’t afraid to get dirty, the film offers a heartwarming message about parents struggling to let go of youngsters who have become their entire world. Growing up is stressful, but seeing someone you care about grow up maybe be as painful.
5. American Pie (1999)
Although a film like “Superbad” has many precursors, “American Pie” is one of the most obvious. “American Pie,” like “Superbad” and even “Blockers,” follows a group of pals who are about to graduate from high school. In this scenario, the young pals all agree to lose their virginity before graduation, and the film follows their attempts to do it, frequently in filthy and graphic detail.
“American Pie” was hardly the first teen sex comedy, but it’s difficult to dispute the film’s impact on “Superbad,” and the two films are regularly linked online. Both include gross-out comedy and uncomfortable teenage sex jokes, but “Superbad” is a somewhat more wholesome experience than “American Pie.” Both films are about looking into the future as you enter adulthood and wondering if you’re ready to take that giant leap. In both films, intoxicated teenagers act like morons.
6. 21 Jump Street (2012)
The most apparent inclusion on this list is “21 Jump Street.” It, too, stars Jonah Hill and is set mainly in high school, like does “Superbad.” Hill’s character in “21 Jump Street” isn’t in high school, but one of the film’s running gags is that he and co-star Channing Tatum can no longer pass as students.
Nonetheless, they portray a couple of undercover operatives who are put in a regular high school to stop the spread of a synthetic narcotic sweeping the campus. The film is based on the same-named TV program, which featured Johnny Depp, but it takes a considerably more humorous approach to the topic. Directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller have become widely known for their penchant for cramming as many gags as possible into their films, and “21 Jump Street” is no different. Although it is more mature than “Superbad,” Hill and Tatum add plenty of young enthusiasm to the film.
7. The Other Guys (2010)
There were just two directors pushing humor ahead in the late 2000s and early 2010s. One of them was Judd Apatow, who produced “Superbad” but did not direct it. The other director was Adam McKay, whose primary collaborator was Will Ferrell. During that time, the latter two produced a slew of excellent comedies.
McKay’s most perceptive film is “The Other Guys,” which, like “21 Jump Street,” follows cops on the scene of a crime. In this scenario, the cops are played by Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg, who unearths a massive financial scam. The film, which was produced in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, definitely has much to say about the corrupt nature of the American financial system.
In some ways, it foreshadowed McKay’s later, more obviously political work in films like “Vice” and “The Big Short.” Ultimately, “The Other Guys” is a comedy first and foremost, with a similar go-for-broke mentality to “Superbad.” The central relationship between an overachieving square and a rogue is identical to the friendship at the heart of “Superbad,” except if Ferrell and Wahlberg play officers instead of high schoolers.
8. MacGruber (2010)
When it was first released, “MacGruber” was not a critical or economic success. It has, nevertheless, developed a cult following in the years after that. “MacGruber” is a direct parody of “MacGyver,” a TV show about a man with a genius-level intelligence who avoids tragedy in ingenious ways.
The plot revolves around MacGruber (Will Forte), a spoof of MacGyver, who first appeared on “Saturday Night Live.” The concept of the initial drawings was that MacGruber would be charged with defusing a bomb, only to be sidetracked by personal concerns, resulting in the device’s explosion. Things go a little better for the character in the film as he successfully takes down his adversary.
Although “MacGruber” and “Superbad” may not appear to have much in common, they are both incredibly dedicated to their roles. “Superbad” has a simple concept — there is plenty of teens gross-out comedy, and “Superbad” falls neatly into the best of that genre, but it understands precisely how to exploit that genre. Similarly, “MacGruber” succeeds because it delivers each of its amusing scenes without sneering at the spectator. By raising the stakes to insane levels, “MacGruber” highlights how ridiculous secret agent movies have always been, even when they aren’t attempting to be.
9. Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)
“Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” another film on our list starring Jonah Hill, feels like the type of film that Michael Cera’s character might eventually star in. The film stars Jason Segel as a middle-class man dating the star of a very successful TV show (Kristen Bell). He chooses to take a Hawaiian vacation to get over his breakup, only to discover his ex and her new partner (Russell Brand) are also there.
“Forgetting Sarah Marshall” contains several of Apatow’s usual cast members (Bill Hader also appears). Yet, the picture has a sensitivity that makes it one of the most touching films of its genre. There are still some sex jokes in there, including a famous shot of Segel naked on camera. Underneath it all, though, is a film about moving on with your life and how disappointing it may be to make a change only to realize that all of your issues remain. “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” is full of laughter, but it seems like “Superbad’s” darker, more introspective elder brother.
10. This Is the End (2013)
If you’re searching for a spiritual successor to “Superbad,” “This is the End” is your best chance. The plot revolves around a group of movie celebrity pals who meet for a home party as the world ends. The film stars Jonah Hill, while Michael Cera makes a brief appearance before dying after the apocalypse. In addition to Hill, the film stars Seth Rogen, James Franco, Danny McBride, and Craig Robinson as different versions of themselves.
“Superbad” is apparently about something that might happen in real life. There are many wild antics, but the film ultimately tells the narrative of two friends who are frightened of the future. “This is the End” has no pretenses of being an emotional narrative – it’s a comedy through and through. The storyline twists in the film are bizarre, and Emma Watson appears for a brief cameo. Overall, “This is the End” is one of the funniest movies of the decade, proving that Hill and the other comedy group are here to stay.
11. Girls Trip (2017)
“Superbad” is a crazy film, but it’s about teens, so there are some limits it can’t cross. To its credit, “Girls Trip” does not share these worries. The plot revolves around four friends who come to New Orleans to reunite after a long time apart.
Although the film has a lot to say about these four women’s friendships, it’s vital to emphasize how entertaining the film is. Every performance is superb, but considering her relative obscurity before the film’s release, Tiffany Haddish manages to steal the show. She co-stars with Regina Hall, Jada Pinkett-Smith, and Queen Latifah in the picture, and each of the roles seems wholly developed.
The core characters in the film do not share a demographic with those in “Superbad,” but both are go-for-broke comedies about what it means to be friends with someone while they go through life upheavals. The youngsters in “Superbad” are experiencing their first changes, but as the females in “Girls Trip” know, it is far from the last.
12. Daddy’s Home (2015)
The connection between Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell is unmistakable. They’re recreating the relationship they established in “The Other Guys” in “Daddy’s Home,” with Wahlberg portraying a relaxed, carefree dad and Ferrell playing the new, much more square step-dad. It’s a straightforward dynamic, yet it produces amusing consequences.
Although “Daddy’s Home” was not a critical hit upon its first release, it has recently acquired traction owing to a few crucial endorsements from figures such as Sofia Coppola.
The interaction between Hill and Cera does not fit as cleanly into the dichotomy created by “Daddy’s Home.” Still, there is a similar sense that these two individuals are fundamentally different. Ferrell’s stepfather is the polar opposite of calm, and he occasionally feels like an older version of Cera’s “Superbad” character. On the other hand, Wahlberg is far cooler than any of the key characters in “Superbad.” Yet, the interaction between his character and Ferrell’s nevertheless conjures up images of “Superbad,” owing partly to how he and Ferrell’s character eventually learn to rely on each other.
13. Booksmart (2019)
“Booksmart” arguably has the most in common with “Superbad” of the films on this list. Both films feature a group of friends who enjoy one final crazy night together before splitting up and going off to college. The surprise in “Booksmart” is that the central characters, played by Kaitlyn Deaver and Beanie Feldstein (the real-life sister of “Superbad” actor Jonah Hill), are intelligent students who have spent their whole high school careers assiduously avoiding the party culture that consumes so many of their peers.
They eventually discover that, despite having bright prospects, they missed out on some important high school events. That is what ultimately causes them to go on their crazy night, which includes some comic portions comparable to the events in “Superbad.” They stumble into a teacher, take some drugs, and have a climactic battle similar to the one in “Superbad.” The style of humor in both films is unmistakably identical, and “Superbad” is an influence.
“Booksmart” is particularly adept in skewing “Superbad’s” white, male, heteronormative worldview. Teenage boys have many emotions to deal with, but every demographic deserves to be loved onscreen.
14. 16 Candles
Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall may be seen working together in this coming-of-age comedy video one year before “The Breakfast Party.” Samantha (Ringwald) spends her 16th birthday being ignored by her family due to her sister’s wedding the next day, and this is not the last disgrace she will face.
We get a peek of her often challenging and ever-changing surroundings, with many occurrences and individuals molding her adolescent world. This film shows a more mature vision of this delicate and dazzling time of life for everyone, with a continuing comedic spirit leading us on this trip.
15. Clueless (1995)
“Clueless” is one of the most well-known films in this category. It was a success at its initial release and drew media attention. Cher, played by Alicia Silverstone, is a gorgeous, happy, famous, and slightly shallow adolescent who lives in a magnificent house with her extremely affluent father.
They want to conduct good acts with their friend Dionne (Stacy Dash) by welcoming an uncool young lady into their circle and flipping her appearance and reputation upside down with a fun and exhilarating make-over.
Of course, things don’t always go as planned, which is an excellent excuse to kick back and watch this cult adolescent comedy. Not to mention Cher’s very gorgeous persona.
