Superbad. DVD-ROM. Columbia Pictures, 2007.

Described by students variously as “hilarious” and “really dumb, but funny,” Superbad is a morality tale about young adults struggling to make principled decisions in a society rife with hypocrisy and superficiality. One character-Fogell, played by Christopher Mintz-Plasse-attempts to achieve coolness by creating the new identity of McLovin (based on a fake driver’s license presumptively belonging to a resident of Honolulu). The ploy-assisted by the complicity of two patrolmen and the uncritical perceptions of McLovin’s peers-works. Another character-Evan, played by Michael Cera-struggles to find an authentic basis for friendship and love in a world dislocated by the vagaries of college admissions and irrationalities of peer expectations. Evan finds his anchor in principled decision-making. He eschews the fleeting pleasures of spontaneous romance for longer-term and more rewarding relationships. Finally, Seth (played by Jonah Hill) learns an important lesson about self-image: he is not as obnoxious as he believes himself to be. This film from the Summer of 2007 was directed by Greg Motolla.