The Superbad script was reportedly conceived when screenwriters Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg were still in high school. They kept the idea and eventually produced the film which features some great quotes, memorable characters, and a successful teen film.
What can we learn from the Superbad script and scenes?
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The Superbad Script
Click to view and download the entire Superbad script PDF below.
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WHO WROTE THE Superbad SCRIPT?
Written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg
Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg began writing the basic idea for Superbad as short skits that were a mixture of real life events and funny concepts from their time at school.
Rogen and Goldberg have remained writing partners and went on to write the scripts for Pineapple Express, The Green Hornet, The Watch, This Is the End, Sausage Party, as well as creators on the Amazon Original series, The Boys.
Superbad PLOT
Story beats in the Superbad script
One of the main reasons Superbad was made was it took funny ideas and placed them in the Hollywood structure without becoming so constrained by the beats that the film lost its humanity.
Script Teardown
Script Structure of Superbad
1. EXPOSITION (BEGINNING)
The Superbad script begins with Seth and Evan discussing their lives after high school, and setting up their goals for hooking up with classmates. The goals and motivations of the characters are very clear and easy to understand.
2. INCITING INCIDENT
The Inciting Incident for the Superbad script comes when Jules and Helen ask Seth and Evan to buy alcohol for the party.
3. CLIMAX OF ACT ONE
The Superbad script ends Act One with Fogell returning with a fake ID with the terrible name McLovin.
4. OBSTACLES (RISING ACTION)
McLovin goes to buy liquor for the party but the liquor store is robbed. Seth and Evan think Fogell is going to be arrested, but then Seth gets hit by a car. Seth decides to blackmail the driver into buying them alcohol to avoid trouble.
5. MIDPOINT (BIG TWIST)
Evan decides he’s had enough of the night and events trying to find alcohol for the party, but Seth is still committed to their plan. The two split up at a random sketchy party.
6. DISASTER & CRISIS
Seth dances with a girl who gets period blood on his pants. He’s able to find alcohol which he stores in laundry detergent containers. Evan returns to the house to make a phone call, but then a big fight starts at the party, and in the commotion both Seth and Evan make it out together.
7. CLIMAX OF ACT TWO
The cops hit Seth with their car and decide to pin it on Evan and Seth. While they prep McLovin for the witness statement. Evan ruins away, and Seth and McLovin run in the opposite direction, but not before hitting a tent full of kids doing a backyard camping night.
8. OBSTACLES (RISING ACTION)
Seth and Evan arrive at the party. Helen is super drunk and totally interested in hooking up with Evan, whereas Jules is completely sober and not interested in Seth at the moment. Seth begins to cry, Helen pukes all over Evan, and McLovin start to hookup with his crush.
9. CLIMAX OF ACT THREE
The cops show up to break up the party and they arrest McLovin. Evan and Seth escape the party as friends. The cops and McLovin push the cruiser into the ditch and shoot at it.
10. RESOLUTION
Evan and Seth go to the mall and run into Jules and Helen. They each have errands to run so the two possible couples split apart, and Evan and Seth share a look as they part ways.
Superbad Script Takeaway #1
Superbad quotes
Superbad quotes have found their way into pop-culture and even into some popular music. I think the main reason Superbad has so many great quotes comes from comedic and mature views of real-world problems that teenagers go through during their final years at school.
Read the Superbad 'Buy Us Booze' Scene
Superbad quotes are candid and while they may not fit inside the realm of acceptable speech by puritanical standards, they are based in truth. There is nothing more contagious and effective than authenticity.
Best Parts of Superbad
Here is a list of the great Superbad quotes:
“Fuck my life.”
“You know when you hear girls say 'Ah man, I was so shit-faced last night, I shouldn't have fucked that guy?' We could be that mistake!”
“You know how many foods are shaped like dicks? The best kinds.”
“McLovin? What kind of a stupid name is that, Fogell? What, are you trying to be an Irish R&B singer?”
“This guy is either gonna think 'Here's another kid with a fake ID' or 'Here's McLovin, a 25 year-old Hawaiian organ donor'.”
“Well Jules, the funny thing about my back is that it's located on my cock.”
“Seven bucks? Are you fucking serious? This isn't enough for anything. What are you, a 6-year-old?”
“Spread your shit! Get on the ground! Loaded gun! Ready to go! Spread your shit! Pussies on the pavement, fellas.”
“Dude! That means that by some fate we were paired together and she thought of me. Thought of me enough to want me to be responsible for the entire funness of her party! She wants to fuck me! She wants my dick in or around her mouth!”
“You know what I do? I flip my boner up into my waistband. It hides it AND it feels awesome. I almost blew a load into my bellybutton.”
“You know, this job though isn't how shows like CSI make it out to be, when I first joined the force, I was under the impression that everything was covered in a fine layer of semen. And that the police had at their disposal a semen database with every bad guy's semen on it. Not true!”
SUPERBAD SCRIPT TAKEAWAY #2
Superbad Characters
The Superbad characters are all based on real people in situations deeply tied to real events. The writers were able to take pretty low stakes problems and made them entertaining. Films so often need to be “relatable” but when every character is a superhero or secret agent it can be difficult to connect with viewers with “relatable” characters.
Read the Superbad 'Character Intro' Scene
The Superbad characters are all pretty nerdy and regular suburban kids who are lustful, angry, insecure, and oddly innocent. There are definitely some events in the script and movie that might be objectionable to some, including getting girls drunk for sexual reasons, underage drinking, theft, corrupt cops, and more — but that’s why it’s a funny movie!
Superbad Bloopers
The characters in Superbad are also pretty memorable without any real effort toward defining them by some unique attributes or concepts. They are all run of the mill high school kids dealing with their problems, yet most millennials know exactly who you mean when you say “Fogell.”
SUPERBAD SCRIPT TAKEAWAY #3
Superbad McLovin
So… why is The Superbad joke about McLovin so enduring, memorable, and funny? The context surrounding the joke is funny because we can all imagine trying to buy booze with a fake ID and having to deal with a good looking fake ID with a terrible name.
Read the Superbad 'McLovin' Scene
My only theory is that is somehow has to do with the 2003 McDonald’s ad catchphrase, “I’m Lovin’ It,” and that screenwriters Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen maybe used the term ‘McLovin’ in casual conversations. I have no evidence to support this, but it seems plausible.
Superbad McLovin
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