Grays Almanac

Home/Episodes/Superbad

‘Superbad’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey

January 4, 2022 · Superbad (2007) · Comedy · 1:34:52 · ▶ Listen on Spotify

IMDb ↗Letterboxd ↗

Categories

Most Rewatchable Scene

Bill Simmons▶ 24:48The first 32 minutes are unassailable and rewatchable, highlighting multiple scenes: opening phone scene, home ec class, dick drawings confession, driver's license/McLovin scene, Seth telling Evan about the party invitation, and the liquor store sequence
Chris Ryan▶ 27:19Focused on Jonah's monologue to the home ec teacher and praised his overall comedic performance, noting how he could have built an entire career on that frantic energy
Sean Fennessey▶ 32:06Emphasized the Seth dream sequence buying vodka and praised Jonah Hill's frantic, worked-up energy throughout various scenes

Joey Pants Award

Bill Simmons▶ 57:02Kevin Benton — Tie between Joe Nunez (liquor store guy) and Kevin Bresnahan (coke guy who cries)
Chris Ryan▶ 56:14Kevin Benton — Kevin Bresnahan (coke guy who cries during singing)
Sean Fennessey▶ 55:25Joe Lo Truglio — Joe Lotruglio as Francis (who hits Joan Hill with car)

Dion Waiters Award

Bill Simmons▶ 58:35Carla Gallo — Carla Gallo as period girl
Sean Fennessey▶ 59:19David Krumholtz — Suggested David Krumholtz for his scene pressuring Michael Cera

Casting What-Ifs

Bill Simmons▶ 59:43Carla Gugino — Carla Gugino for Michael Cera's mom
Chris Ryan▶ 59:56Can't revise any casting - it's too precious/perfect

Half-Assed Internet Research

Bill Simmons▶ 1:00:07Extensive LA filming locations (El Segundo High School, Fox Hills Mall, Culver City convenience store, Glendale liquor store, CSU Northridge for donuts scene, LAX-area bar), Vancouver restaurant reference (13th and Granville), David Goldberg drew ~1000 penis drawings, Michael Cera and Martha McIsaac got drunk for sex scene, 176 uses of 'fuck', cocaine party story based on Rogen/Goldberg real experience
Chris Ryan▶ 1:00:48Questioned Wikipedia's Glendale location claim, thought liquor store looked like Drawing Room plaza on Hillhurst, referenced Grantland piece with additional anecdotes like Michael Cera falling out of tree
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:01:01Connected filming location to Nathan Fielder's dumb Starbucks, guessed 130 for number of times 'fuck' was used

Apex Mountain

Bill Simmons▶ 1:04:47Michael Cera — Jonah Hill - 21 Jump Street; Michael Cera - Yes, this movie (Superbad); Christopher Mintz-Plasse - Yes; Emma Stone - No; Martha McIsaac - Yes; Bill Hader - No; Seth Rogen - Probably Neighbors
Chris Ryan▶ 1:09:20Seth Rogen — For Seth Rogen, 2007 was probably his biggest year but what he's done since is arguably most impressive of the whole group
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:04:35Michael Cera — Jonah Hill - 21 Jump Street (agrees with another host); Michael Cera - Yes, this is definitely Apex Mountain; Seth Rogen - 2007 was huge but he's done arguably more impressive work since

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Bill Simmons▶ 1:20:59Michaels and Slater moved to private security without guns; What are Seth and Evan doing now (Seth in Miami with questionable relationships); What happens to Jules and Becca (go on two dates then done); Did Michael Cera create the new age sensitive male; Are there more organ donors after this movie
Chris Ryan▶ 1:23:25Seth is assistant GM of the A's; Movies like this influence expectations about college and relationships like early Ethan Hawke films; Did this movie help or hurt organ donation
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:20:46Are Michaels and Slater still cops and how long did they last with this behavior; What are Seth and Evan doing now at 32 (Seth as creative director in Miami, Evan as accounting consultant); Did Michael Cera create the new age sensitive male (didn't create it but platformed it and influenced how kids treat women)

Who Won the Movie

Bill Simmons▶ 1:28:37Seth Rogen — Rogan and Goldberg because of the story, the background of it, the fact that it's like Good Will Hunting - two buddies writing a movie together that becomes their big break, vaults Rogan to another level, and represents the peak of the Apatow era
Chris Ryan▶ 1:31:17Seth Rogen — Rogan and Goldberg - agrees it's got to be them, noting they made every kid who went to high school think they could write a script about their high school experience
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:30:13Seth Rogen — Goldberg and Rogan - agrees with another host, emphasizing the rocket ship of fame from having Knocked Up and Superbad come out within 10 weeks of each other in 2007, both being phenomenons that people talked about constantly

Movies Referenced (56)

Knocked Up (2007)

7 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan▶ 8:35IMDb ↗Lb ↗

21 Jump Street (2012)

5 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey▶ 22:26IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Booksmart (2019)

5 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey▶ 4:35IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Molly's Game (2017)

4 mentions · Sean Fennessey▶ 1:07:01IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Neighbors (2014)

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey▶ 1:01:24IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Groundhog Day (1993)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 19:54IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Heat (1995)

3 mentions · Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons▶ 1:43IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Proof of Life (2000)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 1:33:42IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Risky Business (1983)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey▶ 3:51IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Adventureland (2009)

2 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons▶ 1:27:34IMDb ↗Lb ↗

American Graffiti (1973)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 3:33IMDb ↗Lb ↗

American Pie (1999)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey▶ 4:23IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Directors Referenced (5)

Greg Mottola

8 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for Adventureland, Superbad▶ 6:04IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Anson Jew

2 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for Passengers, Wonder Woman▶ 1:27:12IMDb ↗Lb ↗

David Lynch

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for Inland Empire▶ 1:07:11IMDb ↗Lb ↗

John Hughes

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Planes, Trains & Automobiles, Uncle Buck, The Breakfast Club▶ 4:03IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Michael Mann

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Insider, Collateral, The Last of the Mohicans▶ 1:33:03IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Actors Referenced (46)

Seth Rogen

40 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for This Is the End, Superbad, Pineapple Express▶ 2:42IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jonah Hill

23 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for 21 Jump Street, 22 Jump Street, The Wolf of Wall Street▶ 14:44IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Michael Cera

15 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for Juno, Superbad, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World▶ 15:53IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Joe Nunez

10 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for Domino, Superbad▶ 35:26IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Emma Stone

9 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for La La Land, Easy A, The Help▶ 14:44IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Kevin Corrigan

9 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons · Known for True Romance, The Departed, Pineapple Express▶ 33:49IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Christopher Mintz-Plasse

6 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for Superbad, Kick-Ass▶ 15:53IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Carla Gallo

5 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for Neighbors, Superbad, Forgetting Sarah Marshall▶ 57:15IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Shia LaBeouf

5 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for Honey Boy, The Peanut Butter Falcon, Fury▶ 15:53IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Bill Hader

4 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Skeleton Twins, Inside Out, It: Chapter Two▶ 39:51IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jennifer Lawrence

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for The Hunger Games, Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle▶ 54:04IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Albert Brooks

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for Drive, Broadcast News, Defending Your Life▶ 23:08IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Writers Referenced (7)

Evan Goldberg

19 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for This Is the End, Superbad▶ 7:28IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Judd Apatow

13 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for The King of Staten Island, Knocked Up▶ 6:04IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ben Best

2 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for Observe and Report▶ 56:42IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Roger Ebert

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 22:23IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jody Hill

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for Observe and Report▶ 56:42IMDb ↗Lb ↗

John Hill

1 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 1:05:12IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Stephen King

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Maximum Overdrive, Creepshow▶ 3:42IMDb ↗Lb ↗