Enlightened Teenage Masculinity

While Superbad continues the crude and sophomoric story of nerdy, horny, and virginal teenage boys desperately eager to have sex with girls, it also presents a novel, enlightened version of teenage masculinity, one that presents vulnerability and tenderness. While fraught with misogynistic and crass dialog, Superbad tells the story of two male best friends who are afraid to part from each other after high school. It challenges us to ask how adolescent boys can learn to be men without ridiculing and dominating women, and without fearing that close friendships with other men undermine their masculinity or heterosexuality.