Greg Motolla’s 2007 film Superbad is one of the quintessential examples of a sex comedy, which is simply a genre of comedy where the main focus is on sexual themes. Sure, there are other key elements within the film which follow the standard guidelines of any teen movie: alcohol, peer pressure, social awkwardness, etc. However the film is very sex-centric, what with the whole plot being driven by Jonah Hill’s character wanting to fornicate with Emma Stone’s. Fun fact, both Michael Cera and Emma Stone were 19 years old as of filming Superbad, but Jonah Hill was 24. I get that all their characters are supposed to be the same age or whatever, but still, that one is still a bit odd to me.
Anyway, the film treats sex as a final objective, as if sex will suddenly propel Hill’s character into perpetual bliss, as if finally having sex will cement his stardom, even if it is only truly from a personal standpoint. This ties in fairly well with the themes explored in the writings of Freud and Lacan. Since the film’s protagonists are two young, horny males, the phallus is treated as just a standard plot point, while the ultimate goal (ie, Emma Stone’s vagina) is treated as the One Ring as seen in the The Lord of the Rings franchise. The journey to achieve the goal is arduous, and puts long time friendships into possible jeopardy in search for this distant but all-encompassing power.
I truly cannot believe that I just compared Superbad to The Lord of the Rings, but here we are. Ultimately, in overhyping these aspects of sex, drugs and partying, while also retaining themes of camaraderie and brotherhood, the film succeeds in being raunchy and fantastical while still remaining grounded in a very relatable and believable coming of age reality.
Tom and Jerry are one of the most iconic, recognizable duos in all of cartoon history. The charming, animated, domestic ultraviolence of the age-old cat versus mouse tale has weaved its way into the hearts and minds of the last five generations or so. It relies heavily on simple, slapstick scenarios, often involving the pain of Tom the cat and pleasure of Jerry the mouse. Slapstick humor is defined as “comedy based on deliberately clumsy actions and humorously embarrassing events.” This means that anything from The Three Stooges to Blazing Saddles has indulged in a bit of slapstick every now and then, even if it is considered to be childish and cheap to most critical audiences. However, despite the negative connotation associated with slapstick, Tom and Jerry has managed to not only create a formula that performs remarkably well, but also one that stands the test of time. Tom and Jerry continues to be a relevant series down through generations, constantly getting reboots, reruns, ...
That's a really excellent connection to Lacan. This movie definitely shows what it means to say that the phallus is the symbol of castration-it signifies the way that having to live up to something--whether it is being a man or our reputation--in a sense constitutes a burden and drives us further away from satisfaction. And of course, the fact that it is only 24 year olds who can play teenagers for some reason--common in many other shows and movies as well--just indicates that the fantasy of teenage years is something never achievable in the moment.
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