Superbad

Superbad is a 2007 American coming-of-age comedy directed by Greg Mottola and written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, loosely inspired by their own teenage years in Vancouver. Starring Jonah Hill, Michael Cera and Christopher Mintz-Plasse, the film follows two socially awkward high school friends trying to secure alcohol for a party before graduation, only for everything to spiral into humiliation, panic and chaos. What gives the film its lasting appeal is that beneath all the vulgarity and absurdity, it is really a story about male friendship, insecurity and the fear of growing apart. It has since become one of the defining teen comedies of the 2000s and a major cult favourite of its generation.

Although the story feels like a generic American suburb, the film was shot primarily in the Los Angeles area, using a patchwork of Southern California locations to create its school-and-party world. The high school exteriors were filmed at El Segundo High School, just south of LAX, while the mall finale was shot at Fox Hills Mall in Culver City. Other key locations included a convenience store in Culver City, the liquor store where McLovin tries to buy alcohol in Glendale, and a bar near Los Angeles International Airport. The police-car doughnut scene was filmed in a car park at California State University, Northridge. Rather than presenting one single town, the film builds its setting from several corners of greater Los Angeles, blending schools, shopping centres, suburban streets and commercial strips into a version of teenage America that feels both familiar and slightly anonymous.