Superbad: Does the McLovin’ scene help make it a classic?

Last Updated on March 5, 2024

Superbad is more than you think. Beyond being one of the most beloved and cherished teen-comedy films ever made- it also stands as heartfelt tale about friendship and moving on. However, today we’re not going to talk about any of those things… Today, we’re going to sit back and take a look at one of the funniest scenes in the entire film which features the story’s debut of two local cops who are very, VERY bad at catching criminals.

Originally written for Kyle Gass, the role of Officer Michaels ended up going to the very creator of the story- Seth Rogen. Rogen and his long-time writing partner, Evan Goldberg, wrote the original treatment for Superbad when they were just teenagers themselves. However, even with brilliant writing, some things had to be developed past the imagination of the film’s writers. That’s where Bill Hader comes in. Hader is best known for his work on television shows like Saturday Night Live and Barry, and in this movie he based the zany and dimwitted Officer Slater character off of a real life coo he knew growing up. The success of the role would yield a sea of offers from other film productions for Hader to play a silly cop. According to the actor, he was offered these kinds of roles left and right in the years after Superbad’s release.

As for the remaining talent in this specific scene- Christopher Mintz-Plasse plays Fogell- a local teenager who is even less cool than the film’s main duo. When Fogell gets himself a fake ID to buy booze for a party, the police drop by to investigate a robbery that leaves Fogell to face them as a witness. And upon being asked to see his ID, Fogell has no choice but to give them his fake ID that reads the name “McLovin” as his only name. This scene is brilliant and packed with hilarious lines and moments that we’re here to break down in today’s episode of Scene Breakdown.