SUPERBAD — ★ ★ ★ — Michael Cera, Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen, Bill Hader, Evan Goldberg; rated R (violence, profanity, vulgarity, nudity, sex, drug use)

"Superbad" does a good job of living up to its title; it's one of the naughtier comedies in recent memory. In fact, parts of the film give the smuttier Kevin Smith movies a run for their money.

It's also "Superbad" in several positive respects. While the film's preoccupation with sex and teens will immediately turn off many, there's no denying that a lot of this material is funny. Some of it is laugh-out-loud funny.

And like "The 40 Year-Old Virgin" and "Knocked Up," which came from some of the same creators, this film has an underlying sweetness and some really heartfelt moments.

Also, these characters sound and look like real teenagers. Having fresh-faced actors Jonah Hill and Michael Cera playing the lead roles certainly helps. They star as best friends Seth and Evan, who may be going their separate ways after high school.

The more scholarly Evan, played by Cera, is heading off to college, while slacker Seth's prospects there aren't nearly as good. Which explains why Seth is trying so hard to get his pal to live it up before they part. He's also convinced Evan that they need to get booze to seduce their respective, prospective girlfriends (Emma Stone and Martha MacIsaac).

Meanwhile, their dorky pal Fogell (newcomer Christopher Mintz-Plasse) has run afoul of the cops. His awful fake ID may have fooled Officers Slater and Michaels (Bill Hader and co-screenwriter Seth Rogen), but now they want to be his buddy and cart him along on their various dispatch calls.

Much of the film is hit-and-miss. A party scene goes on way too long, and a little of the dopey-cop routine goes a long way. And again, this is very crude, R-rated stuff.

But the funnier moments make it worthwhile. Fogell's misadventures probably get the biggest laughs, but Cera (from TV's "Arrested Development") is very likable and has a very dry comic appeal.

"Superbad" is rated R for crude sexual humor and language (slang and strong sexual profanity), cartoon nudity and sexually suggestive images, simulated sex and other sexual contact, comic violence (fisticuffs and brawling, gunplay, vehicular mayhem and accidental violence against women), drug content (cocaine use and other references), scenes of underage drinking, and slurs based on sexual preference. Running time: 113 minutes.

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E-MAIL: jeff@desnews.com