In its brief broadcast run, the cult classic 'Freaks and Geeks' won over a small but dedicated group of fans. This fanbase loved it for its uncomfortable, quirky humor, but with the Darwinist nature of television, anything without good ratings must go'therefore, 'Geeks' was axed. Luckily for fans of the show, creator Paul Feig wrote 'Superstud,' which continues on in 'Geeks'' legacy. 'Superstud: Or How I Became a 24-Year-Old Virgin' takes an autobiographical look at Feig's misadventures through his dating life. Throughout the novel, Feig recounts episodes dealing with his first loves to his dabblings with masturbation.
What made 'Freaks and Geeks' so compelling was its unabashed treatment of its characters. The show did not sugarcoat the existence of its 'geeks' and used cringe-inducing humor to tell their stories''Superstud' is no different. Early on Feig admits that he personifies geekdom and this sets the stage for the rest of the book. 'Freaks and Geeks' fans will recognize several of the show's better plots as coming directly from Feig's life.
When Feig talks about some of his disastrous first dates, it occasionally becomes hard to turn the page. The stories are hilarious, but it feels odd to laugh at a person's actual misfortunes. 'Freaks and Geeks' could insulate itself by being a work of fiction, but 'Superstud' does not have this same protection. It becomes hard to laugh at Feig's misfortunes, but his peppy, funny writing style allows some of these cringe-inducing passages to fly by.
Evidence of Feig's style comes in a fun chapter where Feig prints his journal from when he was 19-years-old. In this portion, he relates a particularly embarrassing part of his life. Instead of using the journal as a crutch and telling the entire story in this fashion, the modern-day Feig puts in witty little footnotes making fun of his younger self for being such a geek. This provides a unique perspective that turns out rather fun as well.
The portions relating to Feig's high school and college years are hilarious'Feig knows where he wants to take his narrative, and runs with it. Yet once he graduates college, the narrative comes to a crashing halt. It seems like Feig did not know how to end the book, so he pads it out with a stretch of non-funny episodes which achieve the definition of filler.
In a chapter entitled 'Please don't read this chapter,' Feig tells of the time he almost broke his neck while trying to orally please himself. This passage is very lewd and adds little to the story. Sure, it shows how far he had fallen in his desperate search for happiness, but this story could have been retold in passing during another section'Feig did not need to spend 20 pages on this tale.
Although he ends poorly, Feig's ruminations on life in 'Superstud' are generally hilarious. A fan of 'Freaks and Geeks' will be right at home with Feig's darkly sarcastic, but ultimately silly, take on growing up a geek.
