Could ‘Superbad’ lead to superstardom?

Amy Heckerling, whose direction with young talent was evident in “Fast Times,” rose to the challenge again in 1995 with “Clueless.” Not only did she help propel the career of Alicia Silverstone, but it’s easy to forget that such actors as Jeremy Sisto, Brittany Murphy and Paul Rudd were also part of the ensemble.

Which, in a weird way, lead back to “Superbad.” Rudd has now become synonymous with some of the top comedies of the past few years: “Anchorman,” “The 40 Year Old Virgin” and “Knocked Up,” where his more nuanced and less slapstick work is probably more appreciated from cinephiles than that of top-billed star Seth Rogan.

Apatow and Rudd are longtime buddies and their films have flourished. Cera and Hill are fortunate to now be part of the ever-growing Apatow troupe and are able to use the goodwill Apatow has created to make names for themselves.

“Arrested Development” made Cera a TV personality, but a winning “Superbad” can make him a star. High school, despite the cliques, bullies and jocks, may not be all that bad after all.

Stuart Levine is an assistant managing editor at Variety. He can be reached at .

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