Tybout: The Age of Awkward Teen Comedies is upon us

It’s a glorious time to be awkward.

Ever since “Superbad” (2007) graced us with its… It’s a glorious time to be awkward.

Ever since “Superbad” (2007) graced us with its hilariously off-kilter humor, we’ve been blessed with a steady stream of uncomfortable adolescent comedies — from the wonderful (“Juno”) to the decent (“Sex Drive”) to the terrible (“Miss March”). In this new Golden Age of Awkward, the audience can pick and choose their movies about not getting laid. Which is good — I was getting tired of films about people cooler than me.

But with any new trend comes a backwash of mediocre copycats. While some films have spot-on takes on teenage culture, others wildly miss their mark. The latter are often easy to spot — they’ll usually feature corny dialogue and overreaching references to texting and iPods, because that, as we all know, is what the kids are doing these days.

Still, sometimes it can be difficult to separate the bad from the “Superbad.” Thankfully, I’ve been working tirelessly at just such a task. Here, I present what I predict to be the future’s cream of the adolescent crop.

The most obvious choice, of course, is “Youth in Revolt,” a movie in which Michael Cera plays both his archetypal character and its contradiction. I’m sure you’ve seen the previews — Cera as Cera, not getting laid, until he crafts an alter ego: the mustached Francois Dillinger. With the help of this mental foil, Cera hopes to win over Sheeni, his dream girl. Contributing performances by Steve Buscemi, Justin Long, and the hilarious Zach Galifianakis — arguably the king of awkward — should make this movie a lovable riot.

A couple months into the future, the decidedly awkward superhero flick, “Kick-Ass,” will stumble into theatres. “Kick-Ass” details the trials of a teen (Aaron Johnson) who takes it upon himself to become a real-life superhero. Looking like a younger Andy Samberg in green spandex, his super-power-less alter ego amasses a cadre of followers, including “Hit-Girl,” “Red Mist” (played by Christopher Mintz-Plasse, aka McLovin), and “Big Daddy” (the ever-present Nicolas Cage).

Rounding out the fall is the self-explanatory “Hot Tub Time Machine.” A bunch of friends — played by John Cusack, Clark Duke of “Sex Drive,” “Daily Show” vet Rob Corddry, and Craig Robinson of “The Office” — decide to get drunk and dive into a hot tub which, if you didn’t guess by now, doubles as a time machine.

The tub transports them back to the ’80s, to a world of cassette players and bizarre haircuts. Cusack tries (poorly) to reunite with an old girlfriend, Robinson is terrified, Duke has trouble connecting with ’80s teens and Corddry decides to run wild — even impregnating, if quick hints of the trailer can be believed, Clark Duke’s mom.

The film may not be a direct homage to 1985’s “Back to the Future” series, but it certainly gave me those (albeit raunchier) vibes.

And finally, while this doesn’t have an official release date beyond IMDb’s vague 2010 description, the comic-book adaptation “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World” is another intriguing Michael Cera project. And with Michael Cera, you’re no doubt aware, comes awkward. In this case, Cera’s mumbling persona is thrust into a sci-fi context: Cera must defend himself from his dream girl’s seven exes, all of whom are coming to kill him. Now I might have dismissed this as just a cheesy teen flick, except it’s directed by the comedic mastermind behind “Hot Fuzz” and “Shaun of the Dead,” Edgar Wright. If you can stomach his often-grisly sense of humor, the man’s movies are riots.

Now I’m not making any promises — aside from “Revolt,” these films have yet to hit theatres — but based on early buzz, these are the films that most reek of acne cream and rejection. And in this awkward renaissance, that’s all you can ask for.

“Kick-Ass” Trailer: