Kids swearing – we're not saying it's the only thing you need to make a great high school comedy, but without it you're toast, right?
Netflix's new trailer for its incoming new movie, er, Incoming, looks like it paid attention to that maxim. It features a plethora of kids swearing like sailors and looks to follow in the footsteps of classics like Superbad, and presumably hopes to become even a fraction of the cultural touchstone that movie evolved into after its release.
In fact, Incoming features an even younger cast dealing with an earlier transition – arriving at high school as small fish in a very, very big pond, and the many pressures that come with it, both socially and romantically.
When they manage to score invites to their first high school party, they know that this is the biggest challenge of their lives thus far, with all the potential for underage drinking, fighting and more that comes with this sort of hallowed occasion.
We're clearly going to get some of the best genre archetypes, too, from a massively inappropriate appearance by a drunk teacher (Bobby Cannavale) to a comedy star doing a turn as a protective and perhaps not well-equipped mother (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia's Kaitlin Olson).
Plus, much like Superbad (which has a very respectable 88% Rotten Tomatoes score), it looks like Incoming will keep things simple, focusing on the build-up and then execution of one big party, rather than going for anything with a bigger scope.
While the likes of Netflix, Apple TV+ and Amazon Prime Video have been nailing it when it comes to prestige dramas and schlocky action movies, it's fair to say that the streamers seem to have a harder time making genuinely good comedies.
It might be that this isn't so important for their bottom line or the fight to be the best streaming service on the market, but it's still great to see when one of them lines something like this up for viewers. You also don't have too long to wait before you can judge Incoming for yourself: it hits Netflix on 23 August, so circle that date in your calendar if you're on the lookout for a low-stakes comedy to sit back and enjoy.
