‘Superbad’ DVDs Sparked a Major Controversy in Hawaii

It’s been 17 years since Superbad first hit theaters, and its influence can still be felt today, in movies like Netflix’s recent Incoming, Olivia Wilde’s Booksmart and also anytime you see a teenager foolishly trying to drink beer out of a laundry detergent container.

The movie was a huge hit in theaters, making over $170 million at the worldwide box office, to the joy of everyone except perhaps the real-life McLovin, who complained that his old high school friends, screenwriters Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, made his character “the butt of every joke.”

Naturally, the blockbuster comedy received a splashy DVD release that year, complete with special features and bonus collectibles that proved to be surprisingly controversial. That’s because the Walmart exclusive release of Superbad came with a replica of the iconic McLovin fake ID, obtained in the movie by the nerdy Fogell.

This became a big issue in Hawaii, where the fictional McLovin resides according to his bogus driver’s license. In particular, it reportedly made city officials in Honolulu “nervous,” prompting them to criticize the studio for being so “irresponsible.” Mayor Mufi Hannemann even weighed in on the issue, stating, "It concerns us because it may encourage unlawful activities. We love publicity and promotion but not this kind.”

All of which is pretty funny considering that the whole point of the ID in the movie was that it was so hilariously unconvincing.

The city did admit that the novelty ID was missing the “security devices” found on real licenses, but still worried that it “might encourage someone to think about doing something that is not permissible by law.” The city actually alerted the Honolulu Police, the city’s Liquor Commission and even Homeland Security to the possibility that the streets could soon be filled with legions of underage McLovins. 

Walmart caved in to the pressure and opted to stop selling the DVD sets. "When this situation was brought to our attention, we immediately looked into the matter," a Walmart spokesperson said at the time. “We have pulled all of the exclusive bonus movie packs that contained the ID item from our store shelves in Hawai’i.”

While you might think that panicking over a novelty item from a teen sex comedy was a tad overblown. But in 2019, it was reported that a 20-year-old resident of Des Moines, Iowa was arrested for trying to buy alcohol using a “McLovin” ID. He didn’t get the ID from an old DVD set, but was able to purchase a replica on Amazon for $15. He didn’t even alter the name on the card, which was what Honolulu authorities feared. It literally just said “McLovin.” 

Judging from his mugshot, “McLovin” was pretty amused by the whole thing. 

A good reminder that real cops are less cool than the ones played by Rogen and Bill Hader. 

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