Michael Cera, Jonah Hill and Christopher Mintz-Plasse, the stars of the outrageously funny new comedy "Superbad," are discussing the film's screening that they attended the night before. Cera and Mintz-Plasse say the audience's response was just OK.

"You guys are spoiled," Hill says. "If they laugh, it went great. If they didn't laugh, it went [awful]. You guys haven't been in enough movies yet. I've been in comedy screenings for movies I'm in where no one laughs."

"All I'm saying is it wasn't the best so far," Cera (George-Michael Bluth on "Arrested Development") fires back. "Boston, they were laughing at stuff that wasn't even funny."

"We had to have security guards escort us out of the theater," Hill ("Knocked Up," "Evan Almighty") remembers. "It was crazy, man."

That, movie fans, is the sound of young actors about to become huge stars. Not Brad Pitt-type stars, but the kind of stars that will be remembered for starring in one of this generation's classic coming-of-age stories. "Superbad" is that movie.

In the uncommon depiction of high school and high-school students that actually seems real, Cera stars as Evan, an uncool but not totally geeky senior who will head to Dartmouth in the fall. That would be great, except his best friend, Seth (Hill), isn't going with him. Those concerns are pushed aside, though, during one long, eventful night as Evan and Seth try to acquire the alcohol that each one promised his crush he would bring to a party. The plan involves the fake ID of a friend who has dubbed himself "McLovin'" (newcomer Mintz-Plasse).

The movie may sound like a combination of "American Pie" and "Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle," but it comes packed with the humor and heart of movies like "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" and "Knocked Up." That's because "Superbad" is produced by Judd Apatow (director of "Virgin" and "Knocked") and co-written by Seth Rogen ("Knocked Up," "Freaks and Geeks").

Here's what Cera, Hill and Mintz-Plasse told us about making teen movies seem real, the fear of talking to cops and why it's always a compliment to be called McLovin.

If you could ban something from the teen movie genre…
Cera: Pie sex.

Hill: Did you say, "guy sex"?

Cera: Pie sex. No more of that. Stop putting that in movies. It's been in every movie I've seen in the past year. Comedy or otherwise.

OK, then complete this analogy. "American Pie" is to "Superbad" as…
Mintz-Plasse: As coffee is to Aquafina. Not the same at all.

Cera: "American Pie" is to "Superbad" as idiocy is to a cool movie. As "American Pie 2" is to "Knocked Up."

"Superbad" is the rare film that really seems to capture the high school experience.
Hill: That's the whole reason the movie was made. All of us were like, "How come there's not movies about how it really was in high school?" I know I wasn't the coolest person but definitely wasn't the geekiest person. And most people are like that. There weren't jocks with letterman jackets in my school giving wedgies to kids in suspenders.

Cera: It's like the bullies are the weird-looking guys that are sitting smoking, and they're probably very insecure and want to get on top of you to feel better about themselves. There's one scene in the movie where Jonah's bullied and it's not like a big, buff guy. It's this weird-looking guy…you're, like, one step below him and he gets on you just to feel better about himself.

Did making the movie force you to relive painful memories?
Hill: Oh, I thought about so many painful memories while we were making the movie. Yeah, dude. I mean, come on, that's what high school's about. The excruciating awkwardness and moments you wish never happened, but they're so great that they happen. When you get older you appreciate…I thrive on moments like that now. Cuz when you get older you can see how hilarious they are, but at the time you're like, "Oh, man. This sucks."

It's also unusual to see a film with two guys like Seth and Evan who are willing to admit how important they are to each other.
Cera: They're very drunk.

Hill: When you get drunk, that's when you're like, "I love you, man."

Well, did the story open you up emotionally as well?
Hill: I've always been pretty good about expressing my feelings to my friends and family.

Cera: Through words or affection?

Hill: Through kissing. All of them... I don't think the movie's helped. I think it's only heightened. They say you have to be really [messed] up and sad to be in comedy and stuff…

Cera: Really? Who said that?

Hill: …but all our friends are pretty psyched and happy all the time. There's not really a dark force among any of us. Except for Chris. Chris has got a super dark side.

Chris, did playing McLovin' turn you into McLovin'?
Mintz-Plasse: No, that was just my character in the movie. I was McLovin' for the movie, and then I came back to my regular Chris Mintz-Plasse.

Cera: He was McLovin' the whole time. Method. You couldn't talk to Chris except through email. If I went up to him he would say, "I'm not Chris, but I'll give you his email address and maybe he'll email you back."

Mintz-Plasse: But I'm sure I'm gonna get called McLovin' a lot. It's already started.

Cera: But you know at least it's affectionate. I'm sure Dustin Diamond gets called Screech, and it's malicious: "I'm going to kick your ass, Screech."

What scene in the movie most reflects an event in your life?
Cera: Maybe interaction with cops, [which] is kinda scary. Everyone, even if they aren't doing something bad—maybe you're with someone who's doing something bad, and you have to talk to cops…

Hill: Or you just feel like you're doing something bad.

Cera: Yeah. As soon as the cops come up, you feel like you have to hide something.

Hill: I put my hands at 10 and 2 on the wheel when the cop is pulled up next to me. And I'm like, "I'm not doing anything wrong. I'm just listening to Morrissey; that ain't a crime!" [Singing Jay-Z's "99 Problems":] "I know my rights cuz you gonna need a warrant for that…"

So do young stars like you feel the need to assert your priorities in the wake of Lindsay Lohan's problems?
Cera: It's not really about asserting yourself. It's more about not screwing up a good opportunity. I'd rather just stand back and be patient and wait for things and get jobs. Especially [because] we don't have any families to support. We don't have, like, a mortgage.

Hill: We can take months off and not do a movie because we don't need to have a lot of money right now. I'd rather wait and chill than be rich and unhappy with the work I'm doing. As far as [celebrity] magazines [chasing movie stars] and being drunk or whatever, dude, you can control that. All those people that are in those magazines choose to be famous like that. And it's great; with comedy people, people don't really [care] so much. You never see Jack Black in a tabloid. You know what I'm saying? But the guy's great. He does amazing work. Comedy people—they don't pry into your lives so much. They want you to make 'em laugh, and they want you to make 'em happy, and then you get the [hell] out of there.