The sufficiently versed in Superbad will detect similarities in Dìdi.

And the difference between being called “an homage” instead of “a ripoff” can come down to the inspired explicitly referencing its inspirations.

The fact that Dìdi’s characters watch Superbad in an early scene functions as a lampshading of its own influences, conveying a self-awareness to dodge accusations of unoriginality; it’s a conscious riff on Superbad’s lineage, you see.

Not to mention, if we rank the movies that high schoolers in 2008 would most likely watch at a party, Superbad may top the list.

But lest you erroneously expect Dìdi to feel like a Superbad sequel…

You know how Jonah Hill’s Mid90s was sold as “independent Superbad” set a decade prior? Well, Dìdi is Mid90s for the Superbad era.

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Izaac Wang’s voice is perfectly suited for Dìdi’s coming-of-age genre, because it sounds like it’s in a perennial state of cracking, a hallmark of maturer adolescence cracking through the apparent simplicity of prepubescence.

Either Wang flawlessly performs this voice-cracking, or the casting’s “lucky” timing ran the risk of his voice pubescing over the course of filming, mitigated only if shot chronologically, which can be an impractical headache for lower budgets.