Netflix Revives The Raunchy Teen Comedy For a New Generation With 'Incoming'!

If you love 2000s and 2010s raunchy high school comedies, Incoming is Netflix’s attempt at bringing back the iconic genre!

High school clichés meet a 2024 Superbad as we follow Benj (Mason Thames) and his three friends, Eddie (Ramon Reed), Connor (Raphael Alejandro), and Koosh ‘Danah’ (Bardia Seiri), as they attempt to survive their Freshmen year. With dreams of making a move on his long-time crush Bailey (Isabella Ferreira), Koosh and his older brother throw a party, creating the perfect opportunity for Benj to get Baliey to finally see him as a potential boyfriend instead of just her best friend’s little brother.

The film is centered around teenage boys, so naturally, they sound like they don’t know how to use swear words and are sexually confused. They all hope to be cool enough to be liked by their older siblings, crushes, or peers. Even the teacher wishes to be cool in his students' eyes; he even shows up at the party. The Seniors look way older than Benj and his friends and have set their minds to ensure they get the full "Freshman experience" by teasing and taunting them. Connor even earns himself the nickname "fetus" on the first day of school.

At the movie's start, we are introduced to Benj’s intentions for the story. He likes this girl and has clear goals for making a move, specifically having his first kiss with her. But he’s a nerd -- He does musical theater, so he often sings and is stuck in the shadow of his older sister, Alyssa (Ali Gallo). He wants to be viewed as more than Alyssa’s little brother. He wants Bailey to see him as a man. But naturally, the unattainable heartthrob, Katrina (Loren Gray), manages to be the film’s star even if Benj doesn’t have his eyes on her.

This ensemble cast has incredible chemistry, making Bailey and Benj’s small moments throughout the film feel real enough to get you invested in their romance. The film doesn’t try to play back into the 2000s and has lead characters in openly gay relationships, which prevents any homophobic jokes from any characters, even the bullies. The dialogue is updated enough to resonate with the target audience while not seeming "corny", a common problem in teen movies today. The actors successfully hit their comedic beats, making the film funny and enjoyable.

Now, did this film live up to its raunchy teen counterparts? When it comes to iconic films like Superbad, John Tucker Must Die, Easy A, or American Pie, the standard is quite high. Even though Incoming was an enjoyable film, it didn’t rank as high as some of the originals. This doesn’t mean Incoming isn’t worth the watch, though; seeing the new generation of actors in a classic comedy genre film was extremely refreshing. Who doesn’t love a cute romance? Another plus: the main cast actually look like real-life high schoolers!

You can watch Incoming on Netflix!