A goofy, somewhat unnecessary sequel to the “beloved comedy classic” that is predictable and occasionally quite stupid, but not entirely terrible, and surprisingly not as disgusting or sex-obsessed as its predecessors. That’s not to say it isn’t disgusting or sex obsessed, it’s just not nearly as much so as you’d probably come to expect from this series. Still, it has its moments, and is genuinely funny at times.

The film relies more on its ability to instill you with a deep sense of nostalgia than anything else, really: much of the audience familiar with the series, myself included, watched the original film when they themselves were in high school, so watching these same characters now all grown up looking back fondly on their earlier experiences and lamenting the current state of their lives is a bit depressing, to put it mildly. Granted the film doesn’t dwell on it all that much; it pretends to, but chooses to ultimately go for the easy out, which is understandable given that it’s just a silly, cartoonish sex comedy, but still.

Part of me wished it had gone further with its “fading youth” theme, especially considering how rare of an opportunity a series has to present such a concept to a fan base who not only grew up on its films, but has aged in much the same way its principle characters here have. With better writing, and more ambitious filmmaking, this film could really have been something impressive. Groundbreaking even. Instead, it’s just a run of the mill, slightly better than average sex comedy with only the faintest hints of emotional depth and narrative complexity. Sigh.

Overall, not a terrible film, but nothing special, unfortunately. A missed opportunity, though I doubt anyone associated with the film initially considered making it anything more than a typical teenage sex comedy. And, to its credit, it’s not quite that, just mostly. Well, at least there are plenty of cute half-naked girls in this, especially the one who is inexplicably obsessed with **SPOILERS** having sex with Jason Bigg’s character. Yeah, he was her babysitter so now she wants to have sex with him. A girl that looks like that? Really? Okay, sure. **END SPOILERS** That was a bit of a stretch, even for a movie that plays out like a live action cartoon at times. Oh, and I really could have gone without the close up of Jason Bigg’s penis.

So, umm, watch if you’re a fan of the original film(s) and wish to see your life as it probably is now, or as it will be soon. Or if you like stupid comedies about sex and drinking and half-naked chicks hooking up with nerdy, weird-looking men. That’s the series in a nutshell, really.

In an attempt to give readers my feelings on films as I plug away on a number of writing assignments, I’ll provide mini-reviews to give my succinct opinion on films and to give me time to finish my other projects.

Jeff Who Lives At Home:

I’m inclined to believe opinions will vary wildly for Jeff Who Lives At Home, the new film by the Duplass Brothers, based on one’s belief in fate vs. coincidence. Either you will buy into the Jason Segel storyline because you allow yourself to be transported by the magic of cinema into believing in a divine plan… or you’ll be annoyed at how these impossible coincidences keep occurring to these characters. I fell happily into the former category and found the film to be the sweetest Duplass entry to date. Jason Segel and Ed Helms are pitch-perfect together– I normally find Helms’ broad style of acting more sitcommy than cinematic, so I was especially impressed by the subtle way he played some of the more serious scenes. Though the Susan Sarandon subplot is predictable, twee, and seemingly unrelated to the main narrative, the film as a whole is a funny, warm-hearted meditation on faith and the signs the universe provides for you.

American Reunion:

In a summer full of sequels, it’s hard to imagine one with less clamor for its existence than American Reunion. While its premise is humorously indifferent to logic (the 13th year high school reunion!), the dialogue to humorously indifferent to humor. Jason Biggs and Seann William Scott are fair game in reprising their best roles, but the script simply does them no favors. Nostalgia is layered on thick, with a 1990s soundtrack and loads of ponderous “wasn’t high school great?” moments, in hopes of disguising a disjointed and cluttered narrative. The most welcome returns belong to the smallest roles– Shannon Elizabeth as Nadia, the Sherminator, and the MILF guys (one of whom, John Cho, may be the biggest movie star of the pack). Of course, the only real laughs belong to Eugene Levy, who slays me with a look; the end credits, which feature him on a date, get the biggest guffaws. The rest of the sequel simply doesn’t deliver the goods, baked or otherwise.

Casa De Mi Padre:

The best part about Casa De Mi Padre, unquestionably the silliest film from Will Ferrell since the original Anchorman, is how straight it is played. It rarely goes for verbal jokes, relying nearly exclusively on visual comedy to get by. Much of the dialogue is simple Spanish translated into subtitles (example: “I am jumping!”), and while the plot is obviously nothing new, you see a film like this for the style. Director Matt Piedmont goes less grindhouse than Robert Rodriguez went with Machete, but he includes some terrific painted sets, fake horseback rides, constant cigarette smoking, and great original music (can either “Casa De Mi Padre” or “Yo No Se” please get some early Oscar buzz?). It’s obviously not quotable, and even at 85 minutes, it feels about ten minutes too long for what is essentially a one-joke film… but they milk every laugh possible out of that joke. If Ferrell floats your boat, this is as sublimely goofy as he’s been in years, and it’s a shame that Blades of Glory and Semi-Pro got wider releases than this did. (Final note: this has the funniest sex scene since MacGruber.)

10 years may have passed, but nothing has changed.

The once sex starved high school kids we were introduced to are now all grown up, living in the rough real world.

When Jim, Oz, Kevin, Finch and Stifler came on the scene in 1999, I was in middle school, and this raunchy, R-Rated, teen comedy had my friends and I in stitches. From the crude humor, to scantily clad women, this was a young kids fantasy.

A few sequels later, it’s now 2012 and we get the American Reunion. The gang is reunited for one more stint in East Great Falls for their 10-year high school reunion.

We of course open up, just like every other American Pie movie with a provocative scene that introduces us to Jim and Michelle, who now have a two year old son. We see Kevin as a stay-at-home husband, Oz is a rich T.V. sports talk show host, Finch is M.I.A., and Stifler is slumming it in a corporate office.

After the re-introduction, the guys say they need to unwind before the reunion, a guys weekend, where they would live it up, “just like old times.” Throw in an 18-year-old hot for Jim, the new band of misfits terrorizing the old core, a Stifler party, Jim’s dad getting hammered and tons more, and we get a reunion.

And while that all sounds like a great weekend, lets pump the breaks.

What was the major complaint The Hangover Part 2 received? That it followed the same exact formula as the first one, thus lacking creativity and originality. American Reunion suffers from the same disease.

It’s rather annoying to see a film retrace it’s steps for four straight movies. The reason some may not have noticed was the major gap between American Wedding and American Reunion. While the jokes may be slightly different, the concept is still the same, the writers never stray the course, and it seems like they never “get with the times.”

What I mean by that is, being that it’s 10 years later, I expect the jokes to be a little more audience appropriate, and current. It felt like I was still watching American Pie 2, If I wanted to that, I’d fire up my dvd player.

As the story goes on, old couples like Vickie and Kevin bump into each other and catch up, as do Oz and “choir chick” Heather who has a new doctor boyfriend with her.

We are also introduced to Dania Ramirez who plays Selena, a fat girl in high school that only Finch was nice to. So of course they hit it off; we’re also introduced to Ali Cobrin who plays Kara, the girl Jim use to babysit who is now 18.

And even with those two new additions and the story lines they present, it still doesn’t feel like anything new or original.

When it comes to comedies I always stress consistency as being the most important factor, if you can’t keep your audience laughing throughout, while at the same time building your story and characters, you’re going to fail. There weren’t any major laughs for me, the type you laugh so loud that you miss parts of dialogue, which I guess is hard to expect, but this is American Pie!! you have to deliver. That being said there were laughs don’t get me wrong, Jim, Finch and of course Stifler have their fare share of solid moments, but they aren’t quote worthy or lines I’ll be thinking about and laughing at later on.

I think American Reunion came a little too late, if this film was released four to six years ago it would have been funnier and probably hit closer to home.

Yes it’s a trip down memory lane for a ton of us who “grew up” with this cast, and it’s nice and nostalgic, but when it comes down to it the Reunion didn’t deliver enough laughs, or a interesting enough story line to be on par with the first two.

Rating: 5/10

Movie: American Reunion

Released: Friday, April 6

Directed By: Jon Hurwitz & Hayden Schlossberg

Starring: Jason Biggs, Alyson Hannigan, Chris Klein, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Tara Reid, Seann William Scott, and Mena Suvari

“American Reunion is a funny, though shallow, story. Looking at these guys, can we expect anything too deep? There’s a dirty joke in there somewhere, which fits nicely into this not-so-teen-anymore comedy.”

Follow the link over to full review at Film Equals

This one’s going to be tough and I expect all three movies to be close together. But, since “Titanic 3D” and “The Hunger Games” will likely split the audience on the women side of things, expect “American Reunion” to come out on top.

The sequel sees the original cast, including Jason Biggs, Sean William Scott, Alyson Hannigan, Chris Klein, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Tara Reid,  Mena Suvari, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Jennifer Coolidge, Eugene Levy, Natasha Lyonne and Shannon Elizabeth. A lot of people have fond memories of the earlier films and the “R” rated comedy is still as popular as ever.

Opening weekend: $33-35 million

Total box office gross: $70-75 million

“Titanic 3D” will be right at its heels. Obviously, the film is hugely popular, it did make $1.8 billion at the box office. The question is how people will respond to yet another 3D re-release. It will open better than “Star Wars Episode I” did and make a run at “The Lion King”. We’ll see if James Cameron, who in the past has bashed post conversion to 3D, can do a good job at it himself.

Opening weekend: $29-31 million

Total box office gross: $85-90 million

Expect “The Hunger Games” to finish in third, but not by much.

Lukas Eggen can be reached at eggen.lukas@gmail.com.

Directed by Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg, American Reunion, they met a little more than a decade ago return to East Great Falls for their high-school reunion. In one long-overdue weekend, they will discover what has changed, who hasn’t and that time and distance can’t break the bonds of friendship. It was summer 1999 when four small-town Michigan boys began a quest to lose their virginity. In the years that have passed, Jim and Michelle married while Kevin and Vicky said goodbye. Oz and Heather grew apart, but Finch still longs for Stifler’s mom. Now these lifelong friends have come home as adults to reminisce.

To paraphrase the song:  “Bye, bye. Miss American Pie.  Meant this sequel to be equal but the sequel was dry…”

Okay, apologies to Don McLean, it’s not much of a lyric. But, then, this isn’t much of a movie that we’re serenading.

The makers of the sequel, American Reunion, wanted to serve another slice of American Pie.  But they had none of the necessary ingredients.  Yet they went ahead and prepared it anyway.

(1 star out of 4)

This one’s not even half-baked.

American Reunion — also known overseas as American Pie: Reunion — is the fourth installment in the American Pie series, preceded by American Pie (1999), American Pie 2 (2001), and American Wedding (2003).  There were several unofficial, straight-to-DVD sequels as well.

Given that the first three big-screen installments didn’t exactly set the comedy world on fire, it comprises an absolute warning to tell you that this one is by far the worst of the quartet.

So, following a progression (from high school to college to marriage to high school reunion) during which the characters aged, perhaps it’s time for the series to be put out of its misery, perhaps in something like American Euthanasia.

The popular series of R-rated teen comedies has mixed sexuality and sentimentality, sleaze and sweetness.  Raunch and heart, à la carte.

For American Reunion, the cast of American Pie reunites as the members of the class of 1999 from the original offering return to East Great Falls for their 13th high school reunion, bringing along their dashed-dream disappointments and early-thirtysomething problems.

That means that Jason Biggs, Alyson Hannigan, Seann William Scott, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Chris Klein, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Tara Ried, Shannon Elizabeth, Mena Suvari, John Cho, and Natasha Lyonne return to represent the younger-if-now-a-bit-older generation, while Eugene Levy and Jennifer Coolidge also reprise their roles as their elders.

This gathering of familiar faces is the movie’s main attraction, and the makers act as if, now that they have gone to the trouble of rounding up all these performers and talked them into making return appearances, their work is done.

The culprits are writer-directors Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg (Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay), who have performed their writing function with contemptible laziness, structuring their halfhearted, aimless script as if they were planning a reunion rather than shaping a narrative, while directing on automatic pilot.

As a result, the film depends so heavily on a loyal and forgiving audience’s familiarity with, and interest in, the characters that it barely even attempts to include a plot.

There are a few — precious few! — scattered chuckles.  But mostly there is just nostalgia, a rehashing of the past, and a casual invitation to hang out for a while with these acquaintances and classmates before repairing to the parking lot and heading home.

Just like at a reunion.

All of which is a way of saying that this terrible movie should be of interest only to those already enamored of the franchise.  And even they should leave their expectations at home.

So we’ll attend just 1 star out of 4.   Maybe if American Reunion had more ambition or laughs, it wouldn’t matter as much that this class reunion has no class.

More Bill Wine Movie Reviews

by Steve Habrat

American Wedding, the third installment of the American Pie franchise, should have been the most mature entry in the series. The film, after all, is about our horny hero Jim marrying kinky band geek Michelle and living happily ever after. Our little man is all grown up and embracing adulthood! Instead, American Wedding turns out to be the most immature of all of the films. Director Jesse Dylan and screenwriter Adam Herz basically edge Jim out of the frame every chance they get and replace him with the abrasive Steve Stifler, who hogs most of the spotlight in this warmed over installment. There are still a few laughs to be had in American Wedding and the inclusion of some new faces is a welcome break, but half the original cast missing takes quite a bit of the fun out of the festivities. Seriously, what did Mena Suvari, Chris Klein, Shannon Elizabeth, Tara Reid, and Natasha Lyonne have to do that was more important than the franchise that was keeping money in their bank accounts? At least Eddie Kaye Thomas and Thomas Ian Nicholas had the good sense to say yes this project.

American Wedding picks up with Jim (Played by Jason Biggs) and Michelle (Played by Alyson Hannigan) dining at a fancy restaurant where Jim plans to pop the big question. Naturally, Jim gets himself into a humiliating situation and makes a complete ass of himself, but the red headed Michelle says yes to becoming his bride. Then, the planning for the big day begins. Jim frets over the big day while his best buds Kevin (Played by Thomas Ian Nicholas) and Finch (Played by Eddie Kaye Thomas) continuously reassure him everything will turn out okay. Jim’s fears become reality when Steve Stifler (Played by Seann William Scott) crashes the couple’s engagement party and insists that he be included in the wedding party. In return, he will teach Jim how to dance, something Jim is far from good at. Jim reluctantly accepts Stifler’s offer and allows him into the wedding party. Naturally, Stifler begins destroying the wedding and things go from bad to even worse when Finch and Stifler begin fighting over Michelle’s younger sister Cadence (Played by January Jones). Meanwhile, Jim finds his own embarrassing situations to get himself in, continuously making himself look bad in front of Michelle’s parents (Played by Fred Willard and Deborah Rush), making them begin to question if he is fit to take their delicate daughter’s hand.

American Wedding is the most lavish looking American Pie installment yet, one that is obviously a big Hollywood production and rich with Michael Bay-esque lighting. I’m stunned there weren’t a few explosions thrown in for the hell of it. For as good as everything looks, it can’t make up for the fact that the jokes are hitting rock bottom. Things really get desperate when Stifler has to eat a dog turd just to get a few belly laughs out of the audience. Don’t get me wrong, there are some jokes that land and sequences that play out smoothly, but they all just seem so grandiose for a film about a bunch of hornball teenagers. It’s borderline cartoonish at points and a bit hard to wrap your head around. An impromptu bachelor party is smooth and chuckle worthy but ends up going a bit too far the longer it plays out. Another sequence in a gay bar, where Stifler finds himself in a dance-off with another man, is just plain nonsensical and wholly unfunny. Even the awkward moments that Jim finds himself in are getting a bit thin, especially when Michelle darts under a table in the middle of a fancy restaurant to perform fellatio on him when suddenly, his dear old dad arrives and sits down in the middle of it.

While Biggs and Scott used to share the laugh spotlight, American Wedding sees Biggs taking a backseat to Scott. This is Scott’s film from start to finish, even if Biggs has been our hero of the franchise since that beginning. In this film, Herz forces Stifler to learn some hard life lessons, especially leaving his party boy ways in the dust. The film does make the clever move of asking Finch and Stifler to switch personalities to win the affection of Cadence, hysterical because Finch and Stifler are mortal enemies. The personality switch is by far my favorite part of American Wedding and I did enjoy Stifler’s transformation, but I wish we had stuck more with Jim than Stifler and the side characters. Another gripe I have with American Wedding is that the film does absolutely nothing with the character of Kevin, who stays in the background for the most part. It’s almost like they just stuck him in to reassure us he was still around and that Nicholas said yes to attempt to hold on to some aspect of fame.

American Wedding is never a terrible film and there are some moments that are rambunctious fun. There is, however, a lot wrong with American Wedding, some of which could have been resolved by giving the franchise a little bit of a break. They didn’t need to dump this thing out as quickly as they did. My advice would have been to wait a little longer and try to work in the rest of the original cast. At times you can tell the film was rushed into production, as some aspects of it seem under developed, weak, and more than a little desperate. The end result is a mixed bag, one minute you are wrapped up in the film and the next minute you are checking your watching, wondering how much more you have to endure. It is no surprise that the series went straight to DVD after this installment because, lets be honest here, there was nothing else left to elaborate on other than making Stifler grow up. Like a slice of apple pie that has been nuked in the microwave, this piece is a little soggy, stale, and warm only in places, but is still edible.

Grade: C+

American Wedding is now available on DVD.

Before the Summer Movie Season kicks off, there is still some time to catch some Spring movies. So what can you expect from April? Some comedic films and suspense thrillers hit theaters this month as well as an epic movie blockbuster returns but this time in 3D. Opening the month is James Cameron’s “Titanic in 3D”, will it sink or swim to higher box office numbers? The American Pie crew return for “American Reunion”. It could be a hit or a big flop.

“The Cabin in the Woods” co-written by Joss Whedon (“Buffy the Vampire
Slayer”) and stars Chris Hemsworth (“Thor”). In what was suppose to be a simple getaway amongst friends takes an unexpected turn. Guy Pearce (“Memento”) and Maggie Grace (“Lost”) star in “Lockout”, a sci-fi thriller where a man has to save the president’s daughter in exchange for his freedom. Moe, Larry, and Curly make their way from the small screen to the big screen in “The Three Stooges” movie. Looking for a Spring date movie? Perhaps check out “The Lucky One” starring Zac Efron (“17 Again”) and Taylor Schilling (“Dark Matter”) based on the Nicholas Sparks book of the same name.

My spotlight picks of the month are “Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope“ and “The Five-Year Engagement”. From the director of “Supersize Me”, Morgan Spurlock, Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope is a documentary centering around the famed Comics convention. Jason Segal (“Forgetting Sarah Marshall”) and Emily Blunt (“The Young Victoria”) star in “The Five-Year Engagent”, which looks like its going to be funny but yet sweet. Segal also co-wrote the screenplay.

Well that’s my April overview, click on the link below to check out the rest of the movies coming out this month and check back next month for the start of the Summer Movie Season and my picks of the month! If you’ve seen any of the films from this month…leave some feedback/suggestions in the Comments section on what to see.

**NOTE: Theatrical Release Dates are subject to change.**
Source: Comingsoon.net

April 4
- Titanic in 3D (3D/2D theaters and IMAX)

April 5
- Air Racers 3D (IMAX 3D)

April 6
- American Reunion
- The Assault (limited)
- ATM (limited)
- Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope (LA, VOD; NY release: April 13)
- Damsels in Distress (NY, LA)
- The Hunter (limited)
- Keyhole (limited)
- Player Hating: A Love Story (NY)
- Surviving Progress (NY; expands: Apr. 20)
- We Have a Pope (limited)
- We the Party (limited)

April 11
- The Lady (limited)
- Post Mortem (NY)

April 12
- The Eye of the Storm (limited)

April 13
- Bad Ass (limited)
- Blue Like Jazz (limited)
- The Cabin in the Woods
- Deadline (limited)
- Detention (limited)
- Here (NY)
- Hit So Hard (NY, LA)
- How to Grow a Band (NY)
- L!fe Happens (limited)
- Late Bloomers (NY)
- Lockout
- Monsieur Lazhar (limited)
- The Three Stooges
- Touchback (limited)
- Woman Thou Art Loosed!: On the 7th Day (limited)

April 16
- Oki’s Movie (NY)

April 20
- Chimpanzee
- Darling Companion (limited)
- Downtown Express (NY)
- Fightville (NY, LA)
- Goodbye First Love (limited)
- Jesus Henry Christ (limited)
- The Lucky One
- Marley (limited/VOD)
- The Moth Diaries (limited)
- My Way (limited; expands: May 4)
- Think Like a Man
- To The Arctic 3D (IMAX)

April 25
- Payback (NY)

April 27
- 96 Minutes (limited)
- Bernie (limited)
- Citizen Gangster (limited)
- Elles (limited)
- The Five-Year Engagement
- Headhunters (limited)
- The Pirates! Band of Misfits (3D/2D theaters)
- The Raven
- Safe
- Sound of My Voice (limited)
- Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale (limited)

A lot has changed since the gang from East Great Falls last graced our screens all the way back in 2003. Video games abandoned traditional controllers. Osama Bin Laden and Kim Jong Il died. Celebrities embraced Twitter, and a lot of them got in trouble for saying really offensive things. The Avengers finally arrived in cinemas, curing us of all sickness, and ending famine, suffering, and inequality the world over (or rather, it will in a few weeks time). And just recently Oreo revolutionised the hackneyed ‘Double Oreo’ and introduced ‘Triple Double Oreos’. That’s a lot of cultural milestones, and today’s teens are different from the generations that have come before because of them. So, unless the four direct-to-DVD American Pie spin-offs released in the past few years actually have serious cache amongst kids, I can’t imagine them caring much about what Jim, Oz, Kevin, Finch, or even Stifler have been up to over the past decade.

But that’s probably a good thing. American Reunion – or, American Pie: Reunion, as it’s called here in Australia – fares worst when it tries to compete with recent high school raunch-fests. Writer-directors Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg are unable to craft any particularly memorable sequences to outdo the infamous set pieces from the original movie. Whenever they do try and wedge the 30-something male cast into an awkward sexual scenario with a buxom 18-year-old girl, it’s uncomfortable and unpleasant for everyone involved. Thus, the fourth instalment of the series is unlikely to send any young boys tittering onto the schoolyard. What sets American Reunion apart – and occasionally, even elevates it – is the nostalgia factor. There is an inherent pleasure and comfort in seeing these actors reunite, and I found myself surprisingly delighted to welcome back each cast member as they revealed themselves one by one.

If you hadn’t already picked up the premise of the film – really? – here’s the basic distillation: the class of ’99 that we once saw frantically and embarrassingly attempt to jettison their virginity are invited to their 13-year school reunion. But the crew is not as it used to be. The formerly freaky Jim (Jason Biggs) and Michelle (Alyson Hannigan) are having trouble getting the spark back ever since they had a kid; Oz’s (Chris Klein) lacrosse days are over, and he now earns a pay check by hosting a banal sports show and appearing over-enthusiastic on Celebrity Dance Off (a nice play on his notorious leaked Mamma Mia auditions); Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas) is a house-husband; Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas) is a worldly traveller; and Stifler (Seann William Scott), is, well, Stifler, but now his shtick is getting really pathetic considering he can’t even hold down a temp job at an insurance firm (Stifler remains – despite all odds – a supremely appealing presence, and that’s entirely thanks to Scott’s over-sexed, eager-puppy performance).

They’re not the only ones to return: Mena Suvari, Tara Reid, and pretty much all the bit players from the first flick score some screen time. Even Jim’s dad (Eugene Levy) and Stifler’s mum (Jennifer Coolidge) get their own romantic moments. Each character has a surprisingly thoughtful through-line, having to deal with work, marriage, children, and even death. With the cruel realities of adulthood upon them, and the sudden realisation that they are all 30 and perhaps not living the life they had always dreamed, how can they not reflect on high school with rose tinted glasses? But, as they learn, you can never really go back home. And though American Reunion is a mostly enjoyable experience, it pales in comparison to the original, which only makes that maxim all the more true.

3/5

Check out Simon’s other reviews here.

American Pie: Reunion is now showing in Australian cinemas.

by Steve Habrat

While American Pie is beginning to show its crow’s feet, 2001’s American Pie 2 hasn’t aged nearly as bad as the 1999 original. It may be blasphemous to say but I have always found American Pie 2 to be slightly better than the original film, both in story and laughs. Maybe it is the fact that the film is a nonstop party, a beer stained snapshot of these character’s glory days. In the end, I think I like American Pie 2 better because it shows us how these characters have evolved (or stayed the same) and it tackles how people change between high school and college. You are always eager to get back after your first year without parental supervision and trade war stories with your high school pals. Much like the original, the underlying content has found staying power, especially with a younger audience, but I too enjoy watching American Pie 2 and being reminded about the first summer back from pouring over books, cramming for exams, and constant parties. It made me reminisce about a time when I didn’t have a care in the world. American Pie 2 smartly bottles up that electric enthusiasm to see how those who were close to you have changed for the better or the worse.

American Pie 2 picks up with the old gang, showing us their last few days of their freshman year of college. The gang heads home to their hometown of East Great Falls, eager to start sharing their new experiences with one another, most of these experiences having to do with sex. Jim (Played by Jason Biggs), Oz (Played by Chris Klein), Kevin (Played by Thomas Ian Nicholas), and Finch (Played by Eddie Kaye Thomas) head to their old haunts and look forward to summer sipping beers at party guy Steve Stifler’s (Played by Seann William Scott) house. At Stifler’s party, they bump into their old female chums from their high school days, Vicky (Played by Tara Reid) and Jessica (Played by Natasha Lyonne). After a few embellished stories about college, the cops break up Stifler’s party, leaving the gang with no other place to get drunk over the summer. The gang soon finds themselves traveling to Grand Harbor, Michigan to shack up in a beach house for the summer. Jim also learns that foreign exchange student Nadia (Played by Shannon Elizabeth) will be returning home at the end of summer and she is very eager to spark up an old romance with him, leaving Jim turning to the only person he has ever been intimate with, band geek Michelle (Played by Alyson Hannigan), to help him tweak his sexual sills.

The major handicap of American Pie was the shaky acting from the young leads, mostly from the awful Chris Klein, who has slightly improved between the original and the sequel. Klein still lacks chemistry with his goody-goody girlfriend Heather (Played by Mena Suvari) and it really wounds the film. Suvari certainly tries to coax some out of him, but he is a lost cause. Seann William Scott’s Stifler gets a bit more room to shine in the second helping of Pie, checking in a more obnoxious performance than he did in the first time around. While he remained largely on the outside when the gang was simply trying to loose their virginity, he is part of their inner circle here and for those who hated him the first time, well, you’re going to loathe this beach house bonanza. Biggs gets even better, finding himself in more gauche situations than he did the first time around, even worse because he found out he was horrible at sex and now he has lost the little confidence he once possesed. His chemistry with Hannigan’s Michelle, which wasn’t fully developed the first time, is front and center here. They have some truly wonderful exchanges as she helps shape Jim into an irresistible stud for the gorgeous Nadia. Also a standout is the returning Eugene Levy as Jim’s unassuming father, who tries to give him words of wisdom every time he embarrasses himself.

American Pie 2 fairs better from improved direction and writing, which allows the cast to be a bit more believable. Screenwriter Adam Herz does up at the ante on the sex gags that are sprinkled throughout and he does cook up a few tasty sequences. One scene involving the boys and two girls they believe are lesbians is pretty sharp and full of surprises. It mirrors the Internet broadcast sequence in the original. Another scene involving Jim trying to watch porn and mistaking superglue for lubricant is another winner. Biggs helps the scene by wearing aghast facial expressions, especially when his situation goes from horrible to dire.  It is also a bit obvious that American Pie 2 has a bit of a larger budget than the original film, having a much more polished look to it. It seems like the production company didn’t gamble much on the original film, especially since the original is riddled with so many mistakes (the tainted beer cup, the opening sequence that is supposedly taking place at night when we can clearly see sun shining through the windows).

American Pie 2 isn’t any deeper than the original, actually possessing less depth than the original did. The film is more concerned with extended party sequences, trying to squeeze in as much nudity as it possible can, and devising ways to put Shannon Elizabeth in a bikini. There aren’t even any missed opportunities for saying something profound. In a way, this may be why I like the film a bit more than the original. It doesn’t try to be anything else than a party movie that just wants to get laid. Sure it gets the feeling of meeting up with your old friends correct, an aspect that completely saves the film from being irrelevant and disposable. The real saving grace is that the actors are much more comfortable in their character’s skins, making them feel much more real than they did when they were just lowly high school students. It’s the same old debauchery, just a little bit wiser, more scantily clad girls, and with a higher alcohol tolerance.

Grade: B+

American Pie 2 is now available on DVD.

Directed by Jesse Dylan, It’s the wedding of Jim and Michelle and the gathering of their families and friends, including Jim’s old friends from high school and Michelle’s little sister. but the problems don’t stop there for Jim. Now along with Finch and Myers, Jim must plan the wedding. Unfortunately Stifler is in town and won’t let the wedding go past without having some fun himself, which includes setting up a secret bachelor party.