The film that proved such a success that the teen sex comedy was revitalised at the box office, with endless sequels and rip-offs following (worse luck). This one has some memorable moments for sure and a warmer hand with the characters than you might expect given the genre, but it's all much of a muchness to me.
American Pie
1999
Action / Comedy / Romance
American Pie
1999
Action / Comedy / Romance
Plot summary
Jim, Oz, Finch and Kevin are four friends who make a pact that before they graduate they will all lose their virginity. The hard job now is how to reach that goal by prom night. Whilst Oz begins singing to grab attention and Kevin tries to persuade his girlfriend, Finch tries any easy route of spreading rumors and Jim fails miserably. Whether it is being caught on top of a pie or on the Internet, Jim always ends up with his trusty sex advice from his father. Will they achieve their goal of getting laid by prom night? Or will they learn something much different?
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Much of a muchness
Great high school sex-romp
A group of high school friends try hard to get to the next level. When the guys find even the Shermanator got laid, the 4 friends (Jason Biggs, Chris Klein, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Eddie Kaye Thomas) vow to score before high school graduation. It's your basic teenage sex romp.
It could have been so easily a nothing movie. But the friendship elevates it, and there are plenty of funny things going on. It doesn't get funnier than Eugene Levy as Jim's Dad. And these young actors are so compelling.
Of course, Jason Biggs gets the big scenes. The Nadia (Shannon Elizabeth) scene is hilarious no matter how many times I see it. And the pie has all the people talking. Just like the shower scene in Porky's, this becomes bigger than the movie.
And rarely does a movie leak into the popular lexicon. For MILF alone, I'm willing a add an extra point to my vote. And is there anything more adorable than Alyson Hannigan's "This one time, at band camp...."?
Some funny moments, overall an okay watch
"American Pie" is already 16 years old by now. How time flies. It was a huge success back then and everybody from younger age groups, mostly teenagers growing-up, had seen it back in the day. Obviously, with time, it has lost a lot of significance, but it was maybe the 1999 film that reflected society the best back then. It has not aged as a classic or must-see comedy by any means, but these 95 minutes are certainly worth the watch. There are some really funny scenes in there, the beginning when Biggs' character gets caught masturbating by his parents, basically every scene that has Eugene Levy or Alyson Hannigan, Stifler or Stifler's mom, the pie scene... There were definitely also many scenes that weren't really that interesting, which is why I cannot give this film a higher rating. It is certainly not funny from start to finish, but during its best moments, it is extremely funny I think.
This was directed by brothers Paul and Chris Weitz before they became Oscar nominees. The writer is Adam Herz and he has basically written almost nothing outside the "American Pie" franchise. The cast includes a handful actors that are still known today, but no real superstars. The most known is probably Alyson Hannigan, an actress I like quite a lot and when this film here was made, she was already quite a star thanks to "Buffy". Back to "American Pie", this film is probably at its worst when it tries really hard to be also dramatically relevant in terms of relationships and sex between young males and females. It's not really working. But the comedy makes up for it on many occasions and makes this probably one of the most known comedies of the 1990s. Still today, almost everybody over the age of 20 has heard about "American Pie". You could maybe say that it was a defining film for a generation back then. Still, it's not a masterpiece or a classic, but definitely worth the watch if you are looking for a light goofball comedy. I recommend it. And if you like it, you can check out some of the sequels too if you're in the mood.