American Pie ---- **1/2 (out of 5) (1999)
Cast: Jason Biggs, Jennifer Coolidge, Shannon Elizabeth, Alyson Hannigan, Chris Klein
Director(s): Paul Weitz
Screenwriter(s): Adam Herz
Released on: July 9, 1999
Reviewed on: September 17, 2002
Rated: R - for strong sexuality, crude sexual dialogue, language and drinking, all involving teens
This kind of comedy had me walking out of my room (after watching the DVD on my Playstation2) with mixed feelings. While coming up with the rating, I found myself stuck between mediocre or worthwhile. Well, it had a good share of funny moments but the true soul within was still mediocre.
The story revolves around four average high school boys. After getting word that the school nerd, Sherman, has had sex before they have, they decide to make a pact to get laid by the time they graduate. They figure that their last chance is the senior prom so now they have three weeks to "practice" before the big night.
I'm sure that the whole cast and crew of this film really put in their best intentions, but they did go a bit too far. As the film progresses, most of what it seems to do is just spend a few minutes setting itself up for another crude joke. You may find yourself wincing at some of the unnecessary references to orgasm, masturbation, and oral sex. The film is a bit realistic in its own way, which is why I included the word 'average' when describing the four male characters. After all, they are just average high school boys that are wild about sex like most are. AMERICAN PIE still does have some plain funny moments in it. Almost every joke is crude, but most are funny and you'll have to be some sort of abnormal creature if you don't produce a chuckle from any one of them.
Take the sexual webcam incident for example. It goes on a bit too long but it's still genuinely funny unless you're some stiff, strict banker or executive that has no sense of humor. Yes, AMERICAN PIE has an appealing cast of easily likable characters and I enjoyed around 80% of the entire film. But I'm afraid that I'm sticking to the rating you see above because, frankly, it is what it is....
<<<< Back To Contrabandit's Movie Reviews
