The Fresh Films Review: American Pie (1999)

American Pie (1999)

Directed by:
Paul Weitz

COUNTRY
USA

Genre
Comedy

NORWEGIAN TITLE
American Pie

RUNNING TIME
97 minutes

Produced by:
Chris Moore
Craig Perry
Chris Weitz
Warren Zide

Written by:
Adam Herz

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Jim	Jason Biggs	½
Chris "Oz" Ostreicher	Chris Klein	½
Jessica	Natasha Lyonne	½
Kevin	Thomas Ian Nicholas	½
Stifler	Seann William Scott	½
Vicky	Tara Reid
Heather	Mena Suvari	½
Finch	Eddie Kaye Thomas	½
Michelle	Alyson Hannigan	½
Sherman	Chris Owen	-
Nadia	Shannon Elizabeth	-
Stifler's mom	Jennifer Coolidge	-
Jim's dad	Eugene Levy	-

Review

Since the origin of the sex comedy in the 1950s, the scenes and situations in the subgenre have become more revealing, and the characters and the target audience gradually younger. With this latest entry titled American Pie, one could argue that the last remnants of sophistication are gone when kids are drinking sperm and having sex with apple pies, but despite this perceived moral decay, this roaring box-office success actually has a layer of self-criticism and self-reflection, even if that arguably is not its main takeaway.

Under the direction of first-time director Paul Weitz, American Pie is often a very superficial and inconsiderate picture, which may or may not be some sort of comment on the society and generation it portrays, but most likely is simply an attempt to make sex and raging hormones cool, funny, and profitable. That said, as a comedy, the film largely delivers on what it promises. The characters are constantly placed in super-embarrassing situations, for simple, albeit mostly benign, ridicule. This is not an exploitation film, despite the overlapping subject matter. Some of the young actors also demonstrate a bit of comedic talent, particularly Jason Biggs, Eddie Kaye Thomas, and Seann William Scott.

So what's the conclusion on American Pie? Does it leave you with anything? Yes and no. The film may not reveal itself to be quite as one-dimensional as you may expect. It ultimately gives love and romance a good name, and it attempts to demystify sex in its crude, embarrassing manner. Still, most viewers will probably feel that the comedy becomes repetitive and wears thin after a while. Whether American Pie is representative of the current generation of youths is for others to decide, but the box office numbers do indeed suggest that it at least struck some sort of chord.