American Pie (1999) Rated: NR. Runtime: 96 mins. Director: Paul Weitz Writer: Adam Herz Tagline: There's something about your first piece. Cast: Jason Biggs, Chris Klein,....complete cast Genre: Adventure/Family
Most memorable quote: "It's not a space shuttle launch, it's SEX?"
by Frank Wilkins
First there was Chasing Amy, then came There's Something About Mary, and finally comes American Pie. What do all of these movies have in common? They all have crossed the boundary of moral turpitude. Each one, that much more than the one before it. I hate to imagine what will come next. Now don't get me wrong, I am the farthest thing from a fuddy-dud when it comes to such things but doesn't there have to be a limit to what can appear in a mainstream motion picture in the U.S.? I'm deeply concerned about the impact to our society the next movie that tries to one-up American Pie might have. What started this? The Simpsons? South Park? If you've heard American Pie called the Porky's of the 90s, PLEASE! American Pie makes Porky's look like The Sound of Music.
We've seen many iterations of this plot. Four teenage (virgin) boys make a pact to get laid at the senior prom. Throw in bathroom humor involving a secretly administered laxative, an internet-wired camera in Jim's bedroom while he makes it with a girl, semen sight gags, and almost any other teen sexual prank you can think of, and you are on your way to writing the script for the first half of American Pie. Each skit in and of itself is hilarious. You have Jim's parents walking in on him while he is watching the scrambled cable channel in his bedroom....Come on!...who hasn't tried to adjust the cable box to get better reception on one of those adult channels? The hilariously uncomfortable father-to-son, birds and bees exchange between Jim and his father and of course the violation of baked goods.
Now, let's move on to the second half of the movie. It's almost as if writer Adam Herz felt he needed to get the attention of the audience with all of his teenage sexual pranks before the real messages began to be introduced. American Pie really does have a heart and it does actually take responsibility in addressing many teen problems. I can only hope that condom awareness is as prevalent in real life as it is in this movie....and I mean *real* condoms....not the make-shift variety as utilized by Jim. It is mentioned several times that, after prom, a bus will transport party-goers to the scene of the next throw-down. At least we are trying to make people understand that drinking and driving is not cool. We also learn that sometimes getting to know a person, and developing a relationship with someone is more important than caving-in to the teen peer pressure of adding another notch to your sexual conquest belt. What a shame that the majority of the target audience will be completely oblivious to The Graduate reference. That was a very clever device because there's a little bit of Benjamin in every guy.
American Pie as a whole is a movie with a shallow plot built around a few independently funny skits. It doesn't take itself seriously yet takes responsibility for its messages. But are our teens really ready for this? Are our teens really ready for what will come next? Is our society ready for what will come next? I give American Pie the maximum for macho factor as nudity and bathroom humor are big players. Do not watch this movie with children or in-laws...I'm warning you! Frank Wilkins
Sound: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
Other Features: Color; interactive menus; scene access; audio commentary by director Paul Weitz, producer Chris Weitz, writer Adam Herz and cast members Eddie Kaye Thomas, Jason Biggs and Seann William Scott; outtakes; spotlight on location; music highlights; trailer; additional DVD-ROM content.
Easter Eggs (Hidden features): From the main menu go to the disc's 'Bonus Features' menu and select 'Recommendations'. In this section you will find trailers for 'The Blues Brothers', 'Animal House', and 'American Graffiti'.
Another Easter Egg can be found when you check out the commercial of the 'American Pie' soundtrack on the disc. The commercial itself is followed by the music video for 'You Wanted More' by 'Tonic'.
American Pie (1999)
