American Pie (1999)

Review by Bret Walker

This sophomoric attempt at recapturing the coming-of-age magic of such films as Porky's and The Last American Virgin is obvious in its intent. Nonetheless, it is still a very funny movie with tons of bathroom humor, slapstick, and terrific lines delivered amid the story of four Michigan teens trying to lose their virginity before Prom.

Sometimes daring, sometimes racy, never conservative, this film is definitely not for the weak of stomach. It received mixed reviews, but everyone I ever talked to said it was the funniest movie they saw last year.

The awkwardness, the angst, the frustration and embarassment of being a teenager-these are all depicted here. Anyone who survived the high-school experience should appreciate the situations these four young men find themselves in.

There were times when this film seemed full of cliches from other movies of this genre. There were times when the humor seemed innovative and edgy, not to mention gross. But this stands to reason in an age where movies of this type seem to knock themselves out trying to out-gross all the others. Witness the box-office appeal of the Farrelli brother comedies (Dumb and Dumber, Kingpin, There's Something About Mary). But there's one thing that this film has that other coming-of-age comedies do not: a message that life is what you make it, and that living from experience to experience, no matter how rough the journey, is well worth the trip.

Rating:

Trivia:

Eddie Kaye Thomas and Mena Suvari appeared in another 1999 film together: Carrie 2: The Rage.

Mena Suvari was in two "American" films in 1999, the second being American Beauty.

This is Jason Biggs' second film, but he's also been on the small screen. He had a two-year stint on As the World Turns (1994-95) as Peter Wendall, and played Willie Trancas in the short-lived series Drexell's Class (1991).

Paul Weitz and his brother Chris have teamed up to write for movies such as Antz (1998), Clockstoppers (1999), I Was Made To Love Her (2000), and The Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000).

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