Blair Space: American Pie 2

This article was published on Blair Space at:
http://movies.blairspace.com/reviews/1.html

American Pie 2

The original American Pie basically set the standard for teen sex comedies. Road Trip blew it away but that is beside the point. If any movie deserved the chance for a sequel though, American Pie was a prime candidate. A good first film and no reason why it should be a one off (unlike Miss Congeniality and other such films which should be legally banned from making sequels).

I’m not going to lie to you – American Pie 2 is not the most sophisticated movie ever nor it is the most original (well to be honest I didn’t she Sherman getting it on with Nadia) with the opening scene showing Jim getting it on with a female and his dad arriving to surprise him – wonder where that one was going to end up.

The lack of surprise does little to remove the humour from the film though, you may know some of the jokes are coming but it doesn’t really spoil the punch line. American Pie 2 is a funny movie and at the end of the day, that is the important thing.

The plot revolves around one great summer – none of this everyone ending up dropping out of college somehow (that’s more of an attack on certain TV series than a comment on the film ;), just one cool summer where everyone is out to get laid when they head off to spend their time at the lake.

Genre hybridity also rears its head in the form of romance between Jim and Michelle although it isn’t a big thing – it feels more like a setup for American Pie 3.

Most of the movie is back to basics though – from Jim’s “I kind of glued myself… to myself” to the two possible lesbians that Stiffer lets out to get laid by, it’s a solid movie for those who are a fan of the first.

The best part of the movie comes in the form of the music though – this has an awesome song track. This comes down to personal tastes of course but you cannot go wrong with The Offspring, Blink 182, Sum 41, Alien Ant Farm and Michelle Branch all on the same soundtrack.

Another one of the best parts of the film is that it fits in with where the first firm left off. It feels like a natural extension of the first one without it feeling like it has all been created artificially.

For those thinking of picking the movie on DVD the extras feature no less than two audio commentaries (it’s my pet thing :P), as well as all the usual stuff like behind the scenes footage, outtakes, a documentary, etc.

Overall, American Pie 2 isn’t going to redefine the genre or touch you like no movie has before (that said you might wish some of the characters would ;), but it is a funny movie and an enjoyable watch. If you like the first or you were a fan of anything similar (I’m thinking Road Trip here) then you should check this one out.