American Pie

3/4

The version reviewed is the Unrated Version.  For the record, the original cut was Rated R for Strong Sexuality, Crude Sexual Dialogue, Language and Drinking--All Involving Teens

Starring: Jason Biggs, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Chris Klein, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Tara Reid, Seann William Scott, Eugene Levy

If you really think about it, it’s not particularly surprising that raunchy sex comedies make big bucks.  A good comedy needs an edge, and despite being a universal experience, sex is considered pretty taboo in the United States (don’t ask me why…).  What separates “American Pie” from every other raunchy teen sex comedy is that in addition to all the sex, nudity and general outrageousness that one finds in these movies, it’s surprisingly sweet.  Oh, and it’s absolutely hilarious.

Jim (Biggs), Kevin (Nicholas), Oz (Klein) and Finch (Thomas) are best friends, and they have a problem.  They’re months away from graduating high school, and none of them have lost their virginity.  Jim has his sights set on the Nadia (Shannon Elizabeth), the sexy foreign exchange student, but he’s incredibly socially awkward.  Kevin has been dating Vicki (Reid) for a while, but she wants him to say that he loves her before she will do the deed with him, and that leaves him tongue-tied.  Oz is a lacrosse jock who realizes that chicks dig sensitive guys.  Finch, on the other hand, has a way too refined taste.  After the class geek gets lucky before them, they make a pact to lose their virginity before senior prom.

“American Pie” has a fairly large cast, and all the characters are surprisingly well-developed and well acted.  Jason Biggs is a master of comic embarrassment, which leads to one of the film’s funniest sequences (it involves a webcam).  Thomas Ian Nicholas is fine as the only one in the group with a steady girlfriend.  Chris Klein is flat as the dumb jock, but he does have nice chemistry with Mena Suvari, who plays his love interest.  Eddie Kaye Thomas is hilarious as the geek with a dry wit.  He’s so anal-retentive that he won’t use the school bathrooms.

The girls are just as good.  Shannon Elizabeth is great as Nadia; she’s sexy as hell, and she knows it.  Tara Reid uses her raspy voice to good effect as Vicki, who wants her "first time" to be perfect.  Mena Suvari is terrifically low-key as Heather, who’s fed up with her “goody two shoes” reputation.  Of all the characters, Heather is the most real.  Natasha Lyonne is on hand to give advice; I wished she was in more of the movie.  Then there’s Alyson Hannigan, who is quite funny as the flaky band member, Michelle.

Three other cast members must be mentioned.  Eugene Levy joins the list of “Movie Dads We Wish We Had.”  This is the way every dad should act; he recognizes that his son has hormones, so he wants to make sure that he has all the information and support that he needs.  So, like any sane person, he presents his son with porn (much to Jim’s embarrassment).  Seann William Scott is perfectly obnoxious as Stifler, who is so stupid he doesn’t realize that no one actually like him.  Rounding out the cast is Jennifer Coolidge, who plays Stifler’s Mom (more than that I will not say).

“American Pie” works because it is perceptive. The filmmakers know what it’s like to be in high school, and they use that for comic effect.  True, they don’t shy away from juvenile humor, but there is a strong undercurrent of honesty throughout the proceedings.  The cast and crew also displays the concept of comic timing, which is crucial for any comedy.

Rude, crude and absolutely hilarious, “American Pie” is one of the few high notes in the raunchy sex comedy genre.

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