In July of 1999 audiences were introduced to American Pie, a movie that showcased the sexual frustrations of Jim (Jason Biggs), Oz (Christopher Klein), Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas), and Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas); the four friends make a pact to lose their virginity by their Senior Prom. The breakout star of the film was Stifler, played by Sean William Scott, whose offensive and rude behavior was uproarious and solidified Stifler as one of the funniest characters in recent memory. The film went on to gross over $235 million dollars and was a surprise hit. In the two subsequent sequels (not including the direct to DVD films), the characters aged, but never matured; always finding themselves in precarious predicaments and as they grew up, we grew up right along with them. In the newest film, American Reunion, the whole gang returns home to East Great Falls, Michigan to celebrate their 10 year high school reunion, "13 years later".
The writing team of Hayden Schlossberg and Jon Hurwitz, who'd done a more than admirable job on the Harold and Kumar films, were given writing and directing duties on American Reunion. I give both men credit for not trying to do too much and by sticking with the formula that made the prior movies so successful, because "if it's not broke, don't fix it". Schlossberg and Hurwitz do a perfect job of putting the characters into situations many of us are all too familiar with; some due to getting older and others due to our own stupidity. Unlike The Hangover 2, which recycled the same plot from The Hangover, American Reunion continues the process of advancing the characters further into life. Yes, some of the jokes are rehashed; but sometimes no matter how much someone ages, they never grow up.
I'm pretty sure everyone has a friend like Jim, that did something when he was younger that was so ridiculous that he'd never live it down; ours goes by the name of Shmo and he's proud to be that guy. There's the friend that's a jock like Oz, that would do anything to impress a girl; the friend like Kevin, that's the pretty boy and thinks he's destined to be with that one girl; the friend that's the most mature of the bunch and acts a lot older than he actually is, much like Finch; and then there's Stifler, the one guy that all he does is bust balls endlessly and is easily accepted as part of the group. I'd be willing to be I just described a good number of guys that hung out together growing up. Some of us even had a cool dad like Jim's, played by Eugene Levy in every American Pie film including the direct to DVD movies. Although it took years for me to realize it, Eugene Levy is the moral compass of the franchise and gives a rock steady as well as laugh out loud performance each time out.
Similar to the previous three films, the strength lies in the believability of what the guys go through; reminiscent of experiences most lifelong friends may have gone through in life. That's not to say that everything that happens in the films is plausible, but it is sure as hell funny watching it all unfold. American Reunion is vulgar, crude, filled with dirty jokes, nudity and all kinds of raunchy behavior and I love every single last minute of it.
Next year will be my 20th year high school reunion, of which I won't be going. I had a number of acquaintances while in high school, but no one that I'd call a true friend. The true friends I've had in life I'm happy to say are now life-long friends of mine. The time we spent together were great and over the years we've made a lot of memories; some low key ones such as sitting up all night playing video games or poker, and other outrageous drunken ones .okay, there were a lot of drunken ones, in which I was always the sober guys. In all the years that have passed, my core group of friends has always remained close and I'm thankful that we've all stayed in touch over the years. It's movies like this and the others in the franchise that stir up memories and conversations that throughout the years are worth remembering, enjoying and laughing about 13, 25, or even 50 years later.
Grade: B+
The writing team of Hayden Schlossberg and Jon Hurwitz, who'd done a more than admirable job on the Harold and Kumar films, were given writing and directing duties on American Reunion. I give both men credit for not trying to do too much and by sticking with the formula that made the prior movies so successful, because "if it's not broke, don't fix it". Schlossberg and Hurwitz do a perfect job of putting the characters into situations many of us are all too familiar with; some due to getting older and others due to our own stupidity. Unlike The Hangover 2, which recycled the same plot from The Hangover, American Reunion continues the process of advancing the characters further into life. Yes, some of the jokes are rehashed; but sometimes no matter how much someone ages, they never grow up.
I'm pretty sure everyone has a friend like Jim, that did something when he was younger that was so ridiculous that he'd never live it down; ours goes by the name of Shmo and he's proud to be that guy. There's the friend that's a jock like Oz, that would do anything to impress a girl; the friend like Kevin, that's the pretty boy and thinks he's destined to be with that one girl; the friend that's the most mature of the bunch and acts a lot older than he actually is, much like Finch; and then there's Stifler, the one guy that all he does is bust balls endlessly and is easily accepted as part of the group. I'd be willing to be I just described a good number of guys that hung out together growing up. Some of us even had a cool dad like Jim's, played by Eugene Levy in every American Pie film including the direct to DVD movies. Although it took years for me to realize it, Eugene Levy is the moral compass of the franchise and gives a rock steady as well as laugh out loud performance each time out.
Similar to the previous three films, the strength lies in the believability of what the guys go through; reminiscent of experiences most lifelong friends may have gone through in life. That's not to say that everything that happens in the films is plausible, but it is sure as hell funny watching it all unfold. American Reunion is vulgar, crude, filled with dirty jokes, nudity and all kinds of raunchy behavior and I love every single last minute of it.
Next year will be my 20th year high school reunion, of which I won't be going. I had a number of acquaintances while in high school, but no one that I'd call a true friend. The true friends I've had in life I'm happy to say are now life-long friends of mine. The time we spent together were great and over the years we've made a lot of memories; some low key ones such as sitting up all night playing video games or poker, and other outrageous drunken ones .okay, there were a lot of drunken ones, in which I was always the sober guys. In all the years that have passed, my core group of friends has always remained close and I'm thankful that we've all stayed in touch over the years. It's movies like this and the others in the franchise that stir up memories and conversations that throughout the years are worth remembering, enjoying and laughing about 13, 25, or even 50 years later.
Grade: B+