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American Pie (1999)

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752 comments in total

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60 out of 83 people found the following comment useful :-
Another reason that the summer of '99 is the Season of Comedy, 12 July 1999

Author: JeffCNN from Atlanta, Ga

I laughed so hard I spit out half the bucket-o-pop I was drinking, and finally had to stop sipping from its fine nectar, because so many times I was hooting and bending over in joy.

There are some slower moments to let you catch your breath and allow for moments of sincerity, but only for a minute. The scenes in the previews (the ones you think will ruin the movie for you) are expounded on ten-fold, so there are plenty of surprises.

During the movie I kept saying, "This is me and my friends when we were in high school!" They were almost the same conversations about life, sex and girls; just not as frequently, but it's only a two-hour film. Any guy will appreciate American Pie full tilt, and girls will realize just what hoops guys jump through in order to get their attention, let alone in their pants.

What added to American Pie is that I liked every character, because the filmmakers didn't feel the urge to give us prototypical teen characters. Their personalities are distinctive, and their situations are all different, which leads to a hilarious finale where we see just how their pact plays out on prom night.

As I mentioned before, there are genuine moments on the screen where the guys and gals have revelations of sincerity. It adds a needed depth to a film like this, where it's not just raw, raunchy comedy, but important to the lives of the characters who know more than sex is at stake. Which is another reason to like Pie, there are several slices, and sexual conquest is only one of them.

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50 out of 69 people found the following comment useful :-
CLASSIC!!!, 13 April 2002

Author: Robyn

This has got to be the best teen sex flick. Not only is it realistic so teenagers can relate to some of the situations ,its also hilarious ,so your guaranteed to laugh your head off.I do every time I watch it.I would recommend this movie to any person that enjoyed Fast Times at Ridgemont High which was also a great movie. Not only did I love the storyline and plot but the actors fit the characters so well, they made them all seem so realistic.Go see this movie if you haven't and also rent the sequel while your at it.

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37 out of 47 people found the following comment useful :-
Astoundingly good-natured sex comedy, 14 July 1999

Author: Jaime N. Christley (j_christley@hotmail.com) from NAS Whidbey Island, WA

The director and the writer, Paul Weitz and Adam Herz respectively, will do anything for a laugh -- that's good, as it turns out, because this movie has a great many laughs in it. There's not much of that restricting, suffocating "logic" stuff around, but "American Pie" is immensely enjoyable. I mean, almost none of the things that happen in this film would ever, ever come to pass in real life, but it doesn't matter.

For starters, the characters aren't all one-dimensional. Thankfully, they're two-dimensional, so right away it has an edge on 60-70% of all the movies ever made.

Moreover, it's heart is in the right place. Most high school movies these days are all about cruelty and malice, especially towards (and among) the women. Not the case here. This is the first conventional high school movie I've ever seen that made me smile so much (I say conventional because "Rushmore" still trumps every one of them).

Furthermore, it's very funny. I wouldn't dare give away any of the really great gags (we've all seen the trailer -- that's not the one I mean), but I'll say this: Weitz and Herz are extraordinarily skilled in audience manipulation, which is to say that they know how and when to spring unexpected surprises upon us. They also know how to use foul language for punch, rather than punctuation.

The soundtrack is another positive. It's all about joy and high energy -- even music from Third Eye Blind and Barenaked Ladies that suffers from radio overplay fits the mood appropriately.

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43 out of 59 people found the following comment useful :-
a well seasoned confection, 27 July 1999
Author: Tom Black (tomtblack@webtv.net) from Boardman, Ohio

American Pie has all the ingredients of a good movie. First, the plot deals with young people in search of their first sexual experience. What could be more basic to the human condition? Second, although obviously fiction, the film has a feeling of reality capturing the awkwardness and anxiety of young people at this point in their lives. Third, it is well written and not always predictable as each young man employs his own strategy, and of course, in the real world things do not always go as planned. Fourth, the cast consists of very talented young actors playing characters which may remind the audience of people they may have known. Fifth, the film has its poignant moments. The final ingredient is this movie is hilarious. The film has one liners, sight gags, and situations that very funny. The audience, which ranged from teenagers to middle age, laughed almost constantly and out loud. CAUTION: This film is rated "R" for sexual situations and the use of alcohol by young people. If you are easily offended or sexual humor makes you uncomfortable, stay away. However, if you are not in the aforementioned, you may enjoy it. Three stars!!!

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21 out of 28 people found the following comment useful :-
It's not what it looks like, Dad!, 23 February 2003

Author: Scott LeBrun from Winnipeg, Canada

Some folks might consider this "Porky's" for the nineties: four teen-aged guys, who seem to think about little else besides sex, make a pact to lose their virginity on prom night.

While the main drawing card of this movie seems to be the assortment of raunchy gags (and I'll admit they do make me laugh) what really helps it is the likability and earnestness of the cast. You can't help but sympathize (maybe even identify) with these people. Plus, you can't go wrong with casting funny man Eugene Levy as Jim's dad; the old man teaches Jim about masturbation and skin mags and these scenes are priceless.

I'll say it: I like this movie, I'm not ashamed to say it, and I don't consider myself a moron for enjoying it.

Interesting aside, though: I read that Spike Lee was so disgusted by this film that it motivated him to make his film "The Original Kings of Comedy".

To each his own, I say, and I give it eight out of ten.

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25 out of 37 people found the following comment useful :-
crude but amusing sex comedy, 1 February 2000
Author: Roland E. Zwick (magneteach@aol.com) from United States

If you are a person easily offended by a film dedicated primarily to the glory of teen sex, you may well view "American Pie" as yet another in a long line of cinematic harbingers of the collapse of western civilization. If, however, you remember adolescence as essentially a period of unending coitus interruptus, you may well find yourself engrossed by this amusing, though admittedly crude, series of sexual and scatalogical gags woven around a plot involving the desperate attempts of a quartet of last semester seniors to lose their virginity on the fast approaching sexual armageddon known as "prom night."

"American Pie" gleans most of its comic energy from its outrageous examination of the crazy and innovative extremes desperately horny teens will go to in order to experience the thrill of sex in lieu of the real thing. An attractive, game cast helps to mitigate the crudity of many of their actions and the filmmakers' lighthearted tone encompasses the characters in such a cloak of affection that the audience identifies with, rather than condemns, their antics.

As meager compensation for the moralists among us, the film does heavily promote the use of condoms and comes up with even more creative prophylactics for those times when a partner is not available.

"American Pie" is certainly not for every taste and there are those who would argue that it serves a less than salutary purpose as a guide for already sex-obsessed teenagers. Be that as it may, the film provides a fair number of hearty chuckles for those of us who can find humor in a group of backward youngsters experiencing the frustration and desperation we have all, at one time, experienced.

I do have one troubling question though: why do none of these characters, whenever they are involved in a potentially compromising position, ever lock a door? The answer, I suppose, is obvious for, if they did, at least half the film's biggest laughs would become impossible to achieve. For this film, at least, such a suspension of disbelief may be a prerequisite.

Be forewarned but enjoy!

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16 out of 22 people found the following comment useful :-
Flutes and pies, 15 January 2007

Author: StanMakitadonuts

Where do you start... from flutes to pies, this pioneer teen movie has it all. I'm pretty sure this was the first DVD I ever saw, back in 2000. I do remember owing $20 in late fees to blockbuster video for keeping it so long after it was due back. It was worth it! This has classic written all over it, I think it's safe to say that anyone that was involved with this movie has a great career now because of it. American pie has an absolute all star cast led by the Great Jason biggs Anyone who enjoys comedy, teen comedy must see this movie! honestly you need to watch more movies if you haven't sen this one!!!

10/10

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21 out of 35 people found the following comment useful :-
A shocking, but entertaining comedy., 11 June 1999
Author: Niceguy from Dallas, TX

American Pie starts right off with shock value, and while the film relies heavily on it, there's plenty of story and exceptional performances to hold your interest. I attended a sneak preview of what I was told was a rough cut of the film, although there was only one scene that looked unfinished. The underlying story here is that of four high school senior buddies who have made a pact with each other to get laid before they graduate, specifically at the prom. The problem is, only one of them has a serious girlfriend, and she can't decide if she's ready for sex. But where the film really makes an impact is in it's numerous masturbation related scenes. There is one scene particularly early in the film that should test your stomach for the rest of the film's humor. Now while the film may not sound like it has good morals, there is one repeated underlying message, and that is to do what you like and not what you feel pressured to do. Unfortunately, this is NOT the kind of film its target audience should be seeing. At times it makes getting laid seem like the most important part of high school. The strength of the film lies in the fact that everyone who went to a public high school can relate to some aspect portayed here, and in the strong and well-timed performances of the talented cast. If you're mature enough to appreciate the film for its sheer comical performances, then you should really enjoy it. But if you don't like "toilet humor", then you might not find anything appealing with this one. Definitely not a date movie.

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6 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
Classic!!!, 7 September 1999

Author: Starks from Brooklyn

I have to say that the most fun I had at the movies this summer was when I saw American Pie, the funniest picture I've seen since last summer's There's Something About Mary. This movie has taken the classic teenage boy film (Porky's, Revenge of the Nerds) and spruced it up for the 90's. It is hilarious from start to finish. If you like physical comedy, gross out comedy, sexual comedy, American Pie has it all. A great ensemble cast of likeable young actors makes this a joy to watch.

I think this year's breakout star has to be Chris Klein. He was phenomenal in Election and he is even better here as a jock who tries to soften his image to score before prom. I have a feeling Klein is going to be Hollywood's next big thing and I hope he has a chance to flex his acting muscles in some different movies (I can definitely see this guy in an action film).

Also very good is Jason Biggs who plays the sympathetic Jim character, the guy who is least likely to lose his virginity. His antics are very funny to follow and he gets the lion share of the laughs. Finally a huge ovation for Eugene Levy, who gets major laughs as the Jim's dad.

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9 out of 14 people found the following comment useful :-
Men need sex to feel loved. Women need love to have sex. Where do you even begin?, 29 October 2006

Author: Flagrant-Baronessa from the kingdom of far, far away (Sweden)

American Pie was a gruesome experience for me because the first time I watched it was with my best friend's older brother and father. Yeah, just us three. I was thirteen years old and a little part of me died as the brazen jokes kept piling up and culminating in grossness, upon which the father shifted awkwardly in his seat. With hindsight it was absolutely worth every minute of agony, because the film is such a powerful staple on the raunchy teen comedy wall of fame today and surely one of the most laugh-out-loud worthy films in my DVD collection (which isn't saying much since I have a total of like 20 films but still).

Its premise and execution both bluntly rehash Porky's but it also updates and modernizes its humour, settings and characters. Both Porky's and American Pie will be extremely dated (the former already is) but undoubtedly that will only contribute to the glossy contemporary feel of the films. They both zoom in on a group of brazen – but ordinary – teenage boys in the last year of high school and unflinchingly follow them as they enter a quest to lose their virginity before graduation, whatever means necessary. American Pie boasts of a quintet of absolutely hilarious guys who take on the mission but botch their way through dates and sexual encounters with fumbling ineptness. What is especially refreshing about the aforementioned is that these guys have no 'assigned quirks' to get the message across but only different personalities. In other words, they are playing it totally straight and the comedy therefore stems from the situations.

Sure 'American Pie' is not devoid of faults. Not by a long shot. It actively perpetuates stereotypes of the jock, the goody-goody two-shoes choir girl, the pimple-faced nerd, the Latin freak and the band camp geek. Far worse is that it presupposes that all girls are emotional predators of sorts, only after a heartfelt 'I love you' and conversely that are guys are horny beasts. Certainly there is a great deal of truth to both stereotypes but come on now – it's plain lazy comedy to ride on these clichés. Luckily American Pie has far more weapons to offer from its arsenal of comedy. How can you not enjoy a film that gave birth to the comic genius that is Eugene Levy, the fantastic Jennifer Coolidge as a Mrs. Robinsonesque older woman and coined the expression 'MILF'? The answer is, you can't. It's crude, dirty, gross, too far – and we love it.

8 out of 10

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