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American Pie
The teen comedies that dominated the 1980's entered a new phase of sophistication without losing the slightly raunchy humor of teen angst with the funny and engaging American Pie, that took a lot of what we saw in the 80's and turned it on its ear, still providing consistent laughs thanks to an intelligent screenplay and a terrific ensemble cast.
The 1999 comedy centers on four high school seniors who have made a pact to have sex before the senior prom: Jim (Jason Biggs) is a sexually obsessed virgin who has a close encounter with a foreign exchange student (Shannon Elizabeth) before actually finding the girl of his dreams in a band geek named Michelle (Alyson Hannigan); Oz (Chris Klein) is a hunky jock who finds himself drawn to a girl in jazz choir (Mena Suvari); Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas) has been going out with Vicky (Tara Reid) forever, but they just haven't been able to make that crucial move to the next level; Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas) attempts to spread rumors about himself to get a prom date but an embarrassing incident limits his chances of getting a date. And let's not forget Stifler (Seann William Scott), the spiritual leader and crassly insensitive stud who also serves as our boys' cheerleader/whipping boy.
Screenwriter Adam Herz has crafted a clever and believable story centered around high school boys that perfectly captures the teenage male psyche the same way Mean Girls did with the teenage female psyche. The guys in this story have nothing but sex on their minds and though most of them aren't getting it, spend a lot of time pretending that they are. It's not surprising when Jim gets his chance with the foreign exchange student and it ends up broadcast on the internet that every teenage boy in town is tuned in, externally offering their opinion how Jim should be doing better than he is, but secretly seething with jealousy because Jim has been given an opportunity that they might never have.
The story not only offers varied looks at teenage male obsession with sex, but at the high school class system as well. The characters are all carefully placed in those annoying cliques that we all had to struggle with in high school. We get to see the jocks make fun of the jazz choir, as well as everyone making fun of the band, even though we later become privy to the nonstop sexual depravity that happens at band camp. Though if the truth be known, my favorite scenes in the film involve Jim and his father, beautifully played by Eugene Levy, as dad, after catching Jim trying to watch porn, decides it's time to deal with his son regarding the facts of life.
The performances are pretty much on the mark, featuring star-making performances from Biggs, Scott, and Klein (whatever happened to him?). A special nod to Eddie Kaye Thomas as Finch, the teen who tries too hard to be an adult but probably makes the biggest score out of all the guys on prom night. It was also interesting seeing Suvari playing a role the polar opposite of the one she played the same year in American Beauty. This film was also my first exposure to Jennifer Coolidge, who lights the screen on fire playing cinema's first "MILF" and if you look closely, you'll catch a very young John Cho in a small role. The movie is over 20 years old, but it still brings the funny.
The teen comedies that dominated the 1980's entered a new phase of sophistication without losing the slightly raunchy humor of teen angst with the funny and engaging American Pie, that took a lot of what we saw in the 80's and turned it on its ear, still providing consistent laughs thanks to an intelligent screenplay and a terrific ensemble cast.
The 1999 comedy centers on four high school seniors who have made a pact to have sex before the senior prom: Jim (Jason Biggs) is a sexually obsessed virgin who has a close encounter with a foreign exchange student (Shannon Elizabeth) before actually finding the girl of his dreams in a band geek named Michelle (Alyson Hannigan); Oz (Chris Klein) is a hunky jock who finds himself drawn to a girl in jazz choir (Mena Suvari); Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas) has been going out with Vicky (Tara Reid) forever, but they just haven't been able to make that crucial move to the next level; Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas) attempts to spread rumors about himself to get a prom date but an embarrassing incident limits his chances of getting a date. And let's not forget Stifler (Seann William Scott), the spiritual leader and crassly insensitive stud who also serves as our boys' cheerleader/whipping boy.
Screenwriter Adam Herz has crafted a clever and believable story centered around high school boys that perfectly captures the teenage male psyche the same way Mean Girls did with the teenage female psyche. The guys in this story have nothing but sex on their minds and though most of them aren't getting it, spend a lot of time pretending that they are. It's not surprising when Jim gets his chance with the foreign exchange student and it ends up broadcast on the internet that every teenage boy in town is tuned in, externally offering their opinion how Jim should be doing better than he is, but secretly seething with jealousy because Jim has been given an opportunity that they might never have.
The story not only offers varied looks at teenage male obsession with sex, but at the high school class system as well. The characters are all carefully placed in those annoying cliques that we all had to struggle with in high school. We get to see the jocks make fun of the jazz choir, as well as everyone making fun of the band, even though we later become privy to the nonstop sexual depravity that happens at band camp. Though if the truth be known, my favorite scenes in the film involve Jim and his father, beautifully played by Eugene Levy, as dad, after catching Jim trying to watch porn, decides it's time to deal with his son regarding the facts of life.
The performances are pretty much on the mark, featuring star-making performances from Biggs, Scott, and Klein (whatever happened to him?). A special nod to Eddie Kaye Thomas as Finch, the teen who tries too hard to be an adult but probably makes the biggest score out of all the guys on prom night. It was also interesting seeing Suvari playing a role the polar opposite of the one she played the same year in American Beauty. This film was also my first exposure to Jennifer Coolidge, who lights the screen on fire playing cinema's first "MILF" and if you look closely, you'll catch a very young John Cho in a small role. The movie is over 20 years old, but it still brings the funny.