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After dying out in the late eighties, the sex comedy made a comeback a decade later with American Pie, directed by Paul Weitz (About a Boy, Little Fockers) and written by Adam Herz. Narratively, there’s no reinvention of the wheel here: four high school boys make a pact to lose their virginities by the end of prom night. But as obstacles mount and the big night approaches, the pressure and anxiety begins to affect everyone. Maybe losing it isn’t worth all the headache?
American Pie is less bawdy and cartoonish than the seminal Porky’s, though it pushes boundaries in search of laughs the same way Porky’s did. The centerpiece scene is when actor Jason Biggs has sex with a warm apple pie, only to be caught by his nightmarishly understanding father, played by the ever-lovable Eugene Levy (Schitt’s Creek). Other highlights include Eddie Kaye Thomas making out with his rival’s mother (Jennifer Coolidge), and a double-premature ejaculation debacle Biggs has with a foreign exchange student (Shannon Elizabeth).
These sorts of films are only as good as their characters and jokes. Fortunately, American Pie‘s cast is full of likeable talent and has more than its fair share of laughs. Many cast members went on to have sustained acting careers. Sean William Scott makes perhaps the biggest splash as the four virgins’ douchebag rival, ‘Stifler’. Chris Klein plays the ‘sweetest’ of the boys and went on to star in several middling romantic comedies later. The young women are much more than objects for a change. Alyson Hannigan (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) plays a goofy gal who turns out to be more of a sex freak than any of the boys, and Natasha Lyonne is beautifully cast as the school’s Yoda of sexuality, helping both the gals and the guys navigate the awkward waters of courtship.
With Thomas Ian Nicholas, Tara Reid, Mena Suvari, and Chris Owen.