The original "American Pie" is one of my favorite comedies of all-time. It's sorta like "The Last American Virgin," the early 80s classic, where on the surface, it seems like just another teen sex comedy, but if you watch it, you'll see that it's a lot more than that, it's actually a very sweet movie. One of the biggest reasons that "American Pie" worked was because of that, it was a hilarious, raunchy comedy, but when all is said and done, it's actually a very innocent movie... almost TOO innocent, though. The writer includes terminology like "doing it" and "third base" in the dialogue, and lemmie tellya, when I was a teen, we didn't talk that way. The writer seemed out of touch with the generation. That was a minor flaw, though, and I love "American Pie." I saw it again this past Friday, and it may have been my eighth or ninth time watching it. The movie never bores me.
I was really happy to hear that there was a sequel for "American Pie" in the works. I was a little nervous, of course, but I had faith. Besides, all of the actors and actresses signed on, so the whole gang would be back. There was to be a new director, but the same writer was working on the script, so I was happy. That was the thing I was most concerned about, the script. I wanted the sequel to have the same flavor, where it was a raunchy, but sweet movie. With the same writer coming back, it wasn't a guarantee, but it improved the chances of the movie being that way.
So what's the end result of "American Pie 2"? Well, I'm happy to report that I love the movie. In fact, it's actually a tad bit raunchier than the first, but it's also sweeter. I'll go so far as to say that I like this movie just as much as the original, and that's saying a lot. I can't tell you just yet if it's gonna be as good to watch with multiple viewings, but I can tell you that I walked out of the theater really happy. "American Pie 2" kicks ass.
Realistically, this movie is completely unnecessary. "American Pie" ended well, and the sequel is nothing more than a way to capitalize on the success of the first, but truth be told, I was thrilled to see how the story continues. I loved seeing this next chapter in the lives of these characters. However, there may have been too much going on. There were several storylines going on throughout the movie, and one or two I coulda done without. Since all the characters returned, too much may have been crammed together. Several characters seemed to have exhausted their storylines in the last movie, so they were forced into situations, but had no real story. I don't know if I'm making much sense, but maybe you'll know what I mean when you see the movie. That's the only real flaw, though, and the main story, which has to do with "Jim," is excellent.
As mentioned earlier, the entire main cast is back. They include Jason Biggs ("Jim"), Shannon Elizabeth ("Nadia"), Chris Klein ("Oz"), Alyson Hannigan ("Michelle"), Thomas Ian Nicholas ("Kevin"), Eugene Levy ("Jim's Dad"), Natasha Lyonne ("Jessica"), Tara Reid ("Vicky"), Seann William Scott ("Stifler"), Mena Suvari ("Heather"), Eddie Kaye Thomas ("Finch"), and even Chris Owen ("The Shermanator"). There are a couple of others who return, but I'll let those be surprises. The acting is first-rate, especially by Jason Biggs, Alyson Hannigan, and of course, Eugene Levy. I love it when Jason Biggs and Eugene Levy are together. They have this way of delivering dialogue that's hilarious. It's very natural, and they seem like they're actually talking. They work beautifully together. Alyson Hannigan is someone I've liked a lot recently. She's on the TV show, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" as a character named "Willow." I'm not a huge fan of that show, but since it comes on (or USED to come on) before one of my favorite TV shows, "Angel," I'd usually watch a few minutes of it. Though I'm not crazy about the show, I can tell you that Alyson Hannigan is a fantastic actress (as is Sarah Michelle Gellar). In "American Pie 2," she's a lot more lovable than she was in the original, but she's no less funny.
Adam Herz was the sole writer for "American Pie," but this time, he had help with the story by David H. Steinberg. I don't know who he is, "American Pie 2" is the only movie he's ever written for. The actual screenplay was written by Adam Herz. It's pretty interesting, but the only movies Adam Herz has ever written is "American Pie" and "American Pie 2." Also, it seems like he's improved as far as being out of touch with today's teens. Either that or David H. Steinberg helped him out with that. The director is J.B. Rogers. The only other movie he's ever directed was the recent bomb, "Say It Isn't So." He's been the first assistant director of a lotta movies, though, including "American Pie." The executive producers of this movie are Chris Weitz, Paul Weitz, and the writer, Adam Herz. The reason that I mention the executive producers is because The Weitz Brothers directed the first movie (Chris Weitz, for whatever reason, was uncredited, though he got producer credit for that movie). I'm not sure why they didn't wanna direct this one, but that's okay. J.B. Rogers did a fine job.
Part of me hopes that there isn't gonna be an "American Pie 3." They're two for two, both of these movies are great, but I have a feeling that a third one will kill it. If there IS another one, I hope that not all of the main characters return, because as proven in this movie, their stories are over, that's it for them. I'm pretty sure that there WILL be another sequel, though. I'll see it, but I'll be very nervous about it.
Right now, there are two movies tied for my favorite movie of the year, "Memento" and "Moulin Rouge." "American Pie 2" is right behind them. I can't wait for the DVD to come out so I can watch it again. I absolutely loved this movie.
Scale of 1-10: 9