Come back nerds, all is forgiven

Rating: 3/10 (11 July 2000)

If evidence was needed that mid-80's nostalgia is here, we get it in AMERICAN PIE. It is no more credible than a remake of Porkys or Screwball Hotel, not that it matters. The makers of those pictures were very aware that plots and characters were irrelevant, so rude set pieces instead were the order of the day. They were rarely very good (the oft-cited classic ANIMAL HOUSE belongs to a different genre altogether).
Riding into cinemas on the back of THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY did not hurt this films box office potential. The makers laughably suggested this was an evolution of the genre. Judging by its success, you can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time. What separates AMERICAN PIE from the rest is a series of poorly devised high school romances. Which would be okay if it was still funny. It isn't.
The most explicit homage to the original inspirations is the casting of Eugene Levy (a chorus of `who?' rings out), best known for being John Candy's sidekick in a bunch of forgettable idiot comedies. So his `comeback' hardly rivals Travolta's.
AMERICAN PIE belongs to a time called `mid-80's'. That time is long gone. It belongs to a genre of jocks-and-sex comedies. The originals still inspire occasional bouts of laughter on late-night television. Watch them instead. It's cheaper.