Male counterpart to the "chick flick"

Rating: 10/10 (12 February 2003)

American Pie should be taken out of the category of 'teen comedy' and to me, should be placed under a special video store category called "The Male Counterpart To The Chick-Flick." Most men can probably relate to the humor in the film in a way that only the most fussy or virtuous male could not. It is funny in a towel-snapping, vulgarity-spewing, sexual one-upmanship way, a real "guy" film. Studies show that most men think of sex approximately once every three minutes; this film reflects a compressed thought process in a man's late teens when the hormones are a-ragin'. Sex is fantasized about, idealized and bragged about (although often with no corroborating truth). Women can say, "guys, you just don't get it" at a For Women Only or Vagina Monologues get-together, but this is a film that mirrors what growing up from boy to man is about.
The film stars Jason Biggs as the dopey, sexually naive Jim Levinstein, under duress to meet the deadline of losing his virginity by the end of prom night. Along with Jim are his three high school buddies, Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas), Oz (Chris Klein), and Paul (Eddie Kaye Thomas). These characters are symbolic of high school cliques; Kevin, good looking, popular; Oz, the jock; and Paul, the eccentric intellectual. The fifth wheel is Steve Stifler (Seann William Scott), a teammate of Oz's and son of a divorced mom, who has the run of the house, dad's money to burn and a mouth, well, worse than a sailor's.
As true in high school, people gravitate to Steve Stifler's house (not to Steve, really, he's hunky, but an insufferable pig) to take advantage of his monied hospitality, endless weekend parties, and, for the testosterone-charged, a portrait of his svelte mother on the wall.
The character of Jim's father, only known to the audience as Mr. Levinstein, is played by Eugene Levy. It is on the relationship between Jim and his dad that a supporting foundation is built for the film. What man doesn't recall in a profoundly agonizing way the "father-son" talk? It is remarkably performed by Levy. But he is a father who loves, and hugs, his son despite Jim's embarrassed protestations. Without going into a great deal of (unprintable) detail, the film centers around the pact between the four friends, and a typical teen male's challenges: uninterrupted masturbation, excelling at sports, the battle of peer pressure and self-esteem, partying and drinking illegally, and having a long enough relationship with a woman in order to make it on prom night ("trophy" dates gladly received). Of course, college is a given for all, it's only a matter of a few more months to enjoy freedom.
The female roles, starring Tara Reid as Kevin's steady girlfriend, Vicky; Natasha Lyonne as Tara's older and sexually wiser friend Jessica; Mena Suvari as Oz's girl, Heather; and Jim's European exchange student and fantasy-of-the-month Nadia (Shannon Elizabeth), give the film added complexity. Alyson Hannigan plays the hilarious Michelle, the cultist music student; she ends up being Jim's date as a last resort. Paul Finch, Jim's scotch-swilling friend, starts a rumor about the size of his "equipment" in order to get a prom date, but is tripped up by Stifler. Finch attends the prom alone, but revenge is sweetly his.
After the post-prom party at Stifler's cottage, the buddies gather round--revealing their stories. Sex turns out to be really just a part (although pleasurable part) of what makes the earth spin, a part of being a man, and in many cases, overrated. Welcome to the real world, men.
American Pie was marketed as one of a multitude of modern "coming of age" teen films, yet was vastly different from the genre. Although the film remains true to form with sight-gags and gross-out sexual comedy, it veers off the formulaic path by a plot that develops relationships between individuals that are actually endearing to watch. If you are willing to sit back, relax and enjoy the ride, the nostalgia trip is well worth it. All faint-hearted need not apply.